La Moneda Under Attack - Chilean Coup
Photographer: Enrique Aracena
Date: September 11, 1973
Location: Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago, Chile
La Moneda Under Attack by Chilean photojournalist Enrique Aracena captures the decisive moment of the 11 September 1973 military coup in Santiago, Chile, when the Chilean Air Force bombed the presidential palace to overthrow democratically elected president Salvador Allende. The image was taken around midday (approximately 12:00–12:15 PM local time, CLT) as Hawker Hunter jets struck the Palacio de La Moneda, after Allende refused the military’s ultimatum to resign and instead remained inside delivering his final radio address. The attack marked the violent collapse of Chile’s constitutional government and the beginning of General Augusto Pinochet’s military dictatorship (1973–1990), a period defined by political repression, disappearances, and exile. Aracena’s photograph became one of the most enduring visual symbols of the coup, representing both the physical destruction of democratic institutions and the broader Cold War–era confrontation between left-wing reform movements and military-backed authoritarianism in Latin America.
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