On the rails of the Trasandino. Chilean exile to Mendoza after the Ley Maldita (1948)

Abstract

The aim of the work was to address a particular form of exile of the Chilean community to Mendoza lands (Argentina). Specifically, we are referring to the cordilleran pedestrian crossing along the rails of the Trasandino Railway of a group of Chileans who left their homeland after the sanction of Law 8987 that outlawed the Communist Party in Chile in 1948.

To achieve this, two lines of research were used: the study of the Trasandino Railway and its role in pedestrian mobility through its rails and studies on exile as a transnational phenomenon. Primary and secondary sources were explored and analyzed; and an in-depth interview was conducted with a key informant. The study allowed the reconstruction of the causes of the Chilean exile in Mendoza, the journey along the Trasandino rails and aspects linked to the host land. This research opens new questions about unworked exile experiences and the heritage value of the railway as a socio-cultural resource.