Negro Matapacos (translated as ''Black Cop-Killer'') was a Chilean black dog that acquired fame due to his participation in the street protests that took place in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

, Chile, in 2011. He later became a symbol in the 2019–2020 Chilean protests as a sort of resistance to police brutality and the fight for dignity, he has many graffiti and statues made in his honor throughout the country and even in the

Decolonize This Place Decolonize This Place is a movement based in New York City that organizes around Indigenous rights, black liberation, Palestinian nationalism, de-gentrification, and economic inequality. Their actions often take place at museums and cultural i ...

subway protests in New York City in 2019. He was notable for his black fur and the red handkerchief that was tied around his neck, although he also had a blue and a white handkerchief that his caregiver also put on him. His name came from Spanish ''matar'' (to kill) and ''paco'', which is Chilean slang for "policeman".

Biography

The dog gained fame among the university circles of Santiago, mainly in the universities of Santiago (Usach), Metropolitan of Technology (UTEM) and

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

(Ucen). During the 2011 student protests Negro Matapacos became known for participating in the street marches and attacking members of

Carabineros de Chile ( en, Carabiniers of Chile) are the Chilean national law enforcement police, who have jurisdiction over the entire national territory of the Republic of Chile. Created in 1927, their mission is to maintain order and enforce the laws of Chile. Th ...

, which garnered the sympathies of the Chilean protesters. Although Negro Matapacos was considered a

stray dog A free-ranging dog is a dog that is not confined to a yard or house. Free-ranging dogs include street dogs, village dogs, stray dogs, feral dogs, etc., and may be owned or unowned. The global dog population is estimated to be 900 million, of w ...

, due to its presence in different university headquarters and streets of Santiago, he was under the care of María Campos, who adopted him in 2009 and who fed him, had a bed for him in her residence, tied his handkerchiefs around his neck, and blessed him before he went out. During his participation in street demonstrations, several media outlets also called him the "Chilean

Loukanikos Loukanikos ( grc-gre, Λουκάνικος: "the sausage loukaniko"), initially named "Theodor", was a Greek riot dog that participated in almost every anti-austerity protest in Greece. He was commonly known for joining protests, barking at poli ...

", due to his similarities with the dog that became famous during the protests in Greece between 2010 and 2012. Negro Matapacos died on August 26, 2017, attended by veterinary personnel and caregivers. Various sources mention that at the time of his death he had left descendants of 32 puppies with 6 different dogs.

Cultural references

In December 2013 the documentary ''Matapaco'' was released, made by Víctor Ramírez, Carolina García, Nayareth Nain, Francisco Millán and Sergio Medel of EnMarcha Films, and which won the Best Documentary award at the Santo Tomás Festival in

Viña del Mar Viña del Mar (; meaning "Vineyard of the Sea") is a city and commune on central Chile's Pacific coast. Often referred to as ("The Garden City"), Viña del Mar is located within the Valparaíso Region, and it is Chile's fourth largest city w ...

. During the

2019 Chilean protests Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

, the image of Negro Matapacos acquired notoriety again, and protesters drew inspiration from him during street demonstrations, appearing on various posters, stickers, murals and sculptures of papier-mâché, and requests have even been made to install a statue of the dog in a public place. Tributes have also been made outside of Chile, such as in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

on November 14 2019, where the

statue of Hachikō A statue of the Akita dog Hachikō, remembered for his unwavering loyalty to his deceased owner, is installed outside Tokyo's Shibuya Station, in Japan. History In April 1934, a bronze statue based in his likeness sculpted by was erected at Shib ...

outside

Shibuya station is a railway station in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, operated jointly by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), Keio Corporation, Tokyu Corporation, and Tokyo Metro. With 2.4 million passengers on an average weekday in 2004, it is the fourth-busiest c ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

was adorned with a red handkerchief, similar to that worn by Negro Matapacos. On November 18 2019 the statue of Balto at

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...

in New York City was intervened in the same way. During the mass evasions that took place on November 1 of the same year in the

New York subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, an affiliate agency of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Opened on October 2 ...

in protest at the police repression towards a fare evader, a lot of stickers appeared in the stations of that city with the image of Negro Matapacos jumping a turnstile.

References

External links

{{Commons category
"Matapaco" documentaryGallery of artistic material related to Negro Matapacos
Individual dogs Political movements in Chile 2017 animal deaths Dogs in Chile 2019–2020 Chilean protests Folk saints

Biography

Cultural references

See also

References

External links