The Llama de la Libertad or Llama Eterna de la Libertad (lit. "Flame of Liberty" or "Eternal Flame of Liberty") was a ceremonial flame located in Plaza Bulnes in

Santiago, Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital (political), 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 Regions of Chile, region, t ...

. It was lit on September 11, 1975 by

Augusto Pinochet Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (, , , ; 25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean general who ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, first as the leader of the Military Junta of Chile from 1973 to 1981, being declared President of ...

to commemorate the

1973 Chilean coup d'etat Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

against the

presidency of Salvador Allende Salvador Allende was the president of Chile from 1970 until his 1973 suicide, and head of the Popular Unity government; he was a Socialist and Marxist elected to the national presidency of a liberal democracy in Latin America.Don MabryAllende ...

. The Llama de la Libertad was part of a larger monument called Altar de la Patria (lit. "Altar of the Motherland") and was a symbol of the military dictatorship that ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990.

Extinguishing

In 2003 the government announced through minister Francisco Vidal that the presidency would cease funding the flame due to budget cuts. In response to this the Mayor of Providencia, Cristián Labbé, said his commune would fund the flame, but this proposal was superseded days later when Minister

Michelle Bachelet Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria (; born 29 September 1951) is a Chilean politician who served as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2018 to 2022. She previously served as President of Chile from 2006 to 2010 and 2014 to 201 ...

announced the

Ministry of National Defense {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

would fund the flame. On October 18 of 2004 the flame was finally extinguished due to the works done on the new Barrio Cívico, itself a commemoration of the upcoming

Bicentennial of Chile The Bicentennial of Chile ( es, Bicentenario de Chile) took place on September 18, 2010. The celebration commemorates the beginning of the Independence process in Chile, with the first Government Junta of Chile on September 18, 1810, and Chile' ...

. A similar flame in

Punta Arenas Punta Arenas (; historically Sandy Point in English) is the capital city of Chile's southernmost region, Magallanes and Antarctica Chilena. The city was officially renamed as Magallanes in 1927, but in 1938 it was changed back to "Punta Aren ...

, also lit by Pinochet, was extinguished in 2013.Punta Arenas apaga la última Llama de la Libertad que ardía durante todo el año
/ref>

References

{{coord, 33.4454, S, 70.6533, W, source:wikidata, display=title 1975 establishments in Chile 2004 disestablishments in Chile Eternal flames Military dictatorship of Chile (1973–1990) Monuments and memorials in Santiago