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Around 2.00, and for more than two hours, a small crew of four people was in charge last Sunday of giving the last coat of paint to the monument of the General Manuel Baquedano, located in Plaza Italia, shortly before the work – inaugurated in 1928 – was once again the center of the demonstrations for the anniversary of October 18.
Who are these officials, in charge of express restorations? It is a company financed by the Metropolitan Intendance. In conversation with Third, one of the four workers in charge of these tasks, who asks not to give his identity for security reasons, details how the recovery process of the work is like each time it is attacked.
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“There is always fear of working on the street, and especially in an emblematic monument. Some people yell things at us “says the worker, who says that they have applied paint to Baquedano on two occasions only in the last week.
This firm, in addition, is the one that permanently fulfills the functions of restoration of monuments and facades in the historic center of Santiago. They arrive at the Plaza Italia roundabout in a vehicle from the same company. Then, they install an electric generator in front of the monument to illuminate the sector. They have their materials – three paint cans or buckets of about 20 liters – and inspect the place.
The official affirms that in the last intervention, the sector was full of garbage, empty bottles and other elements. “You have to be very careful, there was also oil in the structure and that can cause falls when we get on the horse,” he says.
Before starting the work, they spray the statue with quaternary ammonium, to disinfect it. After that, they apply the enamel, a task that is carried out with a special machine to spray the paint. The jobs last around two hours. “We put synthetic enamel on the top and water-based paint on the bottom,” he adds. There they must go up and down a ladder several times to paint the horse and the base.
Regarding whether they are afraid of being attacked or have had incidents, he points out that “we have families behind and it is scary that this will appear everywhere, but we do our work with professionalism.”
The intendant Felipe Guevara notes that “The recovery plan for public spaces has allowed us to repair monuments and vandalized facades. It is a task that we will continue to do as many times as necessary ”.
Carabineros, meanwhile, reported that they will have three squads of Public Order Control officers this weekend to guard the place.
There is also municipal work in the recovery of spaces. The mayor of Santiago, Felipe Alessandri, states that after the destruction of furniture in “ground zero” they have municipal crews in charge of cleaning and maintaining the gardens. “I am impressed by the destruction of the city, the musicians’ gallery, the lights, the Transantiago whereabouts, the garbage containers”, dice.
Patricio Neculpán, one of the workers in charge of the work after the protests, says that last Monday he started his day before 7:00 to clear the street of barricades and stones. “There is a lot of damage, they destroy from traffic lights to the sidewalks. It is shocking”.
