Occupying and Reclaiming a National Historical Monument: The Casa Central of the Universidad de Chile

Conceptual and ethnographic examination of the ideology that has given form to one of Chile’s most representative national historical monuments,the Casa Central of the Universidad de Chile,indicates that monuments are a complex social construction of historically situated ideologies and practices and that,simply by being artifacts,they are always at risk of never achieving unanimity as to their truth. The controversial nature of the monument’s meaning presents us with a problem with regard to its verisimilitude and its incorporation into a shared history. It may be suggested that the historical meaning of a monument is manifested in its commemoration and in corporal uses and practices. Un examen conceptual y etnografico de la ideologia que le ha dado forma a la Casa Central de la Universidad de Chileuno de los monumentos historicos nacionales mas representativos del pais revela que un monumento es una construccion social compleja de ideologias y practicas situadas en un contexto historico y que,simplemente por ser un artefacto,siempre correremos el riesgo de nunca alcanzar unanimidad en cuanto a su verdad. La naturaleza controvertida del significado del monumento nos plantea un problema con relacion a su verosimilitud y a su incorporacion en una historia compartida. Podemos decir que el significado historico de un monumento se manifiesta en su conmemoracion y en usos y practicas corporales.