Yo bebo leche y agua

In 1973, Pinochet's U.S.-backed coup led to a dictatorship and Chile’s water privatization. In Patagonia, locals resist hydropower projects like Edelaysén. Efforts to deprivatize water via a new constitution failed, keeping Pinochet’s legacy alive.

In 1973, General Augusto Pinochet led a U.S.-backed military coup in Chile, establishing a brutal dictatorship. Under his rule, the «Código de Aguas», shaped by the neoliberal Chicago Boys, privatized Chile’s water resources, turning water into a tradable commodity. In Patagonia Chilena, vast bodies of water sustain life and fuel water businesses. In Puerto Guadal, locals formed the «Los Maquis Libres» movement to protect their river from the Canadian hydroelectric company Edelaysén. Attempts to deprivatize water through a new constitution have been rejected, perpetuating the legacy of Pinochet’s economic policies.