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I spent 45 days in the torture centre of Intendencia de Rancagua. Previously, I was detained with my brothers in the headquarters of the Cuartel de Investigaciones de Rancagua.

At the Intendencia, after experiencing torture, we concentrated on drinking mateInfusion of mate leaves, common in the Southern Cone., singing, telling jokes, and doing payasCompetition of popular poetry, in which two people alternate improvisations over a common theme, with guitar accompaniment..

I also played chess and was lucky to be with a fellow who was the national champion. We made a chessboard in the concrete and painted it with coffee. We made the figures with breadcrumbs.

I always remember a prisoner who was a teacher and sang ‘Volver a los diecisiete’ ('To Be Seventeen Again') by Violeta Parra(1917-1967) Chilean singer-songwriter and graphic artist who pioneered the revival of Latin American folk music in the 1950s..

Violeta was one of my favourites; several times I went to the Peña de los ParraChilean folk meetup established by Isabel and Angel Parra in Santiago in 1965. It was key to the development of the Chilean New Song.. I bought records there to sell in Caletones. It was something that I did to cooperate with Violeta and spread the music that they played there, more than to make money.

I remember that another prisoner used to sing ‘En qué nos parecemos’ ('How We Resemble Each Other'), popularised by QuilapayúnFamous Chilean group of the Nueva Canción movement, with strong affiliation to the Popular Unity coalition.. Those songs were linked to our actions during the Unidad PopularCoalition of leftist political parties formed in 1969, which supported the campaign and presidency of Salvador Allende (1970-1973)..

With the university brigades, we did lots of voluntary work, in the shanty towns and in the countryside. We also performed plays. I always acted in them.

When we were detained, listening to the music of the Unidad Popular took us back to the times during which we were together with the people. Those memories lifted our spirits.