On a central street in Montevideo, with a lot of traffic and narrow sidewalks, a sign that seems more like a copy shop or a locksmith advertises the Museo Andes 72. The subtitle changes depending on whether it is in Spanish (Tragedy and miracle in the Andes), in German ( Flight 571) or in English (The Story of the Survivors). Three summaries for the same thing.
Once you pass through the door – which once again reminds you of a craft shop – you find yourself in front of a not very wide and elongated room that branches off into some steps at the back. It is full of panels and objects rescued from the aerial tragedy that now surfaces again in memory through the already award-winning film The Snow Society by Juan Antonio Bayona.
If you feel like reading, you will spend a very instructive time in this museum that tries to analyze from all angles the plane crash of a Uruguayan rugby team that gave way to one of the most publicized stories of resilience and improvement of the 20th century. . From the harshness of the environment of the eternal snows of the Andes mountain range to the possible causes that caused the device to hit the rocks. Next to each text there are display cases that collect personal objects of the survivors - and also of the deceased -: transistors from which they anguishedly followed the abandonment of their search, team jackets, boots, group photographs, desperate notes written during the endless days of waiting...
Newspaper clippings have a prominent role. They went on from the accident to the search, passing through the abandonment of the rescue tasks and the miraculous appearance of two of the injured who, after a 72-day ordeal, decided to leave the shelter of the remains of the fuselage and explore the possibility of find someone to help them.
The most striking objects are the largest: remains of the plane's landing gear, an emergency exit door, a seat in the cabin...
The initiative to open this museum came from a close friend of the victims, Jörg Thomsen, who is both director and whatever is needed, since it is not unusual to find him carrying out some repair or repainting a railing. “The museum is modest and the interest is greater on the part of foreigners than on Montevideo residents, who pass by and know the story inside and out,” he explains.
The museum conveniently avoids the most gruesome issue of that historical episode: how the twenty survivors managed to feed themselves completely surrounded by snow and blizzard at 3,600 meters of altitude for more than two months. “The morbidity has already been more than satisfied by the media” – point out the rectors of the Andes 72 museum – “we prefer to dedicate our attention to the miracle of its survival.”
The Old Christians rugby club tragedy has never lost the public's attention. In fact, to date seven books have been published that tell the events from different points of view. And some of the survivors still give interviews to the media naturally. Now, Bayona's film, which could enter the race for the Hollywood Oscars, can revitalize the entrances to a museum that, otherwise, shows a surprising quietness of visitors.
The museum is open from Monday to Saturday at 614 Rincón Street. If you are not fortunate enough to walk through pleasant Montevideo, you can visit its website. Although it may surprise some, and like any other institution today, it has its souvenir shop. It includes books in different languages about the event, but also pendants, keychains, pens and even rugby balls.
