Introduction

To strengthen the province's tourism offering, the Tucumán Tourism Board is working with the Human Rights Secretariat to design a historical circuit that encourages the identification and visitation of sites and spaces where crimes against humanity were committed or planned, both during Operation Independence and the last civil-military dictatorship (1975-1983) and at other times in our history.

These actions, which involved the incorporation of signage and digital support to provide relevant information, are part of the public policies of Memory, Truth and Justice that symbolize the commitment of the democratic State to publicize and condemn crimes against humanity, promote the prosecution of those responsible and recognize victims, survivors and their families.

These interventions in public space combine support and reparation for victims of illegal repression and the promotion of community participation in the construction of memory so that such harmful events do not happen again.

The Little School of Famaillá

At first, the primary school named “Eva Perón” operated in the same building as the “Lavalle” secondary school, located in front of Plaza San Martín in Famaillá.

It was in 1953 when construction began on the site where it is currently located, but its name was changed to “Diego de Rojas”. This happened after the civil-military coup d'état that occurred in September 1955, which overthrew the government of Juan Domingo Perón and established a dictatorship headed by General Eduardo Lonardi that called itself the Liberating Revolution.

In February 1975, when the building was almost finished, the “Diego de Rojas” school was not inaugurated for educational purposes, but as a clandestine detention center. Within the circuit established by state terrorism in Tucumán, this center became known as the Little School of Famaillá.

Its operation began within the framework of Operation Independence, based on Decree No. 261/75, signed on February 5, 1975 by the constitutional president Isabel Martínez de Perón and her ministers. The decree ordered “the Argentine Army and the Air Force to neutralize and/or annihilate the actions of subversive elements in the province of Tucumán.”

Thus, on February 9, 1975, the base of operations of the Argentine Army was established in La Escuelita de Famaillá. It was under the command of General Acdel Vilas until December of that year and, later, it was led by General Antonio Domingo Bussi.

Based on the trials for crimes against humanity that took place in Tucumán, it was possible to determine that this center operated until shortly after the coup d'état of March 24, 1976, and that around 2,500 people passed through its classrooms, used as detention and torture cells, some of whom were murdered and others remain missing to this day.

After the civil-military coup of March 24, 1976, the Command moved to the former Nueva Baviera sugar mill and in 1977 the "Diego de Rojas" school was inaugurated in this building, where the primary level initially operated and, over time, the tertiary level.

In 1984, once democracy was restored with the government of President Raúl Alfonsín, the National Commission for the Disappearance of Persons (CONADEP) carried out a visit to the place accompanied by survivors who recounted what they experienced there. This allowed us to identify and obtain data on its operation as the first clandestine detention, torture and extermination center in the country. This information was later captured in the book “Nunca Más.”

On August 2, 2012, under the protection of National Law 26,691, La Escuelita de Famaillá was designated as a Site of Memory.

Thanks to the persistent demand of Human Rights organizations, a commitment was made to build a new building where the “Diego de Rojas” school was moved in 2015. On December 2 of that same year, the plaque recognizing La Escuelita de Famaillá as a National Historic Site and Space for Memory and the Promotion of Human Rights was unveiled. This means that activities related to the pedagogy of memory and the promotion of human rights are carried out on the site.

On September 15, 2020, as a result of efforts made by the Ministry of Education of Tucumán, the Ana María Sosa Specialized Center for Human Rights was created in the Espacio para la Memoria, which carries out guided tours, artistic workshops, training, and cultural activities. The Hilda Guerrero de Molina Popular Library also operates there.

Those interested in coordinating visits to the site should contact laescuelitadefamailla@gmail.com or by phone at 381 394 0062.