Salvador Allende & Tencha
The first lady of the Unidad Popular
The socialist president Salvador Allende and Hortensia "Tencha" Bussi, his lifelong companion; after the 1973 coup in which he died in La Moneda, she led the exile and the resistance from abroad.
01Why it matters
Their love is bound to the great dream and great political tragedy of 20th-century Chile.
02The conflict
Pinochet's coup and the long years of exile.
03The iconic moment
Allende's last radio speech as La Moneda was bombed.
04What survived
Allende's final speech; the memory of the Unidad Popular.
05Frequently asked questions
Why is the story of Salvador Allende & Tencha famous?
Their love is bound to the great dream and great political tragedy of 20th-century Chile.
How does the story of Salvador Allende & Tencha end?
Allende's last radio speech as La Moneda was bombed. Allende's final speech; the memory of the Unidad Popular.
Related loves
Pablo Neruda & Matilde Urrutia
A hundred sonnets for a secret lover
The secret lover who became wife, nurse and guardian of the Nobel laureate's legacy, and the muse of "100 Love Sonnets" and "The Captain's Verses."
Read the story
Che Guevara & Aleida March
Love and revolution in Santa Clara
The Cuban fighter who battled alongside Che in the taking of Santa Clara and became his wife; she stayed in Cuba raising their children while he left to make revolution on other continents.
Read the story
Sandino & Blanca Aráuz
The telegraph operator of the revolution
General Sandino, who fought the US occupation, and Blanca Aráuz, the young telegraph operator who relayed his secret messages and became his wife and ally.
Read the story