After World War II, the Allies listed 150,000 Nazis or sympathizers as war criminals. 50,000 of them were found and judged, leaving about 100,000 who escaped or died.

Experts estimate that about 10,000 of those fled to South America. Countries like Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia were open to receiving many of these people, as they were either dictatorships themselves, had governments that sympathized with the Nazis or used Nazi-owned companies to launder money.

One country, though, would have its own German “colony” formed by a former Nazi officer. That country was Chile and the place he founded was a colony that some say was a cult, Colonia Dignidad—the colony of Dignity.

Friends, Welcome to the Mysteries of Latin America," where we dive into the myths, legends, mysteries and hidden stories that have shaped the region from Mexico to the Southern tip of Argentina and to the islands of the Caribbean and back. My name is Andrew Colón, and I’d like to welcome first-time visitors, longtime subscribers, fans and I invite you to subscribe and follow the podcast through whatever medium you’re listening to us.

I tell these stories for two reasons: so that those of us who have roots in the region can know our stories and so the whole world can know what makes Latin America what it is today. There’s a lot to unpack.

Today, we're diving into a story that I’d heard bits and pieces about, but I never expected the full story to be this dark, and once I knew it, I knew it had to be told.

This is the story of Colonia Dignidad.

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