Refuge in the south, an unforgettable ambassador: memory and identity axis in new testimonial experiences

Based on recent and different work experiences combined with the memories of Uruguayans who sought asylum in the Mexican Embassy, as well as other sources, this article addresses new facets of analysis regarding content and methodology. Starting from a study prepared by the authors, dedicated to enhancing the memory elaboration and reprocessing carried out by those involved in the diplomatic asylum related to Mexican Ambassador Vicente Muniz Arroyo, a new analytical approach is attempted 30 years after the testimonial facts in order to recover the different aspects of this man's personality, who had a leading role in one of the major expressions of protection granted by using interamerican instruments of asylum. He is studied from different angles: the memory of the refugees he afforded asylum to, his extended family environment and the municipality of Michoacan (Churintzio) where he was born; and some methodological novelties are incorporated to our study of diplomatic asylum, like resorting to free memory within groups through workshops or collective interviews. We confronted the results obtained with the memory recorded through semi structured questionnaires individually applied, and incorporated new social subjects to the memory content: second generation, family and group memory in the local cultural context alien to the central role of the objective of our study. The experience allowed us to recover the personage as a memory and identity backbone and verify that the conflict had displaced from the political arena to the memory of an entire generation.