Why did Augusto Pinochet ban the charango and other indigenous instruments in Chile?

The military regime led by Gen. Augusto Pinochet banned the charango and other indigenous instruments in Chile as part of a systematic effort to eradicate nueva canción and the populist sentiment associated with it.1

Nueva canción emerged as a powerful political force that democratized music by grounding it in local traditions and addressing the concerns of ordinary people. Because the movement was closely linked to leftist political causes—specifically the support of Salvador Allende and the Popular Unity party—the military government viewed the music and its practitioners as a significant threat to national stability.21

Following the 1973 coup, the Pinochet regime sought to suppress this influence by prohibiting the performance and broadcast of nueva canción. By banning the charango and other regional instruments, the regime specifically targeted the cultural symbols most closely associated with the movement’s identity and its message of social and cultural integrity.12