What is so unusual about this statue of liberty/justice next to the house of justice in Valparaiso? A couple of things...
Notice that there is no blind fold. I guess justice is not blind in Chile.
Also, the scales are not held in balance, but are draped at her side ... I guess justice is not fair either.
The story, I hear, is that this statue was created by a French sculpture who recognized the unfairness of the class structure and ability to buy "justice" in Chile and depicted it in the statue. When it was presented to the Mayor of Valparaiso in 1902, so the story goes, the Mayor asked why there was no blindfold and he was told that justice needs to see all the facts. Hearing that explanation, he accepted the statue. Don't know how much of this is true, but makes for an interesting story.
