Antares de la Luz: A series about a sect leader who burns a child alive in Chile as part of a ritual

For this, They had to sacrifice.

In November 2012, it committed a heinous crime by burning a newborn baby alive in a fire.

According to the head of the department, The child is the “Antichrist”.

The event shocked the country and Antares de la Luz fled to Peru, becoming the most wanted man by the police in Chile. A few months later, he was found dead in Cusco. He is 35 years old.

His story is depicted in a new Netflix documentary – called “Andres de la Luz: Division of the End of the World”– It premieres on Thursday, April 25.

Film – Directed by Santiago Correa Made by a Chilean manufacturing company Myth– Contains unpublished details about how the sect came to be and exclusive interviews with some of its former disciples. Pablo UnturagaRamon Castillo is closest to Kate.

Next, we tell you who Antares de la Luz was, how his unit worked and what was behind the brutal murder of the child.

Ramón Castillo grew up in a middle-class family in the city of Santiago de Chile.

When he left school, he studied music and taught at a school for vulnerable children. He played football and had friends.

After some time, he joined the Andean Music Group ImmortalHe played instruments like Clarinet, Bonpipe and Cuina.

Journalist and analyst in conversation with BBC Mundo Veronica Foxley, The author of the book “Five Drops of Blood: The Intimate History of Antares de la Luz and the Colligue Sect” admits that he began to experience some changes in his personality when he traveled to China with his musical group.

“He was very withdrawn … After that, he started traveling alone to various places in Latin America. He went to Ecuador, and It is believed that he received his first revelation there. When he returned to Chile, he returned different,” he points out.

It was then, in 2009 and through various meditation groups, that he began to gain a following.

There was one of them Pablo UnturagaAs he himself said in the Netflix documentary, he had a difficult childhood, plagued by bullying, so being part of a group made him feel better.

Veronica Foxley – starring in the film directed by Santiago Correa – like Unturaga, said, “Most of the group had significant emotional breakdowns, they were very sensitive, they had a complicated childhood, Some had psychological problems such as mental disorders and self-esteem problems“.

“They were dissatisfied with the environment they lived in. And they saw Antares de la Luz as someone with special, magical, powerful abilities,” he notes.

Little by little, Ramón Castillo Cat and his followers began to live together. At first they did it in Santiago, but then they went to different parts of central Chile, ending up in the city. ColligueIn the Valparaiso area.

In the beginning, they devoted themselves to conducting meditation seminars and workshops for “discovering the inner state”. The leader of the sect was dressed in white and no one could touch him or look him in the eye.

But it came later “Controls”Veronica Foxley says.

“As soon as his followers were convinced that this man was their salvation, permanent teaching began, and Antares became hardened,” says the journalist.

“He imposed new rules and behaviors, first they had to take care of him, massage him. He told them when they could or couldn't have sex, what they could eat and how many hours they should sleep. He made them work very hard and in their environment. And isolated them from their families,” he tells BBC Mundo.

All of the above with one big promise: Not only are they going to change the world, they're going to save it. Specifically what happens December 21, 2012, according to an age-old belief, will be “the end of the world.”.

As part of rituals, they were sometimes consumed AyahuascaA hallucinogenic plant used by indigenous South American peoples in ceremonies for centuries.

According to Veronica Foxley, Antares de la Luz consumed it regularly.

“He probably suffered from fibromyalgia because his body was always in pain and ayahuasca was the only thing that calmed him. But he undeniably consumed it like someone would drink water.It leads you to an obvious mental illness.”He says.

As December 21 drew closer, tensions within the sect increased.

The increasing physical and mental control that Ramon Castillo Cat exercised over his “disciples” The women of the sect had to perform sexual service for him whenever he wanted.

“At first they had consensual sex, but eventually he went full rape,” says Foxley.

He also imposed severe punishments including caning. A former member of the community even had his wrist broken.

In 2012, one of Antares de la Luz's most loyal followers was invited Natalia Guerra, She became pregnant.

According to Foxley's investigation, the woman was forced to live in isolation in a cabin in the Andes during pregnancy.

In November that year, after three days of failed labor, the baby was born at a hospital near the division.

Andres de la Luz said the baby was born earlier than it should have been, so it was a sign. He was a “dark creature”.

Thus, two days after his birth, the leader ordered his disciples to dig a hole in the mountain The child was burned alive.

“At that time not all the sects were there. Some say they heard screams, others a baby crying. But a lot of people don't see what's going on,” says Foxley.

Contrary to expectations, the journalist points out this fact “fortified” to the group instead of tearing it apart.

“They felt like they were moving forward. People around Antares also saw him as a sacrifice against the Antichrist,” he says.

But it didn't take long for divisions within the group to appear.

They intensified after the promise of the end of the world On December 21, 2012, it did not arrive. This left some people skeptical.

“That day, December 21, they were all anticipating, nervous, fully convinced of what was going to happen. But when nothing happened after hours, Antares said: 'I don't see anything, we have to prepare because now the end of the world is going to be in Ecuador and in March,' explains Veronica Foxley. .

Later, Pablo Unduraga – who was the financial backer of the group – decided to escape with his girlfriend from the division.

“When they left, the division lost its administrative arm. Then they began to despair, everyone began to doubt, remember what happened to the child … and they began to escape one by one,” says the journalist.

The investigation Chilean Investigative Police (PDI) It started in early 2013 after an anonymous complaint about what happened there.

In April of that year, the case exploded in the Chilean press and members of the sect decided to turn themselves in to the police. All were remanded in custody pending investigation.

After trial, only Pablo Unduraga and Natalia Guerra, The child's mother received effective prison terms (5 years each).

But Antares de la Luz escaped to Peru, where a search was launched against him.

“He was cornered from all sides and on May 1 he was found dead in an abandoned house in Cusco, hanging from a beam,” Foxley says.

In a statement to La Tercera newspaper, Santiago Correa, director of the documentary, now screening on Netflix, said it was important to present it. A new and more reflective perspective on factsA decade later.

And, more than 10 years after the events, the case continues to haunt Chile.

Few understand how a young man who claims to be God can take on the will of his followers, after he entered a spiral of terror and became the protagonist of one of the worst crimes in recent Chilean history.