Survivor of 1972 Andes plane crash gives talk in Malaga's Moclinejo village

Now aged 79, the architect, painter and international speaker continues to find audiences keen to hear his first-hand account of human resilience. On Sunday 20 September, more than 100 residents packed the Antonio Segovia Lobillo exhibition hall in Moclinejo, a village of 1,229 inhabitants in the Axarquia region of Malaga province, for a talk organised alongside the El Pilarillo reading club.

Strauch’s visit stemmed from a lifelong friendship with Marta Shaw, a 78-year-old Uruguayan resident who has lived in Moclinejo since 1998. Shaw lost two cousins in the disaster: Daniel Shaw, who died on the day of the crash, and Gustavo Nicolich, who survived the initial impact but died aged 20 when an avalanche buried the fuselage on 29 October. Shaw was also a cousin of Strauch.

During his stay, Strauch toured the village and visited Bodegas Dimobe, a family winery established in 1927 that produces wines from local Muscat of Alexandria and Pedro Ximenez grapes.

"It gives me great satisfaction to continue making a contribution to other people’s lives, to be in contact with people and to be able to share my experiences with them," Strauch told SUR prior to the talk.

He admitted that he remains surprised by the enduring global interest in the tragedy: "I’m still amazed at how people take an interest, ask me questions and want to have their photo taken with me."

Reflecting on why the story continues to captivate younger generations - spurred in part by director J. A. Bayona’s Oscar-nominated film Society of the Snow - Strauch focused on the capacity of the human spirit in extreme crises.

"What we went through shows the true essence of humanity in a world as crazy as the one we live in. I think we’re better people than we realise," he reflected. "It changed me and brought me nothing but positive things."

He cited family love as the primary drive for their survival: "If it hadn’t been for our love for our families, we wouldn’t have made it through."

From those 72 days, Strauch derived a core philosophy: "You mustn’t waste a single minute of life, because people think we’re going to live forever."

Taboos, abandoned searches and recovery

When asked about the necessity of consuming the bodies of deceased companions due to total starvation, Strauch addressed the decision without hesitation.

"It was the easiest decision of my life, but I never once felt any remorse about what we did," he said. "Overcoming the cultural taboo" was the true obstacle, he explained: "I had to make a huge mental effort, and I’m glad I did, because that’s how we survived."

Another pivotal moment occurred when the survivors managed to pick up a radio broadcast announcing that the official search operation had been called off.

"We heard that the world had abandoned us," Strauch recalled.

The realisation forced the group to take action, leading Fernando 'Nando' Parrado and Roberto Canessa to trek ten days across the mountains until encountering Chilean mule driver Sergio Catalán, who alerted authorities.

Despite being exposed to freezing temperatures without equipment, Strauch defied medical predictions of long-term physical damage. "The doctors were wrong and here I am," he joked to the crowd. "I’m going to live to be 104."

Strauch praised Bayona’s recent cinematic adaptation, describing Society of the Snow as "a marvellous film" made with "accuracy, quality and respect".

Having authored Desde el silencio (From the Silence) alongside Mireya Soriano, Strauch revealed he is working on a new book titled Por si tu avión se cae (In Case Your Plane Falls). He also continues to make periodic visits to the crash site.

"I keep going back to that mountain that taught me so much," he acknowledged.