He disappeared during a school trip in 1983… The truth took 35 years to come out… On March 15, 1983, 32 seventh-grade students from San Miguel Middle School boarded the yellow bus that would take them to the Córdoba mountains for their annual spring field trip.
Among them was Miguel Hernández, a 13-year-old boy with a contagious smile and an insatiable curiosity for the natural world around him.
The trip had been planned for months.
The students would visit the famous Ongamira caves and go hiking through one of Argentina’s most beautiful landscapes.
For many of these kids, it was their first chance to get away from the city and experience adventure in the wild.
Miguel had been especially excited about the trip.
He had spent weeks preparing, reading about the region’s geology, and carefully packing his backpack with a disposable camera, a sketchbook, and enough snacks to share with his classmates.
His mother, Carmen Hernández, would later recall how her son had stayed up late the night before, checking his bag over and over again.
The group was accompanied by three teachers: Mrs. Martínez, Mr. López, and Ms. García.
They were also joined by a local guide named Carlos Mendoza, who knew the mountains like the back of his hand and had led hundreds of similar trips without incident.
The journey started off smoothly.
The students sang songs on the bus, played games, and watched the scenery change from urban to rural as they made their way to the mountains.
Miguel sat by the window, snapping pictures of the landscape with his camera and jotting down notes in his sketchbook.
When they arrived at the base camp, near the Ongamira caves, around noon, the weather was perfect.
Clear skies, comfortable temperatures, and a gentle breeze promised an ideal day for exploring.
No one could have imagined that, before the sun went down, one of the largest search operations in Córdoba’s history would already be underway.
The afternoon went on as planned until 3:47 p.m., when Mr. López did the routine headcount before moving on to the next scheduled activity.
To be continued in the first comment under the photo…