This article approaches, through documentation, interviews and previously unpublished records, the trajectory of the student Left in the Catholic University of Chile between 1993 and 1997. Dynamics of political linkages in an hostile national and local environment, through local collectives, cultural interventions and street demonstrations, are highlighted, looking at the gradual development of a movement from the margins to a broad and diverse coalition, with complex structures, milestones and contradictions, with the capacity to contest power and attract interest in society at large.