Being the First Female High-Altitude Archaeologist

Location:
Salta, Argentina
Latitude/Longitude:
-24.782126900000, -65.423197600000
Journal Entry:

Read Constanza's English-language biography then listen to an oral testimonial in Spanish!

Hi, my name is Constanza Ceruti. I'm an Argentinean anthropologist and the first woman high-altitude archaeologist in history.

As a high-altitude archaeologist, I ascended and explored, sometimes solo and unsupported, more than one hundred peaks above 5,000 meters in remote corners of South America. I co-directed the scientific excavations on the highest archaeological site in the world, and discovered three of the best-preserved frozen mummies, together with an outstanding collection of artifacts from the Inca civilization. I also climbed hundreds of mountains in different parts of our planet, to study their role in pilgrimage, folklore, identity and tourism. I also wrote more than twenty books on peaks of Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas! My work laid the foundation for high altitude and glacial archaeology, and the anthropology of sacred mountains.

When I was young, we had a big library at home, with hundreds of books that my father had selected.

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