Constanza Ceruti

Constanza Ceruti was born in Buenos Aires in 1973 (January, 11th). She lives in the city of Salta, in Northwest Argentina. After her graduation as an Anthropologist at University of Buenos Aires in 1996, she earned her Ph.D. at University of Cuyo (Mendoza, Argentina) in 2001. She has become a specialist in the field of high altitude archaeology, studying Inca ceremonial centers on the summits of Andean mountains. She is Scientific Investigator of the National Council for the Scientific Research (CONICET) in Argentina, a Professor of Inca Archaeology at Catholic University of Salta and the Director of the Institute of High Mountain Research at the same University. She is the only female Andean high-altitude archaeologist in the world. Dr. Ceruti has climbed over 100 mountains above 16,500 feet, (5000 meters) within the context of systematic archaeological research. She has been twice on top of Aconcagua (6.962 m.) – the highest mountain in the western hemisphere- , and on the summit of Mt. Pissis (6.882 m.) – the highest volcano in the world-, as well as on several other peaks in Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Chile and Argentina. She is the author of more than seventy scientific publications, including six books. Dr. Ceruti participated as project co-director in four of Dr. Johan Reinhard´s archaeological expeditions in 1999 and 2000, funded by the National Geographic Society. On the summit of volcano. Llullaillaco (22,100 feet) - the site of the highest archaeological work ever undertaken – Reinhard and Ceruti discovered three of the best preserved mummies in the world, together with several gold and silver statues and sumptuary objects of typical Inca style. Her academic achievements have been recognized by the University of Buenos Aires with the Gold Medal. Her mountaineering achievements have been recognized with the Gold Condor (the most important award by the National Army of Argentina, for the first time given to a woman). In 2005 she became an Emerging Explorer of the National Geographic Society. In 2006 she was among the few honorees at the Prince of Asturias Award Ceremony, when the Communication and Humanities Award was given to the National Geographic Society. In 2007 she received the Courage Award from the Wings Worldquest and she was honored as a Distinguished Lecturer in Anthropology at the University of West Georgia. Her interest in sacred mountains and anthropology goes beyond the vast Andean mountain range: she has been to the Nepal Himalayas, India, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Greenland, Norway, England, Australia, Polinesia, United States, Italy, France, Mexico, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia and Chile. She has been invited to lecture at dozens of universities and museums in the Americas and Europe. She is a fellow of Wings Worldquest, the Explorer´s Club and TED2009.