María Cristina Baltazar
Instituto Nacional de Cultura
Lima, Perú

María Cristina Baltazar Mateo is an archaeologist with the National Institute of Culture in Peru. She serves as a conservator and registrar, working with various aspects of Peru’s spectacular artifacts. Her special interests include protecting Peru’s “patrimony” and educating the general public about the historical, cultural, and educational value of artifacts. She finds herself working with a variety of people, including politicians, campasinos (≈country folk), scientists, and law enforcement officials, and in diverse locales such as a treasure-filled tomb or at the end of a rope in a cave.