Michel Lopez Marcos Rodolfo

Michel López’s distinguished career reflects a profound commitment to academic research, teaching, and cultural heritage preservation. He founded Bolivia’s first salvage archaeology company, Empresa Consultora de Arqueología ECOAR and possesses extensive knowledge of Bolivia’s protected areas. From 2005 to 2011, as the director of the Institute of Anthropological and Archaeological Research at San Andrés University in La Paz, he spearheaded groundbreaking research and mentored future generations of scholars. His dedication to education has enriched academic discourse, ensuring the transmission of knowledge. From 2011 to 2015, as director-general of the Cultural Heritage at Bolivia’s Ministry of Cultures and Tourism, he led initiatives that secured UNESCO’s World Heritage status for the Ichapekene Piesta of San Ignacio de Moxos (2012), the Qhapaq Ñan (Andean Road System) and the intangible heritage of the Pujllay Ayarichi (2014). He also championed Bolivia’s Cultural Heritage Law (530), enacted in 2014. His academic contributions span diverse topics, including the pre-Columbian settlement of Tarija, ancient hydraulic systems in Beni, and the Inca conquest of Bolivia.