María Isabel Mendoza

Peruvian educator who revolutionized indigenous language preservation through digital tools

María Isabel Mendoza is a Quechua linguist and educator who pioneered the use of digital technology to preserve endangered indigenous languages. Her nonprofit Yachay Lingüística has developed mobile apps and online platforms that teach 12 indigenous languages spoken in the Andean region. These tools have reached over 200,000 users since 2010, reversing language decline in communities where only 15% of children spoke ancestral languages.

Born in Cusco in 1975, Mendoza's work combines her academic training in linguistics with grassroots community organizing. Her 2008 thesis on digital revitalization strategies became the basis for Peru's National Indigenous Languages Plan (2015-2025). The apps feature gamified learning, audio dictionaries, and virtual reality experiences that recreate ancestral rituals. A collaboration with MIT Media Lab in 2019 produced the first AI-powered Quechua voice assistant.

Mendoza's advocacy led to the creation of the National Bilingual Education Program, now implemented in 300 schools. Her book 《Digital Revival: Saving Indigenous Voices》 (2020) details her methodology. In 2022, she received the UNESCO Linguapax Prize for her work's global impact on language preservation. Current projects include developing open-source software to help other indigenous groups create their own language resources.