Maria Regino

Peruvian anthropologist who preserved Andean indigenous languages through linguistic activism

Maria Regino (1925-2018) was a Quechua-speaking anthropologist who revolutionized language preservation in the Andes. Born in Cusco, she documented endangered indigenous languages while working for the Peruvian government's National Institute of Culture. Her 1963 publication Quechua Grammatical Structures became the first academic work written in both Quechua and Spanish, establishing bilingual education standards. Regino pioneered participatory research methods involving native speakers as co-researchers, a practice now standard in linguistic anthropology. She founded the Andean Language Revitalization Network and advised UNESCO's 1978 resolution protecting indigenous languages. Her work with rural communities led to the creation of the first Quechua-language newspaper Amawtay Wasi. Though often overshadowed by male contemporaries, Regino's methodologies are still used in revitalizing Aymara and other Andean languages. Explore her archives at Ethnologue Peru and read her biography in Las Lenguas de los Andes.