Maria Rivera Gomez

Peruvian anthropologist who preserved indigenous Amazonian cultures through linguistic preservation

Maria Rivera Gomez (1935-2012) dedicated her life to saving endangered languages of the Peruvian Amazon. Working with isolated tribes like the Shipibo-Conibo and Yine peoples, she recorded over 12,000 hours of oral histories between 1960-1980, creating the first written grammars for 7 previously unwritten languages. Her fieldwork in the Alto Mayo region established preservation protocols still used today.

Gomez's 1973 publication Amazonian Voices was the first comparative study of Amazon Basin languages, revealing unexpected linguistic connections between disparate tribes. She developed the Bilingual Education Model (1975), which integrated indigenous languages into school curricula, increasing literacy rates by 65% in pilot communities. Over 150 schools now use her Language Nest program, which pairs elders with children in immersive language environments.

Her advocacy led to Peru's 1979 Indigenous Languages Law, mandating state support for language preservation. The Maria Rivera Digital Archive at La Molina University contains 2,500 hours of recorded stories and songs. In 2005, UNESCO honored her with the Linguapax Prize for 'safeguarding humanity's intangible heritage.' Her work prevents the annual loss of 10 indigenous languages in the Amazon region.