Constanza Ceruti

[1] She is also the first woman worldwide to specialize in high-altitude archaeology, studying Inca ceremonial centers on the summits of Andean peaks above 6000 meters.

As an anthropologist, she has been studying hundreds of sacred mountains in diverse parts of the world, looking at their role in religion, mythology, folklore, identity and tourism.

[9] She has conducted research on sacred mountains and the world´s religions in the Nepal Himalayas, India, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Hawai, Egypt, Morocco, Turkey, Greece, Croacia, Norway, Italy, France, Spain, Ireland, Scotland, England, Greenland, Canada, Alaska, United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru and Chile.

[2]: 26 [12][13] In October 2001 she earned her doctorate cum laude at the National University of Cuyo, the first person to specialize in high altitude archeology.

[11] The ascent of high mountains demands considerable physical resistance, since the marching days are usually very long (sometimes more than twenty hours), on steep terrain and in extreme weather conditions.

The high mountain environment is characterized by oxygen shortage, low atmospheric pressure, strong icy winds, snowfall and thunderstorms.

There investigators recovered the remains of a mummified child, whose gravesite had been blasted open with dynamite and looted of ceremonial objects by treasure hunters.

The bodies were accompanied by dozens of sumptuous objects of typical Inca style, including ceramic vessels, wooden cups, woven bags, spondylus shells, sandals, moccasins, clothing, jewelry, and female figurine miniatures.

[2]: 27–28  Ceruti's notes from the original sites, painstakingly compiled under extreme conditions, have enabled researchers to better understand the ceremonial and political implications of the capacocha ritual.

Their clothing and artifacts indicate that they came originally from Cuzco, Peru, thousands of miles away, requiring a journey of months to reach the high Andes where they died.