Marco Antonio Arana Zegarra (born in Cajamarca on October 20, 1962) is a Peruvian politician, sociologist, professor and former priest, founder and activist of the Tierra y Libertad [es] Movement.

He completed a master's degree in Sociology (1997-1998) specializing in Management and Public Policy at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru thanks to a scholarship from the Belgian Interuniversity Council.

Later, with the help of the community, he managed to found the Cristo Ramos de Porcón School, which allows young people with limited resources to have access to a quality secondary education.

[citation needed] In 1993, with the help of the Episcopal Center for Social Action, he denounced the expropriation of peasant lands by the Newmont and Buenaventura mining company, whose North American officials finally accepted their responsibility and paid compensation to those affected.

[citation needed] In 1999, he formed EcoVida, the first ecological organization in Peru, together with young activists, biologists, sociologists and educators from the National University of Cajamarca.

Another of the initiatives that he developed was the creation of brigades of environmental educators, which had the support of the Franciscan Sisters and whose objective was to help the population in the formation of bio-gardens and in the installation of improved kitchens.

The group Nuevo Peru (supporters of Mendoza) indicates that "this is a way out in the face of wear and tear on the bench where there is no consensus and an adequate functioning with the participation of the 20 congressmen"[6] and that they will not lose "one more minute in fights than they distract us from the problems of Peruvians »[7] due to the discrepancies with the faction of Tierra y Libertad led by Marco Arana.

[6] The insurmountable nature of the political discrepancies between the sectors of Marco Arana and Veronika Mendoza were exposed in the first presidential vacancy process against Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, where the Broad Front, led by Marco Arana, voted en bloc in favor of the vacancy while that the congressmen of Nuevo Peru left the hemicycle seconds before the voting began.