Silvia Vasquez-Lavado

[1] Silvia Vasquez-Lavado was born and raised in Lima, Peru, during the Peruvian terrorist movement, the Shining Path.

[4] In 2005, while attending a ayahuasca meditation retreat in Peru, Vasquez-Lavado had a vision of reconnecting to her inner child and the two of them walking in a valley surrounded by mountains.

In a review for The New York Times, Qian Julie Wang wrote: "Patriarchal societies champion summit journeys as tales of conquest.

"[13] In November 2020, the Hollywood Reporter announced that Selena Gomez is set to be cast as Vasquez-Lavado on the film adaption of In the Shadow of the Mountain.

[18] Vasquez-Lavado, a distinguished member of the Explorers Club, received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Millersville University and served as its commencement speaker on May 7, 2022.