Mackarena Espinoza

Hometown

Los Ángeles, Chile

Education

Universidad de Concepción, Chile – B.A. in Education and Physical Education

Biography

My name is Mackarena Espinoza, and I am from Chile. My professional background is in education, and I recently transitioned to cultural and heritage-related work as a cultural guide in the Atacama Desert. This experience has inspired my academic interests in Indigenous knowledge systems, Andean cosmologies, and living cultural heritage, as well as in the relationship between communities, their territories, and the environment.

Through the MALAS program, I hope to explore the connections between Lickanantay ancestral knowledge, cultural and environmental conservation, and sustainable tourism. I am particularly interested in understanding how Indigenous worldviews and traditional knowledge can contribute to the protection of natural and cultural heritage in the Atacama Desert. I also hope to explore community-based approaches to tourism that respect Lickanantay traditions, strengthen local participation, and promote more sustainable relationships between communities, visitors, and the territory.