Famous Peruvian Intellectuals & Academics

Well-known Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto heads the Institute for Liberty and Democracy as its president. Named to Time 100 in 2004, he has also won countless awards, such as The Economist Innovation Award in 2006. He is known for his pioneering work in areas such as the informal economy and property rights.

Hilda Gadea was a Peruvian Communist leader, economist, and author. Best remembered as the first wife of popular Marxist revolutionary, Che Guevara, Hilda Gadea is credited with introducing Guevara to several Cuban rebels. She is also remembered for her memoir, My Life With Che. 

Gustavo Gutiérrez is a Peruvian Catholic theologian, philosopher, and Dominican priest. A respected theologian, Gutiérrez has served as a visiting professor in many prestigious universities in Europe and North America. Gustavo Gutiérrez has also taught at the Harvard University, the University of Michigan, the University of Cambridge, and the University of California, Berkeley among other schools.

Celebrated German-born Peruvian mathematician, archaeologist, linguist, and astronomer Maria Reiche is remembered for her pioneering research on the Nazca lines. Nicknamed the Lady of the Lines, she was initially a governess and teacher in Peru. She later also became a founding-member of the non-profit organization South American Explorers.

Alejandro Toledo is a Peruvian politician best known for his service as the President of Peru from 28 July 2001 to 28 July 2006. Toledo, who also served as the President of a political party called Possible Peru, achieved international fame when he led the opposition against Alberto Fujimori, who served as the President of Peru from 1990 to 2000.

Inca Garcilaso de la Vega was a Peruvian chronicler and writer. Vega, who spent most of his life in Spain, is remembered for his chronicles of Inca culture, history, and society. His work became popular in Europe, where it was widely read, making Inca Garcilaso de la Vega the first author from the Americas to enter the western literary world.

Mercedes Aráoz is a Peruvian politician, professor, and economist. She is best known for her service as the Second Vice President of Peru from 2016 to 2020. She also served as the Prime Minister of Peru from 2017 to 2018. An important politician, Mercedes Aráoz also served as the Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism from 2006 to 2009.

Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala was a Quechua nobleman best remembered for chronicling and criticizing the Spanish for their ill treatment of the indigenous people of the Andes after the Spanish invasion. Among Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala’s most famous work is Nueva corónica y buen gobierno, an illustrated chronicle completed around 1615. 

Susana Baca is a Peruvian singer-songwriter, folklorist, school teacher, ethnomusicologist, and political leader. A three-time Latin Grammy Award recipient, Baca has played an important role in reviving Afro-Peruvian music. In 2011, Susana Baca became only the second Afro-Peruvian cabinet minister of independent Peru when she was elected as the Minister of Culture.

José Carlos Mariátegui was a Peruvian journalist, writer, Marxist philosopher, and politician. A prolific author, Mariátegui is best remembered for his work Seven Interpretive Essays on Peruvian Reality, which is regarded as his magnum opus. He is also credited with founding the Peruvian Socialist Party. José Carlos Mariátegui achieved immense popularity despite his early death at the age of 35.

Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre was a Peruvian politician, author, and philosopher. He is best remembered for founding a popular political party named the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance. Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre is also remembered for his service as the President of the Constituent Assembly from 28 July 1978 to 13 July 1979.

Born to a Polish father and a Belgian mother in Paris, anthropologist and academic Eliane Karp later studied in Jerusalem, before moving to Stanford. The wife of former president of Peru Alejandro Toledo, she was dragged out of court, while cursing, after Toledo was denied bail in a bribery case.

José de la Riva Agüero was a Peruvian politician, soldier, and historian. He is best remembered for his service as the first President of Peru from 28 February 1823 to 23 June 1823. An important politician, José de la Riva Agüero also served as the second President of North Peru from 1 August 1838 to 24 January 1839.

Martha Hildebrandt is a Peruvian Fujimorist politician and linguist. She is best known for her service as the President of the Congress from 1999 to 2000. She is only the second woman after Martha Chávez to serve as the president of the Congress of Peru. Martha Hildebrandt has also worked as a professor at the National University of San Marcos.

Dionicia Gamboa is a Peruvian educator and parasitologist. She is best known for her association with the Institute of Tropical Medicine Alexander von Humboldt at the Cayetano Heredia University, where she works as a professor. Dionicia Gamboa's research focuses on a major malaria parasite species called Plasmodium vivax, which is found in South America and South-East Asia.

Pedro Beltrán Espantoso was a Peruvian politician, economist, and journalist. He is remembered for his service as the Minister of Finance and Prime Minister of Peru from 1959 to 1961. He also served as the Ambassador of Peru to the USA from 1944 to 1945. From 1948 to 1950, Pedro Beltrán Espantoso was the president of the Central Reserve Bank.

Ricardo Valderrama Fernandez was a Peruvian scholar, politician, and anthropologist. He is best remembered for his research on the Native Peruvians of the Andes region; he spent over four decades studying the lives of the Native Peruvians. Ricardo Valderrama Fernandez is also remembered for his service as the Mayor of Cusco Province from 2019 to 2020.