Fundation
Origins
Monte Verde Foundation was established in 2002 by researchers Tom Dillehay, Mario Pino, and Eduardo Alvar, and was officially recognized in 2003 by the Chilean Ministry of Justice.
We founded this organization with the conviction of safeguarding, promoting, and disseminating a unique archaeological site, whose discovery transformed the history of human settlement in the Americas.
What do we do?
Heritage Conservation and Protection
We protect and manage the Monte Verde site, ensuring its long-term conservation and strengthening the foundations that enable its future nomination to UNESCO.
Interdisciplinary Scientific Research
We coordinate and develop collaborative research that updates knowledge about the earliest human communities and positions Monte Verde as an international scientific reference.
Heritage Enhancement and Outreach
We bring Monte Verde closer to the community through educational programs and outreach and citizen participation initiatives that promote the social appreciation of this unique heritage.
Tom Dillehay
Presidente y Co-fundador
Mario Pino
Vicepresident and Co-fundator
Eduardo Alvar
Director and Co-fundator
Jorge Guzmán
Secretary
Hans Kossmann
Treasurer
Jorge Lobos
Director
José Guillermo Leay
Director
René San Martín
Director
Hendrik Figueroa
Director
Christian Fonseca
Director
Tom Dillehay
Scientific and Technical Director
Jorge Guzmán
General Coordinator
Catalina Billeke
Communications Officer
Bárbara Cid
Administración
Tomás Valdivieso
Citizen Participation Officer
Bernardo Arriaza
Specialized Scientific Advisor
José Saavedra
Head of Archaeology and Heritage Management
Arturo Rojas
Indigenous Relations Officer
Rodrigo Alvar
Arqueology
María Catrileo
Lingüística
José Soto
Diseño
At the service of research and heritage
Discover the list of collaborators and specialists who advance knowledge about Monte Verde.
Collaborator List
| Name | Area / Specialty | Institution | City | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. O. Sawakuchi | Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) | University of São Paulo | São Paulo | Brazil |
| Anathasis Karathanasis | Agronomy / X-ray Diffraction (XRD) | University of Kentucky | Lexington, Kentucky | EE.UU. |
| Andrea Varela | Paleontology | University of São Paulo | São Paulo | Brazil |
| Bruce Pavlik | Genetics | University of Utah | EE.UU. | |
| Bryn Dentinger | Genetics | University of Utah | EE.UU. | |
| Carlos Ocampo | Arqueology | Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art | Santiago | Chile |
| Carlos Ramírez | Botany | Austral University of Chile | Valdivia | Chile |
| Carlos Rojas | Geosciences | Austral University of Chile | Valdivia | Chile |
| Céline Bon | Paleogenetics | CNRS | France | |
| Christophe Destombe | Genetics | CNRS | France | |
| Claudia Silva | Botany | Independent Researcher | Chile | |
| Dan Simpson | Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) | National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) | Mexico City | Mexico |
| Daniela Pino-Navarro | Ethnography | Austral University of Chile | Chile | |
| David Pollack | Heritage | Kentucky Heritage Council | Frankfort, Kentucky | EE.UU. |
| David Wolf (†) | Forensic Anthropology / Soft Tissue | Kentucky Medical Examiner Program | Frankfort, Kentucky | EE.UU. |
| Deborah Pearsall | Phytoliths / Paleoethnobotany | University of Missouri | Columbia, Missouri | EE.UU. |
| Detlef Reise | Ecology / Small Vertebrates | Austral University of Chile | Valdivia | Chile |
| Dimitri Rostoff | Paleontology | Petrozavodsk State University | Petrozavodsk | Russia |
| Dolores Piperno | Paleoethnobotany | Smithsonian Institution | EE.UU. | |
| Donald Tindall | Biology | Southern Illinois University | Carbondale, Illinois | EE.UU. |
| Donald Ugent | Biology / Potato Analysis | Southern Illinois University | Carbondale, Illinois | EE.UU. |
| Erwan Corre | Bioinformatics | CNRS | France | |
| Gastón Muñoz | Arqueology | Independent | Santiago | Chile |
| Gildas Le Corguillé | Genomics | CNRS | France | |
| Hans Siebert | Wood Cells | Lomonosov Moscow State University | Moscú | Russia |
| Ivon von Liftner (†) | Anthropology / Conservation | Austral University of Chile | Valdivia | Chile |
| J. Bremer | Wood Biology | Institut für Holzbiologie | Hamburgo | Germany |
| Jack Rossen | Cultural Research | University of Kentucky | Lexington, Kentucky | EE.UU. |
| Jake Romer | Petrography | Simon Fraser University | Canada | |
| James Adovasio | Arqueology | Institute of Archaeology, Mercyhurst College | Erie, Pennsylvania | EE.UU. |
| James Olson | Forest Ecology | University of Kentucky | Lexington, Kentucky | EE.UU. |
| Jeff T. Williams | Anthropology | University of Kansas | Lawrence, Kansas | EE.UU. |
| Jennifer Ross | Chemistry | University of Kentucky | Lexington, Kentucky | EE.UU. |
| Jerry Marie Slack | Geology | Northeast Louisiana State University | Monroe, Louisiana | EE.UU. |
| José Saavedra | Cultural Heritage | Cultural Center of Nueva Imperial | Nueva Imperial | Chile |
| José Utge | Evolutionary Biology | CNRS | France | |
| Juan Eduardo Díaz-Vaz | Wood Technology | Austral University of Chile | Valdivia | Chile |
| Linda Marks | Genetics | Australian National University | Australia | |
| Linda Scott Cummings | Phytoliths | Paleo-Research Institute | EE.UU. | |
| Lisbeth Louderback | Genetics | University of Utah | EE.UU. | |
| M. Ruetze | Wood Biology | Institut für Holzbiologie | Hamburgo | Germany |
| Marie-Laure Guillemin | Genetics / Evolutionary Biology | CNRS | France | |
| Mario Pino | Sedimentology and Geomorphology | Austral University of Chile | Valdivia | Chile |
| Marsha Baenzinger | Anthropology | University of Missouri | Columbia, Missouri | EE.UU. |
| Marvin Kay | Anthropology | University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, Arkansas | EE.UU. |
| Michael B. Collins | Arqueology | Texas Archaeological Research Laboratory, University of Texas | Austin, Texas | EE.UU. |
| Michael Cibull | Pathology | University of Kentucky | Lexington, Kentucky | EE.UU. |
| Mike Martin | Genetics | University of Oslo | Oslo | Norway |
| Milton Gallardo | Ecology and Small Vertebrates | Austral University of Chile | Valdivia | Chile |
| Myriam Valero | Genetics | CNRS | France | |
| Nathan Wales | Genetics | University of York | York | England |
| Noreen Tuross | Conservación analítica | Smithsonian Institution | Washington D.C. | EE.UU. |
| O. Faix | Wood Biology | Institut für Holzbiologie | Hamburgo | Germany |
| Pat Shipman | Anatomy / Paleobiology | Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, Maryland | EE.UU. |
| Patricio Sanzana | Indigenous Development | CONADI | Temuco | Chile |
| Paul Caix | Petrography | University of Barcelona | Barcelona | Spain |
| Paul Verdu | Population Genetics | CNRS | France | |
| Peter Southgate | Medicine | University of Kentucky | Lexington, Kentucky | EE.UU. |
| Philip B. Mink, II | Archaeological Geophysics / GPR | William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology, University of Kentucky | Lexington, Kentucky | EE.UU. |
| Randall Hughes | Geology | Illinois State Geological Survey | Champaign-Urbana, Illinois | EE.UU. |
| Richard Geissler | Pathology | University of Kentucky | Lexington, Kentucky | EE.UU. |
| Roberto Mañosa | Soft Tissue | Complutense University of Madrid | Madrid | Spain |
| Rodrigo Alvar | Arqueology | University of Chile | Santiago | Chile |
| Sally Smith | Malacology | Queen’s University | Irelan | |
| Signe Klemm | Genetics | University of Copenhagen | Copenhague | Denmark |
| Stéphane Mauger | Genomics | CNRS | France | |
| Sue Rimmer | Geology | University of Kentucky | Lexington, Kentucky | EE.UU. |
| Susan Sauer | Computational Analysis | |||
| Sylvain Faugeron | Molecular Biology | CNRS | France | |
| Tom Dillehay | Anthropology / Archaeology | University of Kentucky | Lexington, Kentucky | EE.UU. |
| Tomás Gálvez | Geology | Catholic University of Buenos Aires | Buenos Aires | Argentina |
| U. Schmitt | Wood Biology | Institut für Holzbiologie | Hamburgo | Germany |
| Vernon Case | Ciencias del suelo | University of Kentucky | Lexington, Kentucky | EE.UU. |
| Victor Moreno | Genetics | University of Copenhagen | Copenhague | Denmark |
| William Brown | Geología / Petrología | University of Kentucky | Lexington, Kentucky | EE.UU. |
Key Milestones
Over these years, we have driven decisive advances in the protection and promotion of Monte Verde, always in collaboration with local, national, and international stakeholders.
2004
Monte Verde is included on UNESCO’s Tentative List of World Heritage.
2005
Recognized with the Bicentennial Seal of the Republic of Chile.
2006
One of the sites was acquired with municipal funding.
2008
Monte Verde is declared a National Historic Monument by the National Monuments Council.
2013-2019
New excavation campaigns and interdisciplinary studies, generating new findings and publications.
2025-2026
Progress in the UNESCO nomination process and commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the discovery.