Mariana Watson has worked as a conservator on various archaeological projects in her native Peru and was the Director of Institutional Relations at the renowned Larco Museum in Lima for over 16 years. She has always been fascinated by the pre-Inca Chachapoya civilisation who were at their peak from 600-1400AD in the cloud forests of northern Peru. Mariana holds a degree in conservation for archaeological collections and pursued postgraduate studies in Business Management and Product Management at the Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas and the Universidad Pacifico in Lima, Peru.