Maya Lazzaro

Maya Chipana Lazzaro is a Quechua Indigenous activist, educator, and writer whose work focuses on environmental justice, water rights, and Indigenous sovereignty. Of Quechua heritage from the altiplano region of Bolivia, with ancestral roots in the Andes between Potosí and the Uyuni Salt Flats, Lazzaro draws on a strong connection to land and ancestral knowledge in her advocacy. Her work addresses Indigenous sovereignty, including land, water, and language conservation. Lazzaro’s perspective is shaped by Quechua traditions, emphasizing reciprocity with Pachamama, or Mother Earth, and recognizing that the destruction of natural ecosystems disproportionately affects Indigenous communities.

Lazzaro holds a master's degree in American studies from the University of New Mexico and a bachelor's degree in culture and media studies from Eugene Lang College at The New School. Her academic background is complemented by practical experience, including an internship with Human Rights Watch, where she worked on human rights and environmental organizing. Lazzaro has taught labs and classes at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian, serving as a youth educator for an educational exhibit on Native American innovation, science, math, and medicine—an exhibit she helped design and open, which continues to educate youth globally.

Lazzaro has spoken at universities, radio shows, museums, and during direct actions. She has presented at the Smithsonian Museum, Af3irm School of Activism, The New School, and Columbia University. As a member of the Earth Guardians Speakers' Bureau, she has addressed audiences focused on environmental advocacy, Indigenous rights, and ecological restoration. Her published writing explores topics such as the lessons of Standing Rock and the role of traditional ecological knowledge in addressing environmental crises.

Lazzaro’s work centers on water conservation and protection, and she regularly addresses decolonizing and protecting Indigenous healing wisdom, ecology, and sovereignty. She advocates for the human right to access clean water and for restoring biodiversity threatened by climate change, capitalism, and colonialism. In her role as Bazaar Vendor Coordinator at Cultural Survival, Lazzaro has expanded her understanding of the importance of connecting with Indigenous communities and the necessity of collective action in overcoming colonial legacies. Through her work as an activist, educator, and communicator, Lazzaro amplifies Indigenous voices and centers traditional knowledge in ongoing conversations about environmental and social justice.