At first glance, this Spanish accent face can give the impression that it is a European researcher. But when asked about her birthplace, she does not hesitate to clarify: "I am Panamanian, born in Columbus in 1972." Julia Mayo Torne is the daughter of Spanish parents who lived for three years in Columbus, Panama before returning to Spain.

Born in Panama steered her interest as an adult in American pre-Columbian cultures. As a child she liked the mystery, travel and discovery, and was "an archeology enthusiast," she recalls. It was this that prompted her to study geography and history at the University of Santiago de Compostela and then specialize in American anthropology in the Complutense University of Madrid.

Mayo is the president of the Foundation El Cano, which was created last year after having discovered, along with a team of 30 specialists, a cemetery dating back to 700-1000 AD. Within these tombs, the team of geologists, sonservatives, biologists, archaeologists, recorders, cartoonists, physical anthropologists, among others, found the bodies of old heads with grave goods of gold and ceramic offerings.

National geographic, Archaeologist