Ms. Cristina Amescua Chávez is a researcher at the Regional Center for Multidisciplinary Research (UNAM) and Chairholder of the UNESCO Chair on Research on Intangible Cultural Heritage and Cultural Diversity. She holds a PhD in anthropology from National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Two of her dissertations were awarded prizes and in 2014 Cristina won the National University Distinguished Recognition for Young Academics in the area of research in the social sciences. Since 2001, at the National University of Mexico, she has participated actively in inaugurating and promoting the field of study on intangible cultural heritage.
She has collaborated and coordinated many research projects and published 7 books as editor or co-editor, 27 chapters in books and two articles in journals. Since 2007 she has cooperated with UNESCO on several initiatives regarding intangible cultural heritage.