Dear Friends and supporters of the Chijnaya Foundation,
The past month has been one of significant changes for the Chijnaya Foundation.
First, a major loss: on December 3, 2025, Ralph Bolton, our founder and past
President, died unexpectedly while in Morocco. It is challenging to summarize
adequately the many dimensions of Ralph’s distinguished career in this brief note,
so we have included a link to both his obituary and his recent lecture on the
occasion of receiving the Malinowski award (the highest recognition given by the
Society for Applied Anthropology). That lecture includes Ralph’s own assessment of his career.
We have taken comfort in knowing that Ralph’s last trip to the altiplano was an
inspiring visit—he was greeted by lifelong friends and could see once again the
impact of the Foundation’s 20 years of investment in the communities and peoples
of the region. Throughout the trip he shared with us stories of his early years in
Capachica and Puno and we saw him once again delight in the music and spirit of
the Altiplano. We will all treasure those memories. The Foundation will celebrate
Ralph’s life at our annual meeting on February 28th in Palm Springs at the Weifels
Memorial Chapel. The service will be available online via Weifels website.
As we mourned Ralph’s passing, we received an unexpected and extraordinary
gift: the establishment of an Endowed Fund for the Chijnaya Foundation. This gift
–the largest in our 20 year history– comes from two members of the Board, Judy
and Dan Bauer. The new endowed fund will enable the Foundation to meet its
commitment to the people of the Altiplano for years to come. We have asked Judy
Bauer to reflect on what led her to make this very substantial commitment and
include her message below. From our own perspective Judy has been an
outstanding Board member—bringing a perspective shaped by her outstanding
career in the corporate world. Judy has led the Finance and Endowment Committee
of the Board and provided critical insight and direction to the management and
enhancement of our financial resources. She has been an innovative and skilled
fundraiser and a thoughtful and helpful voice we have relied upon for the past five
years. With this leadership gift and her continued presence on the Board she has
ensured the future of the Foundation for years to come. The following text is Judy’s first-hand account of how she came to support the foundation.
“I’ve always been interested in other cultures and my husband Dan had served together with Ralph in the Peace Corp in Peru. We learned that Ralph was organizing a trip to visit the Altiplano, and we enthusiastically said we wanted to join the group . I had never been to Peru and Dan wanted to revisit his old stomping ground. It was a very exciting trip for both of us. I’ve always been a bit of a foodie and I was anxious to try Peruvian cuisine. It didn’t disappoint. But what I was most impressed with was the difficult conditions under which the people of the Altiplano live.
They have very few material resources and work very hard. Despite these conditions, they are admirable people. I learned how the Chijnaya Foundation is working with the villagers to help solve problems and implement solutions that they have identified.
I was impressed that the Foundation doesn’t just give handouts, as do many other organizations, but rather provides connections to resources, provides loans, helps establish savings programs and so much more.
Above: Dan and Judy Bauer are long time supporters of the Chijnaya Foundation, members of the Board and have generously given a gift to establish an Endowment.
After Ralph asked Dan to join the Board, I accompanied him to Board meetings and I became quite interested, from the sideline. I enthusiastically agreed when Susie asked if I would join the Board. It appeared to me that most of the members were academics and maybe I could offer a different perspective given my Hewlett Packard management career. I hope that, in some small way, I have been able to contribute.
The Finance committee, on which I serve and have chaired, has been working to establish an endowment. I felt that Dan and I could really make a difference by contributing enough money to kick start the endowment. My hope is that this will encourage others to help grow the endowment. These funds will earn interest and continue to grow. With the interest earned we will be able to further our efforts to help the people of the Altiplano improve their lives.
My hope is that you will join me in this effort.”
To make a donation towards the Endowment please contact Makensie at [email protected].