Priscilla Cisternas

Priscilla Cisternas is a Ph.D. candidate in Latin American History at the University of California, Davis, specializing in Food History and Andean Social History. She is also a Researcher at the Center of Historical Studies at Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins, Chile. Her doctoral research examines quinoa's role in colonial Andean societies, focusing on Indigenous resilience against Spanish imperial control. Cisternas holds a Master’s in History (Ethnohistory) from the University of Chile and a Bachelor’s in Education from Universidad de Tarapacá. She has taught at the University of Viña del Mar and conducted fieldwork across Bolivia, Peru, Spain, and the U.S.

Her research interests include colonial botany, gender dynamics, and Indigenous agricultures in the face of colonialism and environmental change. Her dissertation highlights quinoa’s cultural and economic significance, challenging narratives of its marginalization. Cisternas has authored/co-authored books, chapters, and peer-reviewed articles on Andean history, colonial fishing economies, and ethnohistory.

Awards:

• Mellon International Dissertation Research Fellowship (2021-22)
• John Carter Brown Library Fellowship (2022)
• CONICYT Ph.D. and Master’s Fellowships (2017, 2009)

Her work bridges historical analysis with contemporary concerns, emphasizing agrobiodiversity and Indigenous knowledge systems. Cisternas has collaborated on projects funded by national and international grants, focusing on archival recovery and interdisciplinary approaches to colonial studies.