Overview
- Time’s 2026 list names two Peruvians as global influencers, recognizing Pope León XIV for church leadership and Mari Luz Canaquiri for environmental defense.
- Pope León XIV, a U.S.-born naturalized Peruvian and the first Augustinian to lead the Church in 500 years, is praised for bravery, simplicity, and a push for a more open, participatory institution as he nears one year in office.
- Coverage notes the pope’s recent calls for peace and his criticism of U.S. policy on Iran, which drew a sharp response from President Donald Trump, while he vowed to keep speaking out.
- Mari Luz Canaquiri, a Kukama leader who heads the Women’s Association Huaynakana Kamatahuara Kana, led a case that in March 2024 granted the Marañón River legal personhood and tasked the Peruvian state with basin conservation while naming Kukama communities as its guardians.
- Time places Canaquiri in its Innovators group and highlights her 2025 Goldman Environmental Prize, with reporters also noting that only about 10% of honorees are Latino, a spotlight that could add pressure for Peru to carry out river protections.