Ollantay Corujo

Corujo made headlines (and enemies) last year when he halted a government-backed lighting installation at the archaeological complex. His reason? The heat from the LEDs would dry out the lichen holding the morterless walls together.

"The lichen is the glue of the Incas," he said. "No one talks about that. Remove the lichen, and the wall becomes a pile of gravel in twenty years."

He won the argument, but lost the contract. Today, he works independently, funded by private grants and a popular Patreon account where he posts incredible drone footage of restoration sites. ollantay corujo

To understand Ollantay Corujo’s success in MLS, one must first understand his difficult road to the top.

Beyond writing, Corujo has been active as a cultural organizer: Corujo made headlines (and enemies) last year when

In the open field, Corujo is deceptively fast. He has a knack for the "last-ditch tackle"—sliding in at the exact moment a striker is about to shoot. This high-risk, high-reward style has led to several red-card scares, but more often than not, his timing is impeccable.

No journey is without obstacles. On July 23, 2022, during a match against the Columbus Crew, Ollantay Corujo suffered a devastating knee injury (torn ACL). For an expansion team, losing your captain and defensive anchor halfway through the season is catastrophic. Charlotte’s defense collapsed in his absence, leaking goals and sliding down the standings. "The lichen is the glue of the Incas," he said

The recovery process was long and silent. Corujo spent nine months away from the pitch, grinding through rehabilitation in North Carolina. In a 2023 interview with The Charlotte Observer, he stated: "The toughest part was watching the boys struggle on the pitch knowing I couldn't help. But ACL injuries test your mind more than your knee. I knew I would come back stronger."

And he did. Corujo returned in April 2023 with a renewed sense of purpose. While he initially played limited minutes to protect the knee, by mid-season he had reclaimed his starting role, proving that his defensive instincts remained razor-sharp.

In recent years Corujo has focused on multimedia projects that pair recorded oral histories with short films and web-based archives, aiming to broaden access while maintaining local control over materials. He is also working on a new novel that centers on a community’s response to a proposed mining project, combining reportage, oral testimony, and fictional reconstruction.