Hailing from the Midwestern United States, business couple Fernando and Ana Stahl arrived at the altiplano (high plane) of Peru in 1909, beginning three decades of work among the peoples of the Andes and the Amazon.

In the face of formidable barriers posed by race, religion, and class, the Stahls threw in their lot with the indigenous peoples. In addition to founding chapels, clinics, and markets, this couple established the first indigenous and first co-educational school system in the highlands.

"The Adventist school system opened the way for the indigenous population of the altiplano...