| Julia Elena Fortún Melgarejo | |
| Birth Date: | 9 October 1929[1] |
| Birth Place: | Sucre, Bolivia |
| Fields: | History, anthropology, ethnology, ethnomusicology |
| Workplaces: | Instituto Boliviano de Cultura (IBC) |
| Alma Mater: | Universidad Central de Madrid |
| Known For: | Her investigation about the origins of the Diablada and anthropological studies in Tiwanaku. |
| Awards: | Premio Nacional de Cultura (1989), Premio al Pensamiento y la Cultura "Antonio José de Sucre" (2007) |
Julia Elena Fortún Melgarejo (9 October 1929 - 5 December 2016) was a Bolivian historian, anthropologist, folklorist, and ethnomusicologist, pioneer in this last field in her country.[2] She was born in the city of Sucre but lived in La Paz for most of her life.
She obtained an anthropology degree in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and her doctorate in history in the Universidad Central de Madrid in Spain. Back in Bolivia, Fortún studied music in the Academia Eduardo Berdecio and subsequently in the Conservatorio Nacional de Música in the city of La Paz.[3] She died on 5 December 2016 at the age of 87.[4]
Among the books written by Julia Elena Fortún are: