Arthur Joyce

Arthur Joyce is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of Colorado, specializing in the archaeology of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. He earned his Ph.D. from Rutgers University in 1991. His research focuses on sociopolitical change, landscape archaeology, and environmental interactions in ancient Oaxaca, Mexico. Since 1986, he has directed interdisciplinary projects in the Río Verde Valley, examining urbanization, collapse, and human-environmental dynamics. Joyce teaches courses on ancient civilizations, archaeological theory, and materiality.

His fieldwork includes excavations and surveys in coastal Oaxaca, alongside paleoenvironmental studies. He has authored/co-edited books such as *Preceramic Mesoamerica* (2021) and *Religion and Politics in the Ancient Americas* (2018). His work bridges social and ecological approaches to understand complex societies, emphasizing poststructural theories of practice and power. Joyce supervises graduate students in Oaxaca, focusing on independent research in archaeology and bioarchaeology. Recent projects include the Río Verde Archaeological Project and studies of climate change using Laguna Minucúa records.

Key themes in his research include political centralization, landscape modification, and the role of religion in sociopolitical systems. His articles explore topics like Monte Albán's urban development, preceramic societies, and the entanglement of material culture with power structures.