Catherine DiCesare

Catherine DiCesare is an Associate Professor of Art History and Undergraduate Coordinator in the Department of Art and Art History and Art Museum at Colorado State University (CSU). She holds a Ph.D. in Pre-Columbian Art History/Arts of the Americas from the University of New Mexico (2002) and an M.A. in Italian Renaissance Art from Syracuse University's Florence program (1994).

• Education: Ph.D. 2002, University of New Mexico
• M.A. 1994, Syracuse University
• B.A. Not specified

Her research focuses on Mexican pictorial manuscripts, Aztec rituals, and pre-Columbian Mesoamerican art. She teaches courses on Mesoamerican art, Aztec festivals, and Italian Renaissance art. DiCesare also leads study abroad programs in Italy, emphasizing Western European art from Medieval to Baroque periods. Her work bridges art history with cultural anthropology, exploring how material culture reflects ritual practices and cosmological beliefs.

Her publications analyze Aztec festivals like Ochpaniztli and Huey Tozoztli, emphasizing their symbolic and temporal dimensions. She engages with codices such as the Borbonicus to decode ritual meanings, while also examining gender roles in pre-Hispanic ceremonies.

DiCesare’s expertise spans both Mesoamerican and Italian art traditions, integrating interdisciplinary methods to contextualize art within broader socio-religious frameworks.