Garrett W. Cook

Garrett W. Cook is a Professor of Anthropology at Baylor University, where he has taught undergraduate students since 1990. A socio-cultural anthropologist and ethnographer with archaeological training, his four-decade career focuses on Maya communities in Guatemala and Belize, examining religious practices, sacred geography, and cultural resilience through immersive fieldwork.

His academic credentials include:

• PhD in Anthropology, State University of New York at Albany, 1981
• MA in Anthropology, State University of New York at Albany, 1974
• BA in Anthropology, State University of New York at Albany, 1969

Cook's research explores the indigenous roots of Maya religious practices, from 1970s studies of Catholic saints' syncretism to 1990s analyses of sacred sites and Pentecostal church structures. His current work defines a Maya sacred geography (cosmogram) and Mesoamerican pilgrimage framework, bridging ethnography and archaeology to illuminate ancient Maya cosmology. He emphasizes narrative traditions as vessels of social experience and institutional justification.

His 2008-2025 publications reveal consistent engagement with K'iche' sacred landscapes, ritual performance, and cultural continuity. Key themes include the evolution of patron saint festivals, indigenous medicine societies, and transculturation in religious contexts, often co-authored with Thomas Offit using longitudinal ethnographic methods.

No scientific awards were documented in the source material.

Cook directed Baylor's undergraduate field school (2006-2013) investigating Momostenango's annual festival, mentoring students in active research. His FAMSI-funded 2008 video documentation of the Dance of the Monkeys and cultural consultancy for the documentary Gods and Kings demonstrate applied anthropological engagement. He views teaching as improvisational exploration of perennial questions, informed by William Perry's model of intellectual development.

His primary research ecosystem involves collaborator Thomas Offit and highland Guatemalan communities, particularly Momostenango, where decades of fieldwork inform his evolving cosmogram model and narrative studies.