Julia Guernsey

Dr. Julia Guernsey is a Professor of Art History specializing in Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican Art at the University of Texas at Austin. She has taught there since 2001 and holds a Ph.D. from the same institution (1997). Her research focuses on the Middle and Late Preclassic periods (1000 BCE–300 CE), exploring themes like human figuration, urbanism, and social dynamics through sculpture and archaeological records. She co-leads the La Blanca Archaeological Project, investigating a major site in Guatemala's Pacific region.

Her publications include Human Figuration and Fragmentation in Preclassic Mesoamerica (2020), analyzing bodily representation and community identity, and Early Mesoamerican Cities (forthcoming), examining independent urban development. She received the 2013 Robert W. Hamilton Grand Prize for her 2012 book Sculpture and Social Dynamics, which reinterpreted 'potbelly' sculptures as symbols of ancestry and state formation. Grants include a Mellon Foundation travel grant (2007) and an AAUW American Fellowship (2010–2011).

Her work bridges art history and archaeology, emphasizing how material culture reflects political and social change. She currently does not accept PhD students for the 2025–2026 academic year.