Barbara Voorhies

Barbara Voorhies is a Research Professor and Professor Emerita in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research focuses on Mesoamerican prehistory, coastal adaptations, and the transition from foraging to farming in tropical coastal regions. She holds a PhD in Anthropology from Yale University (1969) and a BS in Geology from Tufts University (1961).

Her notable works include Prehistoric Games of North American Indians: Subarctic to Mesoamerica (2017), which explores ancient gaming practices across Indigenous cultures, and An Archaic Mexican Shellmound and Its Entombed Floors (2015), analyzing the Tlacuachero site. She has contributed significantly to understanding Archaic period transitions, coastal resource use, and cultural ecology through interdisciplinary methods combining archaeology, ethnography, and environmental analysis.

Her research spans Mesoamerica, particularly the Pacific coast of Mexico, where she has examined shellmound formation, subsistence strategies, and ritual practices. Collaborations with colleagues like Douglas Kennett and Heather Thakar highlight her role in multidisciplinary archaeological projects.

Dr. Voorhies’ work bridges archaeological theory and fieldwork, emphasizing the interplay between human societies and their environments. Her publications address topics such as prehistoric gaming, coastal adaptations, and the origins of agriculture, contributing foundational knowledge to Mesoamerican and global archaeological studies.