Brigitte Kovacevich

Dr. Brigitte Kovacevich is an Associate Professor and Undergraduate Coordinator in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Central Florida. A Mesoamerican archaeologist specializing in Maya civilization, she focuses on household archaeology and its connections to macro-scale social processes like inequality, power dynamics, and political collapse.

Education:

• BA, University of Arizona
• PhD, Vanderbilt University (2006)

Her research employs lithic and chemical analyses to study social identities, economic systems, and technological practices in ancient Maya societies. She co-directs projects at Holtun, Guatemala, and the PACUNAM Lidar Initiative, examining early political authority and landscape archaeology.

Key publications address jade production (2015, 2021) and the 2010 Holtun excavations. She mentors graduate students in methods like GIS mapping, obsidian characterization, and replication studies.

Scientific Funding & Awards:

• National Geographic Society
• National Science Foundation
• American Philosophical Society
• PACUNAM Foundation
• The Hitz Foundation

Dr. Kovacevich co-directs archaeological investigations at Holtun and analyzes lidar data across 500km² of the Maya Biosphere, contributing to understanding regional social development.