Geoffrey E. Braswell

Geoffrey E. Braswell is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), specializing in Mesoamerican archaeology with a focus on the ancient Maya. He holds a doctorate from Tulane University (1996). His research explores settlement patterns, geoarchaeology, lithic technology, and the emergence of complex societies and economies in Mesoamerica. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala, particularly at sites like Chichen Itza, Lubaantun, Nim li Punit, and Pusilha. His work integrates archaeological methods with epigraphy, iconography, and environmental studies to understand Maya political systems, trade networks, and ritual practices.

Braswell is Co-Editor of Latin American Antiquity (2014–2020) and leads the Toledo Regional Interaction Project in Belize. His publications address topics such as Maya identity, Teotihuacan-Maya interactions, and the collapse of ancient Maya polities. His research emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches, including network analysis, material culture studies, and isotopic analysis of diet and mobility.

Key projects include excavations at Nim li Punit, where his team discovered a hieroglyphic jade pectoral, and investigations into Chichen Itza’s chronology and cultural significance. Braswell’s work challenges traditional narratives of Maya decline, emphasizing the continuity of indigenous identity and the complexity of pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican societies.