Jessica MacLellan

Dr. Jessica MacLellan serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Wake Forest University, where she teaches foundational courses including ANT112: Introduction to Archaeology and advanced anthropology seminars. Her academic foundation was established through a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Arizona (2019), specializing in anthropological archaeology with regional expertise in Mesoamerica.

Her research program centers on ritual practices, household organization, ceramic traditions, and the emergence of social complexity in ancient Mesoamerican societies. Extensive fieldwork at the early Maya site of Ceibal, Guatemala has yielded significant insights into Preclassic-Classic transitions, sedentism, and ceremonial architecture, while her recently launched Suchilapan Archaeological Project in Veracruz, Mexico expands her comparative framework across Mesoamerican cultural zones.

Analysis of Dr. MacLellan's recent publications (2022-2024) reveals a methodologically diverse approach integrating isotopic dietary reconstruction, ceramic chronology refinement, and spatial analysis of ritual deposits. Her work consistently examines how household-level practices intersected with broader sociopolitical transformations, particularly through studies of figurines as socialization tools and round platforms as ritual stages in early Maya communities.

Supported by internal university funding and external grants, Dr. MacLellan actively engages in community-centered archaeology around Ceibal while contributing to interdisciplinary scholarship through affiliations with Cultural Heritage and Preservation Studies; Latin American and Latino Studies; and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Her mentorship extends across these programs, fostering student research in archaeological methods and Mesoamerican cultural heritage.