Maria de la Concepcion Lazarich Gonzalez

María de la Concepción Lazarich González is Full Professor of Prehistory at the University of Cádiz, where she has served since 1988, first as Associate Professor (1988–2004) and subsequently as Full Professor. From 2008-09 to 2023 she also coordinated the entire Degree in History. She leads the Andalusian Government-funded research group HUM-812 “Studies of Prehistory, Archaeology, Ethnoarchaeology, Anthropology and Cultural Landscape” and is a full member of the Andalusian Academy of History since 2014.

Education

• B.A. in History, University of Cádiz, 1987 — Outstanding grade
• Ph.D. in History (Prehistory), University of Cádiz, 1998 — cum laude with Extraordinary Doctoral Award; thesis: “The Bell Beaker in Western Andalusia”

Research Focus

Her work integrates archaeological fieldwork, analytical laboratory studies and heritage management. She explores megalithic necropolises, prehistoric funerary rituals, rock-art landscapes, archaeoacoustics and ethnoarchaeology of ceramics. Recent projects combine GIS-based spatial analysis with acoustic measurements to understand how prehistoric communities perceived and used ritual spaces in southern Iberia.

Research Output

Over the past decade her publications have concentrated on three major themes: (1) the connection between megalithic burial grounds and rock art sites around ancient La Janda lagoon; (2) archaeoacoustic investigations of open-air rock shelters such as Bacinete and Tajo de las Figuras; and (3) archaeometric studies of pigments and amber to reconstruct exchange networks and symbolic practices during the 3rd–2nd millennia BC.

Awards & Distinctions

• Extraordinary Doctoral Award, University of Cádiz (1998)
• Full member, Andalusian Academy of History (2014)
• UCA Social Council Award (2021)

Doctoral Supervision & Grants

She has successfully supervised seven doctoral theses and currently directs four more. Her research has been funded by the European Union (GDR-CA-01, Artsoundscapes ERC), Andalusian Regional Government, Spanish Ministry of Culture and local institutions, totalling more than twenty projects since 2004.

Laboratory & Field Teams

Through the HUM-812 group, she runs a multi-disciplinary team that includes archaeologists, geo-archaeologists, acousticians, ceramic ethnoarchaeologists and heritage specialists. The group operates from the Institute for Research in Hispanic World Studies (IN-EMHis) and maintains active field stations around the Barbate and Celemín reservoirs.