Staff Spotlight
Dr. Susan Milbrath
Curator of Latin American Art and Archaeology
110 Dickinson Hall
Museum Road & Newell Drive
Gainesville, FL 32611
(352) 273-1918
Email: milbrath@flmnh.ufl.edu
Ph.D. Columbia University, 1975
Complete Curriculum Vitae (PDF)
Concurrent Appointments
Affiliate Professor of Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, University of Florida, July 1996-present. Appointed to the Graduate Research faculty July 1999.
Research Interests
My long-term research on the Mesoamerican worldview has demonstrated links between astronomy and seasonal ceremonies, resulting in the identification of a number of important religious images related to astronomy. My most recent research focuses on the archaeology and ethnohistory of Mayapan, the last Maya capital in Mexico. This site provides an ideal opportunity to study the interface between the archaeological data and the historical records of the early colonial period. The site of Mayapan is described in a number of Spanish accounts, as well as native accounts written by the Yucatec Maya after Spanish contact. Astronomical knowledge is one component of my investigations of this site. Research conducted with my colleagues, Anthony Aveni of Colgate University and Carlos Peraza Lope of Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, demonstrates that two of Mayapan's buildings replicate astronomically oriented buildings at Chichen Itza, Mexico's most famous Maya site.
Courses Taught
Painted Books of Ancient Mexico, 1999-present
Maya Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy, 2000-present
Publications
Please see Complete Curriculum Vitae (PDF) for full list.