Postdoctoral Fellow, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Jessica MacLellan, Ph.D.
ABOUT ME
I am an anthropological archaeologist interested in ritual, household archaeology, ceramics, and the development of complex societies in Mesoamerica and lower Central America. I am currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
Since 2012, I have investigated early households at the site of Ceibal, in Guatemala, as part of the Ceibal-Petexbatún Archaeological Project. I focus on the role of domestic and supra-household rituals in the development of ancient Maya society. As of 2021, I am also investigating pre-Hispanic residential sites and social change in the southern Azuero Peninsula of Panama.
In addition to my research, I am committed to undergraduate teaching and archaeological public outreach.
EDUCATION
Ph.D., Anthropology
University of Arizona, 2019
M.A., Anthropology
University of Arizona, 2011
B.A., summa cum laude, Archaeology
Boston University, 2009