Stacy Barber

I am an archaeologist and Associate Professor. I have ongoing field and laboratory research in Oaxaca, Mexico, focusing on the origins of complex societies and the relationship of outlying areas to major urban centers. My work has dealt with a number of topics relevant to the study of Mesoamerica’s ancient civilizations, including religion and ritual, trade networks, human health and diet, households, and monumental architecture. My methodological interests include the use of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and geographical information systems (GIS) in archaeological analysis. I advise PhD, MA, and undergraduate Honors in the Major (HIM) student research projects focused on Mesoamerica and North America. I encourage prospective students to contact me at: SarahStacy.Barber@ucf.edu.

Working with Dr. Barber:

I am committed to goal-focused student advising and mentoring. Archaeology provides a number of possible career and academic paths, so I work with each student to develop an academic plan that will position them well to have success as they move on to the next stage of the their career. My students always conduct independent research as part of their HIM or graduate work, using data from my own excavation projects or that the student has generated themselves. Both the HIM and graduate students who work with me have gone on to successful careers in the private sector as well as to prestigious doctoral programs in Anthropology. I also work with students to publish or present their research in professional settings such as journals, national academic conferences and research forums.

Dr. Barber is looking for graduate students with an interest in:

• Mesoamerican archaeology
• Mexican archaeology
• Florida/Southeastern archaeology
• Ancient ritual and religion
• Ancient health and diet
• Origins of complex societies
• Long-distance trade and exchange
• Ground-penetrating radar
• Geospatial computing applications

Examples of research conducted by Dr. Barber’s students include:

• Ceramic iconography and political centralization in ancient coastal Oaxaca
• GPR of historic cemeteries of Cape Canaveral, FL
• Identification of urban agricultural zones at ancient Monte Alban, Oaxaca
• Stable isotope analysis of human teeth in ancient coastal Oaxaca
• Ceramic analysis and feasting practices in ancient coastal Oaxaca
• Long-distance trade and settlement patterns in ancient coastal Oaxaca
• Analysis of pre-Columbian ceramics from Cape Canaveral, FL