Dumbarton Oaks Research Library

Iyaxel is a K’iche’-Maya woman from Guatemala. She recently joined the Dumbarton Oaks as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Pre-Columbian art and archaeology.  She received a Ph.D. in anthropology from Vanderbilt University. For her dissertation, she directed the ChiAwär Archaeological Project in Guatemala in 2016, and conducted ethnographic and linguistic studies to understand the inception of highland polities during the Postclassic period. Iyaxel is also a member of the Sak Chuwen Group since 2010, which aims to organize workshops on Maya epigraphy in indigenous communities throughout Guatemala. Her professional experience includes jobs with well-known institutions in Guatemala including UVG, FLACSO, ALMG, FAFG and the International Indigenous Women’s Forum.