Loa P. Traxler, Associate Professor and Director of Museum Studies at the University of New Mexico, investigates the architectural evolution of Classic Maya centers and the nature of sociopolitical organization of these societies. She received her doctorate in Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania, and her experience draws on over thirty years of field research, survey, curation, and collections management at sites throughout the world. Her archaeological research touches on diverse cultural traditions – from 17th century pueblo life in the Upper Río Grande, to the ancient city of Petra in southern Jordan, and the Classic Maya kingdom of Copan in western Honduras. In academia, she teaches and leads interdisciplinary programs with the goal of expanding professional museum training and research opportunities for diverse students. She publishes on Maya heritage and pre-Columbian civilization, most recently co-editing The Origins of Maya States (2016, University of Penn Museum), and currently is assembling archaeological reports from long-term research focused on the Copan Acropolis.