Joyce Marcus

Robert L. Carneiro Distinguished Professor of Social Evolution, Department of Anthropology; Curator of Latin American Archaeology, Museum of Anthropology

[email protected]

Office Information:

phone: 734.763.5164

Doctoral Program in Anthropology and History

Education/Degree:

M.A., Harvard University, 1971; Ph.D., Harvard University, 1974

About

Joyce Marcus has carried out fieldwork in Nevada (Lovelock Cave), California (the La Brea Tar Pit), Mexico (San José Mogote), Guatemala (El Mirador, Tres Islas, Naranjo, Tintal, Chunhuitz), and Peru (Cerro Azul). Marcus entered the field of Archaeology after Heinrich Berlin had shown that certain hieroglyphs (which he called ‘emblem glyphs’) referred to the royal dynasties of Maya cities. By plotting the distribution of emblem glyphs, Marcus showed that some Maya states had a four-tiered hierarchy in which secondary centers mentioned their dynastic capital, tertiary centers mentioned their secondary centers and so on. A byproduct of this work was her identification of the previously unknown emblem glyphs of Calakmul and Motul de San José. This discovery led to excavations by William Folan that showed Calakmul was one of the biggest Maya capitals, at the center of a hexagonal lattice of secondary centers. Marcus then began to document the rise of Maya states, dating the moment when each capital acquired its emblem glyph. This led to her fleshing out a “Dynamic Model” which shows the way Maya regions went through cycles of political centralization and breakdown. Marcus then decided to see if she could document the rise and fall of the Zapotec state by analyzing the hieroglyphs of that undeciphered script. She eventually showed a Zapotec pattern of centralization and breakdown similar to the Maya. She went on to co-direct the University of Michigan project at San José Mogote, Oaxaca, which produced Mexico’s oldest hieroglyphic monument, as well as key data on the social and political evolution of the Zapotec. Marcus went on to investigate the relationship between archaeological data and Spanish eyewitness accounts by excavating the site of Cerro Azul, Peru. In 2008 she published its architecture and pottery; in 2009 she published data on its brewery; she is currently working on evidence for its economic specialization, division of labor (fishing vs. weaving), and the nature of individual style, as expressed in the textiles and workbaskets buried with female weavers.

Affiliation(s)

Anthropology
U-M Museum of Anthropology

Award(s)

Elected to the National Academy of Sciences (1997)
Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1997)
Elected to the American Philosophical Society (2008)
Cotsen Book Prize for Excavations at Cerro Azul, Peru: The Architecture and Pottery (2008)
Shanghai Award for contributions to archaeology (2013)
Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award, University of Michigan (2007)
Mentor Recognition Award, University of California at San Diego

About

Affiliation(s)

Anthropology
U-M Museum of Anthropology

Award(s)

Elected to the National Academy of Sciences (1997)
Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1997)
Elected to the American Philosophical Society (2008)
Cotsen Book Prize for Excavations at Cerro Azul, Peru: The Architecture and Pottery (2008)
Shanghai Award for contributions to archaeology (2013)
Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award, University of Michigan (2007)
Mentor Recognition Award, University of California at San Diego

Highlighted Work and Publications

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Excavations at San José Mogote 2: The Cognitive Archaeology

Kent V. Flannery, Joyce Marcus

Excavations at San José Mogote 2: The Cognitive Archaeology (2015) deals with every building and feature that can shed light on indigenous ritual, religion,...

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Regional Archaeology in the Inca Heartland: Memoir 55

R. Alan Covey

Publisher: Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan

Year of Publication: 2014

Location: Ann Arbor, MI

# of Pages: 212

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Publisher: Cotsen Institute, UCLA

Year of Publication: 2009

Location: Los Angeles, CA

# of Pages: 419

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Excavations at Cerro Azul, Peru: The Architecture and Pottery

Joyce Marcus

Publisher: UCLA Cotsen Institute

Year of Publication: 2008

Location: Los Angeles, CA

# of Pages: 332

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The Ancient City

Publisher: SAR Press

Year of Publication: 2008

Location: Santa Fe, NM

# of Pages: 405

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Monte Albán

Marcus. Joyce

Publisher: El Colegio de México y Fondo de Cultura Económica

Year of Publication: 2008

Location: Mexico

# of Pages: 206

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Imperial Transformations in Sixteenth-Century Yucay, Peru: Memoir 41

Publisher: Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan

Year of Publication: 2008

Location: Ann Arbor, MI

# of Pages: 373

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Agricultural Strategies

Publisher: UCLA Cotsen Institute

Year of Publication: 2006

Location: Los Angeles, CA

# of Pages: 428

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Excavations at San José Mogote 1: The Household Archaeology: Memoir 40

Joyce Marcus, Kent Flannery

Publisher: Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan

Year of Publication: 2005

Location: Ann Arbor, MI

# of Pages: 490

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The Cloud People: Divergent Evolution of the Zapotec and Mixtec Civilizations

Publisher: Percheron Press

Year of Publication: 2003

Location: Clinton Corners, NY

# of Pages: 391

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La Civilización Zapoteca

Joyce Marcus, Kent Flannery

Publisher: Fondo de Cultura Económica

Year of Publication: 2001

Location: Mexico

# of Pages: 324

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33. Women's Ritual in Formative Oaxaca: Figure-making, Divination, Death and the Ancestors

Joyce Marcus

This book covers divination, figurine-making, and women's ritual treatment of ancestors in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico, from 1600 to 500 B.C. Women's ritual was distinguished from men's through excavation strategy: houses, dooryards, activity areas, features, middens and public buildings were excavated and studied as separate units, and context was used to link artifacts with women's domains. They were then interpreted using ethnographic and ethnohistoric data on women's ritual. Included are illustrations of more than 800 figurines or figurine parts. This monograph is Vol. 11 of the...

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Archaic States

Publisher: SAR Press

Year of Publication: 1998

Location: Santa Fe

# of Pages: 427

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Women's Ritual in Formative Oaxaca: Figurine-making, divination, death and the ancestors: Memoir 33

Joyce Marcus

Publisher: Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan

Year of Publication: 1998

Location: Ann Arbor, MI

# of Pages: 333

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Zapotec Civilization

Joyce Marcus

Publisher: Thames & Hudson, London

Year of Publication: 1996

Location: London

# of Pages: 255

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89. Caciques and Their People: A Volume in Honor of Ronald Spores

Joyce Marcus, Judith Francis Zeitlin (editors)

A volume of essays by Mesoamerican scholars on topics ranging from Zapotec archaeology to Cuicatec irrigation, Mixtec codices to Aztec ethnohistory. Authors use direct historical approach, the comparative method, or develop models that contribute to ethnological and archaeological theory. Contributors: J. Chance, G. Feinman, K.V. Flannery, F. Hicks, R. Hunt, M. Lind, J. Marcus, J. Monaghan, J. Paddock, E. Redmond, M. Romero Frizzi, M.E. Smith, C. Spencer, and J. Zeitlin.

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Publisher: Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan

Year of Publication: 1990

Location: Ann Arbor, MI

# of Pages: 275

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84. Debating Oaxaca Archaeology

Joyce Marcus (editor)

Based on the 1987 meeting of the Northeast Mesoamericanists Society.

Order through Museum of Anthropology Publications, or from Amazon.com.

Publisher: Museum of Anthropology

Month of Publication: January

Year of Publication: 1990

Location: Ann Arbor, MI

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The Flocks of the Wamani: A Study of Llama Herders on the Punas of Ayacucho, Peru

Joyce Marcus, KV Flannery, RG Reynolds

Publisher: Academic Press

Year of Publication: 1989

Location: New York

# of Pages: 240

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Late Intermediate Occupation at Cerro Azul, Perú: Technical Report 20

Marcus. Joyce

Publisher: Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan

Year of Publication: 1987

Location: Ann Arbor, MI

# of Pages: 112

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The Inscriptions of Calakmul. Royal Marriage at a Maya City in Campeche, Mexico: Technical Report 20

Joyce Marcus

Publisher: Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan

Year of Publication: 1987

Location: Ann Arbor, MI

# of Pages: 205

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20. Late Intermediate Occupation at Cerro Azul, Perú: A Preliminary Report

Joyce Marcus

Preliminary report of an interdisciplinary project carried out at Cerro Azul, a late prehistoric fishing community on the south-central coast of Peru.

Order through Museum of Anthropology Publications or from Amazon.com.

Publisher: Museum of Anthropology

Month of Publication: January

Year of Publication: 1987...

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The Cloud People

Joyce Marcus, KV Flannery

Publisher: Academic Press

Year of Publication: 1983

Location: New York

# of Pages: 391

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Emblem and State in the Classic Maya Lowlands: an epigraphic approach to territorial organization

Marcus. Joyce

Publisher: Dumbarton Oaks

Year of Publication: 1976

Location: Washington DC

# of Pages: 203

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Joyce Marcus

About

Affiliation(s)

Award(s)

About

Affiliation(s)

Award(s)

Highlighted Work and Publications

Excavations at San José Mogote 2: The Cognitive Archaeology

Regional Archaeology in the Inca Heartland: Memoir 55

The Northern Titicaca Basin Archaeological Research Program, Vol. I: The Huancané-Putina Survey: Memoir 56

Advances in Titicaca Basin Archaeology-III: Memoir 51

The Creation of Inequality: How Our Prehistoric Ancestors Set the Stage for Monarchy, Slavery, and Empire

Yuthu: Community and Ritual in an Early Andean Village: Memoir 50

Domestic Life in Prehispanic Capitals: Memoir 46

Andean Civilization

Excavations at Cerro Azul, Peru: The Architecture and Pottery

The Ancient City

Monte Albán

Imperial Transformations in Sixteenth-Century Yucay, Peru: Memoir 41

Agricultural Strategies

Excavations at San José Mogote 1: The Household Archaeology: Memoir 40

The Cloud People: Divergent Evolution of the Zapotec and Mixtec Civilizations

La Civilización Zapoteca

33. Women's Ritual in Formative Oaxaca: Figure-making, Divination, Death and the Ancestors

Archaic States

Women's Ritual in Formative Oaxaca: Figurine-making, divination, death and the ancestors: Memoir 33

Zapotec Civilization

89. Caciques and Their People: A Volume in Honor of Ronald Spores

Caciques and their People: Anthropological Paper 89

Early Formative Pottery of the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico: Memoir 27

Mesoamerican Writing Systems: Propaganda, Myth, and History in Four Ancient Civilizations

Debating Oaxaca Archaeology: Anthropological Paper 84

84. Debating Oaxaca Archaeology

The Flocks of the Wamani: A Study of Llama Herders on the Punas of Ayacucho, Peru

Late Intermediate Occupation at Cerro Azul, Perú: Technical Report 20

The Inscriptions of Calakmul. Royal Marriage at a Maya City in Campeche, Mexico: Technical Report 20

20. Late Intermediate Occupation at Cerro Azul, Perú: A Preliminary Report

The Cloud People

Emblem and State in the Classic Maya Lowlands: an epigraphic approach to territorial organization