Dr. Lisa J. Lucero is a professor of anthropology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an internationally recognized archaeologist whose research focuses on the ancient Maya, climate change, water management, political power, and sustainability. She is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Much of Dr. Lucero’s work explores how ancient Maya communities adapted to environmental challenges, particularly changes in rainfall and access to water. By studying ancient reservoirs, wetlands, settlements, and other archaeological evidence, she investigates how Maya societies managed natural resources and what their successes and failures can teach us about sustainability today.
Dr. Lucero earned her Ph.D. from UCLA and has spent decades conducting archaeological research and teaching students about the connections between people, the environment, and the past. Her recent book, Maya Wisdom and the Survival of Our Planet, explores how lessons from Maya history may help us think differently about climate change and the challenges facing the modern world.
Her career gives students a fascinating look at how archaeology is much more than uncovering artifacts—it can help us understand how civilizations responded to major challenges and how knowledge from the past may help us make better decisions for the future.
