Kevin Terraciano is Professor of Latin American History at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), former Director of the UCLA Latin American Institute, and Co-Chair of the Latin American Studies MA Program at UCLA. He specializes in the Colonial period (16th through 18th centuries), working especially on Indigenous languages (Nahuatl, Mixtec, Zapotec) and writings (pictorial and alphabetic) of central and southern Mexico. He has won several prizes and awards for his research, publications, teaching, and graduate mentoring.
Areas of Research Specialization
- History of Colonial Latin America.
- Ethnohistory of ancient and postconquest Mexico
- Indigenous languages and cultures of southern and central Mexico (especially Nahuatl, Mixtec, Zapotec).
- Mesoamerican writing systems.
- Race and Gender in New Spain.
- Religion in early Latin America.
- Early Modern Iberian world.
Present and Recent Positions
- Professor of History, Step VI
- Former Director, Latin American Institute
- Co-Chair, Latin American Studies Graduate (MA) Program
Education
- Ph. D. in History UCLA, 1994
- M.A. in History UCLA, 1989
- B.A. with Highest Honors in History UCLA (and University of London), 1985
Academic Appointments
- Professor of History, UCLA (2006 – present)
- Associate Professor of History, UCLA (2001 – 2006)
- Assistant Professor of History, UCLA (1995 – 2001)
Languages
- Native: English
- Fluent: Spanish
- Proficient: Nahuatl; Italian
- Reading Proficiency: Mixtec; Zapotec; Portuguese
Monte Albán
Located near Oaxaca, the ruins of Monte Albán were once the center of Zapotec life.
The Florentine Codex
Prof. Terraciano is working with the Getty Research Institute on the online annotated edition of this extraordinary document.
Mixtec Documents
The Mixtecs left many documents from the colonial era, which tell the story of the times from their point of view.
Bringing History to the Public
This site is intended to bring the scholarly work I have done in Colonial Latin American History to the general public, in a format that is accessible.
The Cathedral of Puebla, México.
To Learn More
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