About

At the social and geographic margins of Latin America reside agrarian communities who skillfully navigate an unjust world in order to secure what is necessary for life and livelihood. My research and writing is devoted to the lived reality of marginalized people who create beauty and meaning in the face of economic inequality, racialized immigration systems, ecological degradation, and climatic change. Since 2019 I have committed myself to learning the language, cultural traditions, and environmental knowledge and techniques of a Mam Mayan community in Guatemala’s Chuchumatán Highlands. I conducted intensive ethnographic fieldwork in the Mam township of San Juan Atitán and its U.S. immigrant diaspora from 2023 to 2025, during which my love of the Mam Maya has grown into a lifetime commitment to honor and support Guatemala’s Mayan people.

My dissertation examines how Mam Mayans respond to the risks and uncertainties created by ecological, economic, and social change in the context of U.S.-bound migration. It follows the categories that Mam Mayans themselves draw upon to make sense of change and uncertainty, even when Mam sensibilities force me to cut across the academically discrete domains of ecology, language, economy, society, and religion. This holistic approach has led me to draw upon a wide range of subfields that I have engaged with throughout my education, including agroecology, ethnobiology, human geography, economic anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and religious studies.

I am originally from a working-class immigrant neighborhood in Escondido, California, before attending Harvard University as a first-generation low-income college student. This experience, along with a life-long fascination with the teachings of Jesus, inspires my commitment to use the privilege of my education to honor and raise up the lives of marginalized people.

A man wearing a black cap, a blue and black checkered shirt, and brown pants holding a bunch of yellow corn cobs with dried husks in an outdoor setting. There are wood piles, a makeshift shelter, and various objects like shoes, buckets, and a red bag in the background.

Education

Ph.D. Anthropology and Environmental Studies, Yale University

M.Phil. Human Geography, University of Cambridge

B.A. Environmental Science and Public Policy, Harvard University Cum Laude

Research Team

My research is indebted to the many men and women of San Juan Atitán who had the patience to teach me about their way of life. I’m particularly indebted to the collaborators pictured below, who spent countless hours teaching me to speak, eat, laugh, cry, work, rest and generally move through the world like a Sanjuanero. While any faults and errors in my academic writing are my own, these individuals are responsible for anything true or beautiful that I’ve been able to accomplish.

A group of four people standing outdoors in front of ancient Mayan pyramids with mountainous landscape and cloudy sky in the background.

Maria Jacinto

Maria, Juan (not pictured), and their children Oliver (left), and Gladiola (right) are my host family and constant companions in San Juan Atitán. Oliver conducted agroecology survey research with me and is currently the first in his family to attend a professional school to become a nurse.

A young man with dark hair and a beard holding a bright orange coral mushroom in a dense green forest, with a backpack on his shoulders.

Ronaldo “Zeta” García

I met Ronaldo on my first day in San Juan Atitán, after which he was a constant companion and interlocutor. Ronaldo conducted the Mam agroecology survey with me and accompanied me for many interviews.

Two men standing outside in front of a modern building with wooden paneling and glass windows. The man on the left has light skin, curly hair, and is smiling, wearing a red quilted jacket, blue jeans, and brown boots. The man on the right has darker skin, straight hair, and a serious expression, wearing traditional indigenous clothing, a black vest with pink and red embroidery, white pants, and a multicolored woven sash, with a colorful woven hat with a wide brim and pink ribbons. Both men have woven shoulder bags with colorful patterns.

José Domingo

José is a traditional leader in San Juan Atitán, and mentored me in the art of growing maize. I conducted more hours of recorded interviews with José than any other individual. Pictured is myself and José at Yale School of the Environment’s International Society of Tropical Foresters Annual Conference.

A smiling man in outdoor clothing and a hat, taking a selfie with a scenic landscape of rolling hills, mountains, and a cloudy sky in the background. A woman with dark hair and colorful traditional clothing is partially visible in the foreground.

Lucrecia Carrillo

Lucrecia, and her brothers Macario and Le’ch (not pictured) regularly advised me in research design and helped me make sense of confusing interviews and encounters. I’m especially indebted to the Carrillo family for giving me the opportunity to grow my own maize field next to one of their fields.

A man standing in a cornfield holding an ear of corn. The background includes dried corn stalks, some pine trees, and yellow flowers on a foggy day.

Abelino Andres

Abelino is a young community leader and served as my research assistant throughout fieldwork. Through his invitations I was able to participate in the many kinds of agricultural and environmental practices that are the foundation of my research. Abelino also accompanied me in the majority of the Mam agroecology survey and for many interviews.

A person dressed in traditional indigenous clothing standing among tall green maize plants, wearing a colorful embroidered garment and a wide-brimmed woven hat.

Geovani Aguilar

Geovani is a gifted photographer, and despite his youth he has a deep knowledge of Mam agricultural practices, history, and oral narratives. Geovani helped me conduct life history interviews and invited me into his project to record San Juan Atitán’s most important oral narrative.

I am also deeply indebted to Henry Sales and Lucrecia Carrillo for teaching me the foundations of Mam, and to Tessa Scott and Cristina Méndez for their willingness to learn Mam alongside me and help others learn this incredible language.