Victoria Bricker


Victoria Reifler Bricker is an American anthropologist and ethnographer, known for her studies of Mesoamerican culture.

Early life and education

Born in Hong Kong, Bricker studied at Stanford University for her undergraduate education, and graduated in 1962 with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and humanities. She attended Harvard University for her graduate education, earning a master's degree in anthropology in 1963 and a Ph.D. in 1968.

Career and research

Bricker has spent her career at Tulane University; she was a visiting lecturer from 1969–1970, an assistant professor from 1970–1973, an associate professor from 1973–1978, and was appointed a full professor in 1978. She is now a professor emerita there. Bricker's research has focused on various aspects of Maya culture in Guatemala, Chiapas, and Yucatán. In Chiapas, she studied Maya ritual humor, oral history, and revitalization, the latter being a subject of her research in Guatemala and Yucatán. In Yucatán, she has also worked on a Maya-English dictionary, the Maya language, and ethnobotany. Bricker has also studied Precolumbian Maya astronomy, calendars, astrology, divination, and script. Her work included studies of the Dresden Codex and Madrid Codex. Her collection of recordings and transcriptions of the Chol, Tzotzil, and Yucatec Maya languages are available at the Archive of the Indigenous Languages of Latin America, and audio recordings and manuscripts are available at the American Philosophical Society archives.
She speaks Spanish, and two Mayan languages: Yucatec and Tzotzil.

Honors and awards

A member of several scientific societies, Bricker has also served in leadership roles with academic publications and societies. She was elected to the National Academy of Science in 1991 and maintains membership in the American Philosophical Society.