Julia O'Keefe

Originally from Austin, Texas, Julia O’Keefe is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the joint Latin American Studies and Art History program. She attained her B.A. in Art with a concentration in Art History in 2011 at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado. With the completion of her master’s thesis, entitled Immortal Tepetlacalli: An exploration of the corporeal and sacred box form, she earned her M.A. in Art History at Tulane in 2014. Prior to beginning her master‘€™s degree, she tutored students with learning challenges at Front Range Community College and worked for a National Parks Service project geared towards restoring ecological balance to historical sites. Julia’s research concentrates on investigating the development of Aztec material culture as a product and reflection of established ritual and political structures. Her interests also include Mesoamerican funerary traditions, antiquarianism in Aztec art and architecture, and the dissemination of ideas through cross-cultural contact.