Jeffrey Blomster

Jeffrey Blomster is an anthropological archaeologist specializing in social complexity, interregional interaction and approaches to style, ritual and ideology. His regional and spatial research interests lie primarily in Mesoamerica, where he has focused on Mixtec, Zapotec and Olmec cultures. He received undergraduate training in anthropology and political science at Washington and Lee University, and graduate training in anthropology and archaeology at Yale University.

For nearly a year, Professor Blomster conducted archaeological fieldwork in the Mixteca Alta of Oaxaca, Mexico. This fieldwork, and subsequent laboratory analysis in Oaxaca, examines the emergence of social complexity in the Nochixtlan Valley, and explores the impact of interregional interaction in this area. His academic writings have focused on manipulation and movement of style, looking at both traditional stylistic analyses as well as chemical approaches. He is interested in the movement of cults and ideology in Latin America, with regional interests beyond Oaxaca.