Dr. John F. Chuchiak

Details

Education

• PhD, Latin American Studies/Latin American History, 2000, Tulane University
• MA, Latin American Studies/Latin American History, 1994, Tulane University
• BA, History/Chemistry, Cum Laude, 1992, Virginia Polytechnic and State University

Teaching

• HST 350: Latin American Civilization
• HST 383: A Global History of the Inquisition, 1478-1834
• HST 397: History of Piracy in the Americas, 1492-1820
• HST 598: Senior Seminar: Comparative Colonialism - European Empires in the Americas, 1492-1800
• HST 760: Proseminar in Latin American History
• HST 792: Graduate Primary Source Proseminar
• UHC 410: Honors Seminar on Mesoamerican Ethnohistory
• UHC 410: Honors Seminar on Spanish Conquest & Colonization

Research and professional interests

Dr. John F. Chuchiak is a specialist on colonial Latin American history with a research emphasis on the history of Mexico and Maya ethnohistory. He teaches a variety of history courses, ranging from introductory courses on Western and world civilizations, upper level undergraduate courses on Latin American civilization and pre-Columbian cultures, and graduate courses on the history of Mexico, Mesoamerican ethnohistory, and the history of the Inquisition in Spain and the New World.

Dr. Chuchiak's general research focuses on the history of the colonial church in México with a special emphasis on the Franciscan Missions, the Inquisition and the Catholic Church in colonial Yucatán. His most recent publications have examined the contact and colonial transformation of the indigenous cultures of México, most notably the Maya of Yucatan. He is especially interested in researching the realms of Christian mission history, religion, ethnic conflict, gender and social change in the wider Atlantic world.

Selected publications

• Chuchiak, J.F., and Luis René Guerrero Galván, (2017). Edictos de Fe del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición de la Nueva España: Estudio Preliminar y un Corpus en Facsímile (Mexico City: Instituto de Investigaciones Jurídicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), 2017. (728 pp.)
• Chuchiak, J. F. (2012). The Inquisition in New Spain, 1536-1819: A Documentary History, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012. (464 pp.)
• Chuchiak, J. F. (2017). “Sin, Shame, and Sexuality: Franciscan Obsessions and Maya Humor in the Calepino de Motul Dictionary, 1573-1615” published in David Tavarez Words and Worlds Turned Around: Indigenous Christianities in Latin America, University Press of Colorado, 2017.

Awards and honors

• Nominated for induction as a Corresponding Member in the prestigious Guatemalan Society for Geography and History, 2017
• University Foundation Award for Teaching, Missouri State University, 2015 
• International collaborator in GERM (Groupe d’enseignement et de recherche sur les Mayas et la Mésoamérique), Université Paris 1, Panthéon-Sorbonne, France, 2013
• Recipient of an prestigious International Research Recognition (Homenaje) for research contributions to the study of Maya culture from the Universidad Autónoma de Campeche in cooperation with the National Council of the Culture and Arts (CONACULTA) and the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) of Mexico, 2013
• Selected as International member of the Research and Scientific Committee for the annual organization of the Mesa Redonda del Mayab academic meetings as part of the International Festival of Maya Culture (FICMAYA), selected by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), the Ministry of Culture in the Mexican State of Yucatán, and the National Ministry of Culture of Mexico, 2014-Present
• University Foundation Award for Research, Missouri State University. 2010
• Student Government Association (SGA) Commendation for Excellent Service on the Organization and Implementation of Hispanic Heritage Month, 2008
• Rich & Doris Young Honors College Endowed Professorship, Missouri State University, 2007
• College of Humanities and Public Affairs Service Award, Missouri State University, 2005
• College of Humanities and Public Affairs Grant Writing Award, Missouri State University, 2005
• University Faculty Summer Fellowship Award, Missouri State University, 2005
• College of Humanities and Public Affairs Research Award, Missouri State University, 2004
• College of Humanities and Public Affairs Teaching Award, Missouri State University, 2003