CURRICULUM VITAE: Alejandro de Ávila B.

Address: Apdo. Postal 367Centro, Oaxaca, Oax. C.P. 68000 MEXICOadeavilab@hotmail.com

Date of birth: March 20, 1957

Place of birth: Mexico City

Academic degrees:

High School, Colegio Alemán Alexander von Humboldt, Mexico City, 1976Bachelor in Arts, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1980;

Majors: Anthropology and Physiological PsychologyMaster in Arts, University of California at Berkeley, 1984; Biological PsychologyMaster in Arts, University of California at Berkeley, 1994; AnthropologyPh.D. candidate, University of California at Berkeley, 1996; Anthropology

Research experience:

1974-76: -Ethnographic fieldwork in Hueyapan, Morelos, Mexico

1977: -Ethnography and Nahuatl linguistics in Huautla,Hidalgo, Mexico-Ethnomycology of Hueyapan, Morelos

-Ethnography of central San Luis Potosí, Mexico

1977-80: -Catalog and technical analysis of the Mexican textile collection, Middle American Research Institute, Tulane University

1978: -Ethnohistory and ethnography of western and central San Luis Potosí

1979: -Field observations on the behavior of the spider Nephila clavipes in southern Louisiana - Seasonality of birth and death in rural western Louisiana, 1750-1950 -Ethnohistory and ethnography of central and western San Luis Potosí, southern Nuevo León and southwestern Tamaulipas

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(Kenneth Opat Fund for undergraduate research, Department of Anthropology, Tulane U.)

1979-80: -Distribution of the progonadotrophic hormone (LH-RH) in the central nervous system of the hamster

1982-83: -Ethnographic fieldwork in Tarecuato and Pómaro (Michoacán), Chilixtlahuaca, Llano Perdido and Buenavista (Guerrero), and Santiago Ixtayutla (Oaxaca)

1983-84: -Effects of neonatal administration of the opioid peptides morphiceptin and leu-enkephalin on growth and behavior in the rat

1985: -Ethnographic fieldwork in Santa Maria Peñoles, Santa Catarina Estetla and Santiago Tlazoyaltepec, Oaxaca

1987: -Research and organization of workshop for indigenous weavers on the use of natural dyes, Santiago Laxopa, Ixtlán, Oaxaca

1986-94: -Ethnobotanical fieldwork in Coicoyán de las Flores, Oaxaca, and Jicayán de Tovar, Guerrero (funded by CONACYT, Missouri Botanical Garden, New York Botanical Garden and World Wildlife Fund) -Technical analysis and catalog of the textile collection, Museo Regional de Oaxaca, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Oaxaca City (funded partly by the Getty Conservation Institute)

1994-97: -Archival research and technical analysis of Mexican textiles, Hearst Museum of Anthropology, UC Berkeley

1995-97: - Linguistic research on Mixtec languages spoken among California migrant workers (funded by the American Philosophical Society)

1997-2009: - Documentation of the ethnobotanical and ethnozoological lexicon in six Mixtec

languages to reconstruct the ethnobiological classification system of Proto-Mixtec (doctoral research funded by the Wenner Gren Foundation)

2002-2009: - Analysis of the ethnobiological nomenclature in the Otomanguean,

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Mixezoquean, Chontal and Huave languages. Oaxaca Ethnobotanical Garden.

2006-2009: - Technical and iconographic analysis of the Mexican and international

collections, Oaxaca Textile Museum

Publications:

I. Papers published in research journals:

1. de Ávila B., A. 1979 On Mexican rain-makers. Human Mosaic, 13: 64-68, Tulane U.

2. de Ávila B., A. 1980 Birth heat and the washing of hands. Human Mosaic, 14 (1). 3. de Ávila B., A., A.L. Welden & G. Guzmán 1980 Notes on the ethnomycology of Hueyapan, Morelos, Mexico. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2: 311-21, Lausanne.

4. de Ávila B., A. 1980 Recuerdos del tejido del algodón en Huazalinguillo, Hidalgo. Tlalocan, VIII: 43-50, UNAM, Mexico City.

5. de Ávila B., A., & J.L. Martínez 1985 Sex-dependent effects of neonatally administered morphiceptin and D-ala-leu-enkephalin on maze learning in rats. Behavioral and Neural Biology, 44: 393-402.

6. Martin, G.J., & A. de Ávila B. 1990 Exploring the cloud forests of Oaxaca, Mexico. WWF Reports, October/November/December 1990: 8-14.

7. de Ávila B., A. 2001 El epazote de Castilla y los perros que dan algodón: diversidad

biológica e introducción de especies en los vocabularios indígenas de Oaxaca del siglo

XVI. Acervos vol. 5, 21 (commemorative issue dedicated to the history of science in the

State): 25-32, Oaxaca. Reprinted in 2006 in Anuario Dominicano, Tomo II: Oaxaca, 1529-2006: 241-253. Instituto Dominicano de Investigaciones Históricas, Provincia de Santiago de México, Querétaro.

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II. Papers published in periodicals devoted to culture and the arts:

1. Cortés N., M., A. de Ávila B., M. Beristáin M. & P. Velasco 1991 Los quelites de Oaxaca, verdura del campo. Oaxaca, Población y Futuro, Año 2, No. 5: 23-24. Consejo Estatal de Población, Oaxaca.

2. de Ávila B., A. 1992 La diversidad biológica de Oaxaca: un seguro de vida para un estado temporalmente pobre. Oaxaca, Población y Futuro, Año 3, No. 9: 14-17. Consejo Estatal de Población, Oaxaca.

3. de Ávila B., A. 1996 La trencilla y el águila: textiles arqueológicos y contemporáneos de Oaxaca. Arqueología Mexicana, III(16). Mexico City.

4. de Ávila B., A. 1997 Tejidos que cuidan el alma. In: Lechuga, R. (ed.) Textiles de Oaxaca. Artes de México, 35. Mexico City.

5. de Ávila B., A. 2008 Jardines sensatos para Oaxaca. Gaceta de la Casa de la Ciudad, No. 8: 16-23. City Government of Oaxaca de Juárez & Fundación Alfredo Harp Helú, A.C.

III. Book chapters:

1. de Ávila B., A., & G.J. Martin 1990 Estudios Etnobotánicos en Oaxaca. In E. Leff, J. Carabias & A.I. Bátiz (coords.): "Recursos Naturales, Técnicos y Cultura; Estudios y Experiencias para el Desarrollo Alternativo." Cuadernos del CIIH, Serie Seminarios I. Centro de Investigaciones Interdisciplinarias en Humanidades, UNAM.

2. de Ávila B., A., & M.A. García 1997 La reserva campesina en Chimalapa: la alianza de comuneros y ecologistas. In: L. Paré, D. Bray, J. Burstein & S. Martínez V. (compilators) Semillas para el cambio en el campo; medio ambiente, mercados y organización campesina. Instituto de Investigaciones Sociales, UNAM; S.S.S. Sansekan Tinemi; and Saldebas, A.C. Mexico City.

3. de Ávila B., A. 1997 Threads of diversity: Oaxaca textiles in context (bilingual

edition). In: Klein, K. (ed.) The unbroken thread; conserving the textile traditions of Oaxaca. Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles.

4. de Ávila B., A. 1997 Un huipil colorado: tiempos del textil oaxaqueño. In: Loera y Chávez, V. (ed.) Historia del arte de Oaxaca, vol. III. Instituto Oaxaqueño de las Culturas, Oaxaca.

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5. de Ávila B., A. 1998 El nombre de la yerba; citas y apuntes para acompañar la Dendrología de Fray Juan Caballero. In: Caballero, Fr. Juan "Dendrología natural y botanelogía americana, o tractado de los árboles y hierbas de la América" (facsimilar edition of the ca. 1780 manuscript). Biblioteca Francisco de Burgoa, Oaxaca.

6. de Ávila B., A. 2001 El insecto humanizado; biología y mexicanidad en los textos de Alzate y sus contemporáneos acerca de la grana. In: de Alzate, José Antonio “Memoria sobre la naturaleza, cultivo y beneficio de la grana” (facsimilar edition of the 1777 manuscript). Archivo General de la Nación, México, D.F.

7. de Ávila B., A. 2004 La clasificación de la vida en las lenguas de Oaxaca. In: García

Mendoza, A. J., M. J. Ordóñez Díaz & M.A. Briones Salas (eds.) Biodiversidad de

Oaxaca. Instituto de Biología, UNAM – Fondo Oaxaqueño para la Conservación de la

Naturaleza – WWF, México, D.F.

8. de Ávila B., A. 2004 Weavings that protect the soul. In: de Orellana, M., A. Ruy-

Sánchez y E. Weinberger (eds.) The crafts of Mexico. Smithsonian Books, Washington, D.C. (Translation into English of the essay published in 1997 in “Textiles de Oaxaca”, Artes de México)

9. de Ávila B., A. 2005 El insecto humanizado: biología y mexicanidad en los textos de Alzate y sus contemporáneos acerca de la grana. In: “La grana y el nopal en los textos de Alzate” (facsimilar edition of the manuscript by José Antonio de Alzate, 1777), Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, México, D.F. (Updated version of the essay published in 2001 by the Archivo General de la Nación)

10. de Ávila B., A. 2006 Experiencias en la colecta y el intercambio de plantas en un jardín botánico. In: Lascurain, M., O. Gómez, O. Sánchez & C.C. Hernández (eds.) Jardines botánicos: conceptos, operación y manejo. Asociación Mexicana de Jardines Botánicos, A.C., Publicación especial no. 5, v-xii. México, D.F.

11. de Ávila B., A. (in print) La diversidad lingüística y el conocimiento etnobiológico en

México. In: Sarukhán Kermez, J. (coord.) Capital natural y bienestar

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social; segundo estudio de país. CONABIO, México, D.F.

IV. Art books and portfolios:

1. de Ávila B., A. 2002 Un almanaque de espinas. Essay published together with a

portfolio of 12 engravings of Oaxaca native plants done by various local artists. Taller

Rufino Tamayo, Oaxaca.

2. de Ávila B., A. 2002 A garden of knots (bilingual text). Essay published together witha portfolio of photographs of the Ethnobotanical Garden of Oaxaca by Graciela Iturbide and an engraving by Francisco Toledo. Graphic Arts Studio, Tampa, Florida.

3. Salcedo, C., & de Ávila B., A. 2006 The thorn and the fruit. (Bilingual edition with photographs by C. Salcedo and an essay by A. de Ávila) Libros de la Espiral, Artes de México, México, D.F.

V. Miscellaneous publications:

1. de Ávila B., A. 1980 Catalog for the exhibit of Mexican textiles. Miscellaneous Series No.14, Middle American Research Institute, Tulane U.

2. Past, A., L. Cárdenas, E. Maldonado V. & A. de Ávila B. 1989 Memoria del Curso de Colorantes Naturales. GADE, A.C., Oaxaca.

3. de Ávila B., A. 2003 Inspiration and technique in Arnulfo Mendoza’s sarapes (bilingual text). In: Gagnier, M.J. (editor) Arnulfo Mendoza: weaving a cultural testimony. Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, Chicago, and Carteles Editores, Oaxaca.

Theses:

1. de Ávila B., A. 1980 Notes on the ethnography of San Luis Potosí, Mexico. Tulane University, Department of Anthropology.

2. de Ávila B., A. 1980 Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) neuronal networks in the hamster brain. Tulane U., Department of Psychology.

3. de Ávila B., A. 1984 Effects of neo-natally administered morphiceptin 6

and leu-enkephalin on learning in the rat. University of California at Berkeley, Department

of Psychology, Program in Biological Psychology.

Papers presented at conferences and seminars:

1. de Ávila B., A. 1987 Deforestation and conservation in the Mixtec Sierra Sur, Oaxaca, Mexico. Paper presented at the 47th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology, Oaxaca City.

2. de Ávila B., A., & G.J. Martin 1987 Estudios etnobotánicos en Oaxaca. Paper presented at the Primer Seminario Nacional sobre Prácticas Tradicionales y Manejo Integrado de Recursos, Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación en Humanidades, UNAM, Mexico City.

3. de Ávila B., A. 1987 Estudios etnobotánicos en la Sierra Sur Mixteca. Paper presented at the 10th Meeting of the Sociedad Mexicana de Botánica, Univ. de Guadalajara.

4. Triana T., A., M. Cortés N. & A. de Ávila B. 1988 Quelites de Oaxaca: una evaluación nutricional. Paper presented at the 11th Conference of the Society of Ethnobiology, Mexico City.

5. Cortés N., M., A. Triana T., M. Beristáin M. & A.de Ávila B. 1988 Análisis bromatológicos y proteínicos de quelites de Oaxaca. Paper presented

at the XXIV Congreso Mexicano de Química Pura y Aplicada, Sociedad Química de Mexico, Querétaro.

6. Cortés, M., A. Triana, S. Osorio, M. Beristáin & A. de Ávila 1988 Determinación de calidad proteínica en quelites de Oaxaca. Paper presented at the XII Congreso Nacional de la Sociedad Mexicana de Bioquímica, Oaxaca.

7. Cortés, M., A. Triana, S. Osorio, M. Beristáin & A. de Ávila 1988 Determinación de calidad proteínica en quelites de Oaxaca. Paper presented at the VII Congreso Nacional de Ingeniería Bioquimíca, Mexico City.

8. de Ávila B., A. 1989 Flowers, trees, quelites and herbs: Mixtec plant nomenclature. Paper

presented at the 12th Conference of the Society of Ethnobiology, University of California at Riverside.

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9. de Ávila B., A. 1989 La goma: opium cultivation and Mixtec subsistence in the Sierra Sur of Oaxaca, Mexico. Paper presented at the 49 Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology, Santa Fe.

10. de Ávila B., A. 1990 Corn and opium in a cloud forest of Southern Mexico. Paper presented at the 13th Conference of the Society of Ethnobiology, Arizona State University, Tempe.

11. de Ávila B., A. 1990 'Aberrant' categories in Mixtecan plant nomenclature. Paper presented at the 2nd International Congress of Ethnobiology, Kunming, China.

12. Cortés N., M., P. Velazco A. & A. de Ávila B. 1990 Determinación de triptofano en plantas comestibles de la región del Valle de Oaxaca. Paper presented at the VIII Congreso Nacional de Ingeniería Bioquímica, Oaxtepec.

13. de Ávila B., A. 1991 Política ambiental en Oaxaca: la conservación del monte en cinco municipios. Paper presented at the Jornadas Académicas del CIESAS, Oaxaca.

14. de Ávila B., A. 1992 Plants in contemporary Mixtec ritual: Juncus, Nicotiana, Datura and Solandra. Paper presented at the 15th Conference of the Society of Ethnobiology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

15. de Ávila B., A. 1992 De yerbas, bichos y pueblos indios: la diversidad biológica de Oaxaca y su conservación. Paper presented at the Conference "Población y Medio Ambiente," Consejo Estatal de Población de Oaxaca and Facultad de Ciencias, UNAM.

16. de Ávila B., A. 1992 Organization of the symposium "Nature and Culture: Directions for Conservation of Diversity." 3rd International Congress of Ethnobiology, Mexico City.

17. de Ávila B., A. 1993 Oranges go with guavas: Mixtec biological nomenclature after European contact. Paper presented at the 16th Conference of the Society of Ethnobiology, Boston University

18. de Ávila B., A., & M.A. García 1994 La alianza de comuneros y ecologistas y la reserva

campesina en Chimalapa. Paper presented at the 18th Conference of the Latin American Studies Association, Atlanta.

19. de Ávila B., A. 1994 When animals, stars and berries go together: the 8

classification of nature in Mixtec language history. Paper presented at the 4th International Congress of Ethnobiology, Lucknow, India.

20. de Ávila B., A. 1995 Plants and animals in Mixtec. Paper presented at the II Mixtec Gateway Conference, Las Vegas.

21. de Ávila B., A. 1995 Ethnobiological nomenclature and semantic classification in Mixtec. Paper presented at the 17th Conference of the Society of Ethnobiology. University of Arizona, Tucson, March 15-17.

22. de Ávila B., A. 1996 Titia'a and the Twins in Mixtec myth and textiles. Paper presented at the III Mixtec Gateway Conference, Las Vegas.

23. de Ávila B., A. 1996 Biogeography and Mesoamerican textiles. Paper presented at the 19th Conference of the Society of Ethnobiology, Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara.

24. de Ávila B., A. 1996 Developing alliances between community activists, academics and conservationists in Oaxaca. Engangered Languages, Endangered Knowledge, Endangered Environments Conference, University of California at Berkeley.

25. de Ávila B., A. 1997 The biogeography of Mesoamerican art. Paper presented at the 20th Conference of the Society of Ethnobiology, University of Georgia, Athens.

26. de Ávila B., A. 1997 Ita sa'ma: historic and contemporary Mixtec textiles. Paper presented at the IV Mixtec Gateway Conference, Las Vegas.

27. de Ávila B., A. 1998 Relaciones biogeográficas de los colorantes de Oaxaca. Paper presented at the Congreso Internacional de la Grana Cochinilla y Colorantes Naturales, Oaxaca.

28. de Ávila B., A. 1999 El cordobán y el viuxi: mestizaje etnobotánico en la Dendrología de Fray Juan Caballero, ca. 1785. Paper presented at the 22nd Conference of the Society

of Ethnobiology.

29. de Ávila B., A. 1999 Organization of the 22nd Conference of the Society of Ethnobiology, Oaxaca, March 10-13 (president of the organizing committee).

30. de Ávila B., A. 2000 Conservación de la diversidad biológica de Oaxaca. Paper

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presented at the symposium “Oaxaca, escenarios del nuevo milenio”. Instituto de

Investigaciones en Humanidades, Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca,

May 9.

31. de Ávila B., A. 2000 Prioridades de conservación en el Jardín Etnobotánico del Centro

Cultural Santo Domingo. Paper presented at the symposium “Biodiversidad de Oaxaca:

un enfoque hacia la conservación de áreas prioritarias”. CIIDIR Oaxaca IPN,

September 14.

32. de Ávila B., A. 2001 History and design of the Oaxaca ethnobotanical garden. Plenary

session of the “Vanishing borders” symposium. The Garden Conservancy, Houston,

Texas, October 20.

33. de Ávila B., A. 2001 Categorías “aberrantes”: el conocimiento mixteco y zapoteco de la

naturaleza frente a la ciencia occidental. Paper presented at the colloquium

“Conocimiento Antiguo/Mundo Contemporáneo”. Centro Cultural Santo Domingo,

Oaxaca, December 6.

34. de Ávila B., A. 2002 Historia natural, secuencia cultural y diversidad genética del maíz

en Oaxaca. Paper presented at the conference “Presencia de ADN transgénico en

maíces oaxaqueños,” organized by the Jardín Etnobotánico, Estudios Rurales y Asesoría

Campesina, A.C., and the Federal Delegation of the Ministry of the Environment

(SEMARNAT) in Oaxaca. Centro Cultural Santo Domingo, Oaxaca, February 19.

35. de Ávila B., A. 2002 El conocimiento etnobiológico de las comunidades indígenas del

sur de Puebla y occidente de Oaxaca. Paper presented at the “Primeras Jornadas de

Investigación Puebla Oaxaca,” organized by the Benemérita

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Universidad Autónoma de Puebla and the Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca.

Biblioteca Francisco de Burgoa, Oaxaca, March 20.

36. de Ávila B., A. 2002 Trabajos educativos en el Jardín Etnobotánico de Oaxaca. Paper

presented at the XV National Meeting of Botanical Gardens, Asociación Mexicana de

Jardines Botánicos, Torreón, Coahuila, September 5.37. de Ávila B., A. 2002 El papel de la sociedad civil en la conservación del patrimonio

cultural. Inaugural speech, “Foro sobre la Protección del Patrimonio Cultural del Centro Histórico de la Ciudad de Oaxaca.” Oaxaca City Government, October 7.

38. de Ávila B., A. 2002 La triste historia del chilcosle y la tlayuda. Paper presented at the Session on the Conservation of Cultural Heritage under the topic ‘Culture and Gastronomy,’ “Foro sobre la Protección del Patrimonio Cultural del Centro Histórico de la Ciudad de Oaxaca.” Oaxaca City Government, October 8.

39. de Ávila B., A. 2002 La formación del Jardín Etnobotánico de Oaxaca. Paper presented at the II Coloquium “Plantas, Cultura y Sociedad”, Department of Biology, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Unidad Iztapalapa, México, D.F., November 14.

40. de Ávila B., A. 2003 No te andes deshilachando: la historia tejida de los pueblos mestizos

del norte de México. Papr presented at the Colloquium “Mestizaje y Racismo en la

Historia de México”, UNAM and Biblioteca Burgoa, Centro Cultural Santo Domingo,

Oaxaca, July 7.

41. de Ávila B., A. 2004 The classification of life in the Otomanguean family and in the non-

Otomanguean languages of Oaxaca. Invited presentation, “Conference on

Otomanguean and Oaxacan Languages”, Department of Linguistics, University of

California at Berkeley, March 19 - 21.

42. de Ávila B., A. 2004 The Oaxaca Ethnobotanical Garden. Paper presented at the II

International Congress of Botanic Gardens, Botanic Gardens Conservation

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International, Barcelona, Spain, April 19 - 22.

43. de Ávila B., A. 2004 Textile art and technology in Oaxaca. Keynote address, Sixth

International Biannual Symposium of Oaxacan Studies, Welte Institute for Oaxacan

Studies, Oaxaca, July 8 - 10.

44. de Ávila B., A. 2004 La investigación etnobotánica en Oaxaca. Symposium “Estado

actual de la botánica en Oaxaca”, XVI Mexican Congress of Botany, Oaxaca,

October 18.

45. de Ávila B., A. 2005 A mirror of threads: weaving and self representation in Mexico.

Presentation at the Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology in conjunction with the

exhibit “Tesoros escondidos: hidden treasures from the Mexican collections,”

University of California at Berkeley, April 7.

46. de Ávila B., A. 2005 La clasificación de la vida en las lenguas mixtecas. Invited

lecture, “V Semana de la Cultura Mixteca,” Universidad Tecnológica de la

Mixteca, Huajuapan de León, May 31.

47. de Ávila B., A. 2005 Los colores, las plantas y los animales en el debate antropológico.

Invited presentation, “Foro de Ciencias Sociales: Perspectivas en Latinoamérica”,

by invitation of the Student Council, Anthropology Program, Universidad Veracruzana,

Xalapa, June 3.

48. de Ávila B., A. 2005 La historia tejida de Oaxaca. Invited lecture at the Museo de

Historia Mexicana, Monterrey, N.L., October 6.

49. Organization of the Francisco Belmar Colloquium: The Otomanguean and Oaxacan

Languages Facing the XXI Century, Biblioteca Francisco de Burgoa, Centro Cultural Santo Domingo, Oaxaca, April 21-23, 2006 (member

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of the Organizing Committee)

50. de Ávila B., A. 2006 La tecnología del textil en Oaxaca. Invited presentation, Graduate

Studies and Research Division, Instituto Tecnológico de Oaxaca, May 11.

51. Chávez R., C., & A. de Ávila B. 2007 La colección de plantas vivas del Jardín

Etnobotánico de Oaxaca. Paper presented at the 20th National Meeting of Botanical

Gardens, Xalapa, Ver., September 13.

52. de Ávila B., A. 2007 La importancia biológica de la Cordillera Norte de Oaxaca.

Invited presentation during the National Conservation Week, hosted by the National

Comission of Natural Protected Areas of the Federal Ministry of the Environment and

National Resources, Oaxaca, November 28.

53. de Ávila B., A. 2008 De Mitla a Sumatra: el arte de la greca tejida. Lecture presented at

the Museo Textil de Oaxaca on the occasion of the inaugural exhibit, Oaxaca, June 20.

54. de Ávila B., A. 2008 Contemporary graphic art in Oaxaca. Lecture presented at the

Fowler Museum for Cultural History in conjunction with the exhibit “The ink shouts,”

University of California, Los Ángeles, August 28.

55. de Ávila B., A. 2008 Succulents to eat and think about: agaves and cacti at the Oaxaca

Ethnobotanical Garden. Invited lecture for the Succulent Plant Symposium, Huntington

Botanical Gardens, San Marino, California, August 30.

56. Organization and coordination of the symposium “El hombre y la biodiversidad:

expresiones histórico-culturales”. 1er Congreso de Diversidad Biológica y Cultural en

la Reserva de la Biósfera Tehuacán-Cuicatlán, Tehuacán, Puebla, September 20, 2008.

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57. de Ávila B., A. 2008 Diversidad biológica y cultural; paralelos y contradicciones.

Invited lecture at the Coloquio Oaxaca, organized by Enrique Florescano, José

Woldemberg & Carlos Monsiváis, Oaxaca, September 26.

58. de Ávila B., A. 2008 La pita, seda de la selva. Lecture presented at the Museo Textil de

Oaxaca in conjunction with the exhibit under the same title, October 2.

59. de Ávila B., A. 2008 El metano y el calentamiento global. Public lecture for

environmental awareness, organized by La Casa de la Ciencia, A.C., Oaxaca,

November 25.

60. de Ávila B., A. 2008 Biodiversidad e interculturalidad. Invited presentation, Primera

Semana de la Interculturalidad, Secretaría de Asuntos Indígenas, Gobierno del Estado,

Oaxaca, December 2.

Awards and distinctions:

1. Deutsches Sprachdiplom der Kultusministerkonferenz, Zweite Stufe, Colegio Alemán, Mexico City, 1976 (in recognition of fluency in the German language equivalent to a German high-school diploma, awarded by the Culture Ministry of the German Federal Republic)

2. Society of Phi Eta Sigma, Tulane University, 1977

3. Society of Phi Beta Kappa, Tulane U., 1980

4. Graduation summa cum laude, with honors in Anthropology and Psychology, Tulane U., 1980

5. Wallace H. Peery Award to the highest ranking graduate, College of Arts and Sciences, Tulane U., 1980

6. Aaron Hartman Award, Department of Psychology, Tulane U., 1980

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7. National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship, University of California at Berkeley, 1980-82 and 83-84

8. Candidato a Investigador Nacional, Sistema Nacional de Investigadores, SEP, Mexico, 1987-1991 (member of the National System of Researchers of the Mexican Ministry of Education)

9. First prize in the area of biotechnology, Premio Estatal en Investigación en Salud; Secretaría de Salud, Gobierno del Estado de Oaxaca and CONACYT, 1991 (in collaboration with Miriam Cortés Noh, Patricia Velasco A. and Araceli Triana Teja)

10. Ford/McArthur Social Sciences Fellowship for doctoral studies at the University of California at Berkeley, 1993-1995

11. Mentored Research Fellowship, Graduate Division of the University of California at Berkeley, 1995-1996

12. Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor, Dept. of Anthropology, UC Berkeley, 1997

13. Fulbright Fellowship for dissertation research, 1997-98

14. Grant from the Wenner-Gren Foundation for dissertation research, 1997-99

15. Recognition for the commitment to conserve the biodiversity of Oaxaca, World Wildlife Fund, June 22, 2004.

Personal work history:

1970-76: Sales and warehouse assistant, “Casa Cervantes, S.A.” (private business

that produced handmade cotton textiles and marketed folk art), Mexico City

1978-79: Research Assistant, Middle American Research Institute, Tulane U.

1981-82: Teaching Assistant, Department of Psychology, U. of California at Berkeley

1983-84: Teaching and Research Assistant, Department of Psychology, UC Berkeley

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1985-86: Associate Professor, CIIDIR Oaxaca, Instituto Politécnico Nacional 1985: Commissioned to the Instituto Nacional Indigenista, for resarch and museography for the exhibit "Secretos de Abuelas Indias: El Telar de Cintura en Oaxaca", Escuela de Bellas Artes, Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca (UABJO)

1986: Commissioned to the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia to catalog the collection of indigenous textiles at the Museo Regional de Oaxaca

1986: Visiting lecturer in ethnobotany, program in agronomical chemistry, UABJO

Invited Researcher, Botanical Garden, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)

1987- 1993: Associate Professor, Centro de Graduados e Investigación, Instituto Tecnológico de Oaxaca

1989-1990: Visiting Professor in ethnobotany, program in agronomical chemistry, UABJO

1990-1993: Field Representative in Mexico, World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

1992-1993: Lecturer, University of Pennsylvania, studies abroad program in Oaxaca

1993-1994: Consultant, WWF Mexico Program

1993-94: Reader, Department of Anthropology, UC Berkeley

1995: Consultant, McArthur Foundation World Environment and Resources Program

1996: Graduate Student Instructor, Department of Anthropology, UC Berkeley

1997: Graduate Student Researcher, Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology, UC Berkeley

1997-2009: Founding Director, Jardín Etnobotánico de Oaxaca, Centro Cultural Santo

Domingo

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2008-2009: Curator and researcher, Oaxaca Textile Museum

Honorary positions:

1999-2003: Secretary, Patronato para la Defensa y Conservación del Patrimonio Cultural y

Natural de Oaxaca, A.C. (PRO-OAX)

2000-2002: Secretary, Fondo Oaxaqueño para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (Oaxaca trust fund for the conservation of nature)

2001-2005: Deputy President, Steering Committee of the Trust Fund for the San Agustín Etla Art School

2002-2004: Member of the Citizen Council, Oaxaca City Government, Committee for

Culture and Historical Heritage

2005: Member of the Jury, National Prize in Science and the Arts, awarded by the

Ministry of Public Education and National Council for Culture and the Arts,

Federal Government of Mexico

2006: Member of the Jury, “Benito Juárez” National Prize in Folk Art, Oaxacan Craft

Institute, Oaxaca State Government 2007-2009: Member of the Committee for the National Strategy for Plant Conservation,

National Commission on Biodiversity (CONABIO), Federal Government of Mexico

2008: Member of the Jury, Friends of Oaxacan Folk Art (FOFA) fellowship contest for

young artisans

Membership in professional organizations:

- Member of the Sociedad Botánica de México- Member of the Society of Ethnobiology (North America)- Member of the International Society of Ethnobiology

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- Member of the Grupo Etnobotánico Lationamericano (GELA)- Member of the Grupo de Apoyo al Desarrollo Étnico de Oaxaca, A.C. (GADE), 1987-1990- Co-founder and member of the Sociedad para el Estudio de los Recursos Bióticos de Oaxaca, A.C. (SERBO), 1987-2009 - Founding member of the Patronato Pro-Conservación y Defensa del Patrimonio Cultural y Natural de Oaxaca, A.C. (PRO-OAX, Board for the Conservation and Defense of the Cultural and Natural Heritage of Oaxaca), 1993-2009- Vicepresident of the Organizing Committee of the XVI Mexican Congress of Botany, Oaxaca, October 17-22, 2004

Membership in Editorial Committees:

- Associate Editor of the Journal of Ethnobiology, Society of Ethnobiology, USA, 1989-1999- Member of the Editorial Committee of Etnoecológica, Centro de Ecología, UNAM, Mexico City, 1992-2006- Member of the Editorial Board of Identidades, revista de educación y cultura, Instituto Estatal de Educación Pública, Oaxaca, 2001-2004- Member of the Editorial Board of Naturaleza y Desarrollo, CIIDIR Oaxaca-IPN, 2004-2009- Member of the Editorial Board of Etnobiología, Sociedad Mexicana de Etnobiología, 2006- 2009- Member of the Editorial Board of Gaceta del Instituto del Patrimonio Cultural, Oaxaca State Government, 2008-2009

Courses taught:

1. Introduction to Ethnobotany - undergraduate program in agronomical chemistry, UABJO (fall semester 1986, spring semester 1989, spring semester 1990)

2. Human Ecology - Master's program in Regional Development and Planning, Centro de Graduados e Investigación, Instituto Tecnológico de Oaxaca (fall semester 1990)

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3. Socioeconomic Problems of Mexico - undergraduate program in business administration, Instituto Tecnológico de Oaxaca (fall semester 1990)

4. Master Narratives of Mexican Culture (co-taught with Dr. Margarita Dalton Palomo) - Studies Abroad Program, University of Pennsylvania (spring semester 1992)

5. Anthropology of Mexico (co-taught with Dr. Ángeles Romero Frizzi) - Studies Abroad Program, University of Pennsylvania (spring semester 1993)

6. Guest lectures at Universidad Pedagógica Nacional, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Morehouse College, Baylor University, Northeastern University and the University of Texas at Austin, 1987-1993.

7. Guest lectures at the University of California at Berkeley and the California College of Arts and Crafts, 1993-97.

Special abilities:

- Bilingual in Spanish and English since childhood

- Fluency in German

- Knowledge of classical Nahuatl and two contemporary Nahua dialects

- Rudimentary knowledge of southern Mixteca Baja Mixtec

- Teaching experience as Graduate Student Instructor at the University of California, Berkeley, and as professor at the Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca and the Instituto Tecnológico de Oaxaca

- Apprenticeship in the traditional weaving workshop of Casa Cervantes, Oaxaca City, 1976

- Autodidactic training in various weaving techniques on the backstrap loom, 1981-2008

Personal interests:19

- Ethnobiology and human ecology

- Environment, “development” and the welfare of rural communities in Latin America

- Evolutionary theory and natural history in counterpoint with cultural anthropology

- Oaxaca ethnography and linguistics, with an emphasis on the Mixtec region

- Mythology and narrative in Mesoamerican languages

- Representation of popular traditions in museums

- Preindustrial textile arts of the world

January, 2009

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