Nayeli Jiménez Cano

Nayeli Jiménez Cano is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology of Climate Change at UC San Diego. Her research bridges archaeology, ecology, and conservation science to reconstruct socio-environmental interactions over time and past sustainable practices applicable to contemporary communities in coastal southeastern Mexico and Central America.

She specializes in zooarchaeology and ichthyoarchaeology, applying innovative biomolecular methods such as ZooMS (Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry), paleoproteomics, and DNA to refine species identification and deepen our understanding of ancient subsistence practices and past biodiversity. By integrating these approaches, her work reveals how fishing practices, climate change, and cultural choices co-shaped and sustain marine and freshwater ecosystems over millennia.

Her research actively engages with modern Maya fishing communities in Mexico, linking the archaeological record with local ecological knowledge and highlighting the role of heritage in climate adaptation and resilience. She contributes to the field of marine historical ecology by using archaeological evidence to establish conservation baselines and inform present-day fisheries management. Through this work, she addresses questions such as which animal resources were exploited in the past, how animals were captured and managed, how they were used for food or crafting, their role in exchange networks or rituals, and how past exploitation relates to present-day practices.

While much of her work focuses on the pre-Hispanic Maya region (Mexico and Guatemala), she has also conducted archaeological and biological research in Honduras, Spain, Wales, Scotland, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Vanuatu.

Nayeli is committed to FAIR and CARE practices in biomolecular archaeology and serves as a governing board member of the Oceans Past Initiative. She is also enthusiastic about public outreach, working to engage communities and promote education and inclusivity in archaeological science.

When she is not in the lab, she enjoys analog photography, visiting fish markets and museums, and exploring coastal landscapes with her two dogs.

• B.A., Archaeology. Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Mexico
• M.Sc., Human Palaeoecology. Durham University, UK
• Ph.D., Biology. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain
• Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow. Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France

• Indigenous fisheries
• Animal management and harvesting
• Human–environment interactions in Mesoamerica and the Caribbean
•  Zooarchaeology and ichthyoarchaeology
• Biomolecular archaeology (ZooMS, paleoproteomics)
• Marine historical ecology and conservation
• Climate change and resilience
• Community-based and ethnographic approaches

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ORCID