Briana Moncayo Campoverde

Briana Moncayo Campoverde is a PhD candidate in Cultural Anthropology whose compelling research offers a fresh look at cultural devotion and transnational spiritual practice. She investigates how mariachi music and ballet folklórico are used in both sacred and secular spaces to celebrate La Virgen de Guadalupe in communities spanning New York and Mexico.

Grounded in her own experience as a ballet folklórico dancer, Briana’s work seeks to understand the profound spiritual connection that performers forge with La Virgen de Guadalupe, exploring how this devotion is physically embodied. Crucially, her study also traces how these cultural histories and practices are transferred and adapted across borders by Mexican and non-Mexican practitioners, focusing specifically on the Latinx/o/a/e communities and people as a whole who practice and dedicate their lives to these traditions. Her research challenges the typical association of the practices solely with Mexican nationality, highlighting the broader, inclusive nature of this cultural devotion.

Briana brings a unique skillset to her academic work, informed by her prior experience producing multi-documentaries, notably “Volver Volver: Amor, Mariachi, y Familia.” This background is foundational to her methodology, which innovatively employs photography and film as key components of her visual ethnography

Contact: BRM432@pitt.edu

 

Degrees & Education Section:

B.A in Latin American and Latinx Studies & Anthropology, CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice (2024)

 

Awards Section:

K.Leroy Irvis Fellow (2024 - 2025)

State Doctoral Scholars Program (SREB) Scholar (2024 - Present)