Beatriz Barba Ahuactzin (16 September 1928 – 29 January 2021) was a Mexican academic, anthropologist, and archaeologist, who was the second woman to earn a degree in archaeology in her country.
[2] She earned a degree at the Escuela Nacional de Maestros (National Teacher's College), in 1949, with a thesis that addressed the spinal deformities of students caused by inadequate structure of the furniture they used.
[2][3] Wanting to further her knowledge of history and prepare as a secondary teacher, she enrolled at the Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia (ENAH) in 1950.
[7] Between 1957 and 1960, she taught history at Albert Einstein Secondary School Number Nine,[6] while continuing her studies and earning her degree as an ethnologist from ENAH in 1960.
[2] She also worked as an adjunct professor at ENAH beginning in 1958,[9] and conducted research in conjunction with her husband at sites in Tlatilco and in Valle de Guadalupe, Northern Jalisco.
[7] Rather than the "demonic worship" depicted by Spaniards in their chronicles of Mexican culture, Barba's anthropological approach demonstrated that civilizations in ancient Mesoamerica had a reverence for the sacred, a devotion to creating books to pass on their extensive knowledge, and an appreciation of the vastness of universe.