Visiting Scholar
Charles University, Prague

Zuzana Kostićová teaches at the Department of Religious Studies, Hussite Theological Faculty, Charles University in Prague. Originally interested in the pre-colonial religions of Mesoamerica, she focused on the Maya and wrote her doctoral dissertation (2009) on the role of religion at the Postclassic site of Chichén Itzá in Yucatán, Mexico. At the same time, however, the 2012 millennial phenomenon caught her attention, particularly with regard to the role of the Maya calendar (and the broader image of the Maya). Within a few years, she became deeply engaged in research on New Age Spirituality. As a result, her published work consists of both texts related to ancient Mesoamerica and books and articles analysing New Age Spirituality. In this context, she frequently works at the intersection of these topics, focusing on authors such as José Argüelles, Carlos Castaneda, and Miguel Ruiz. In the Czech context, she is also actively involved in the popularisation of Maya studies and Religious Studies (and the Humanities more broadly). She holds an M.A. in Religious Studies (2006) and a Ph.D. in Ibero-American Studies (2009), both from the Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague. During her stay at the Department for the Study of Religions in the summer semester 2026, she teaches a course on "Introduction to the Religions of Ancient Mesoamerica."