Her research interests center on the intersections of colonialism with gender, ethnicity and identity formation in early Latin America. She specializes in the social history of colonial Mexico, particularly the responses of indigenous peoples to Spanish rule. Velasco Murillo received her doctorate from UCLA and was an assistant professor of Latin American history at Adelphi University and UC Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Irvine. She is on the executive committee of the Rocky Mountain Council for Latin American Studies, and her research has received support from a variety of institutions and fellowships, including an American Philosophical Society Franklin Research Grant and the Conference on Latin American History Lewis Hanke Post-Doctoral Award.