author
Herbert Joseph Spinden
1879–1967
A pioneering scholar of the ancient Americas, he helped shape early understanding of Maya art, chronology, and symbolism. His museum work and writing brought Mesoamerican cultures to a wide English-speaking audience.
1 Audiobook
Ancient Civilizations of Mexico and Central America Third and Revised Edition
by Herbert Joseph Spinden
About the author
Born in Huron, South Dakota, in 1879, Herbert Joseph Spinden became an American anthropologist, archaeologist, and art historian known for his work on Native American cultures in the United States and Mesoamerica. He studied at Harvard, where he worked with leading anthropologists of the day and completed a doctorate focused on Maya art.
Spinden went on to build his career in major museums, including the American Museum of Natural History, where he served as an assistant curator, and later the Brooklyn Museum, where he became director. His research centered especially on the ancient Maya, and he was widely recognized for studying their art, calendrical systems, and historical chronology.
He also wrote influential books for general readers as well as specialists, including A Study of Maya Art and The Ancient Civilizations of Mexico and Central America. Remembered as an important early interpreter of the visual world of ancient America, he remained a prominent figure in anthropology until his death in 1967.