author
Sylvanus Griswold Morley
1883–1948
A pioneering American archaeologist and epigrapher, he helped bring the ancient Maya world to a wide audience through both major excavations and popular writing. He is especially remembered for leading long-running work at Chichén Itzá and for his early studies of Maya hieroglyphs.
1 Audiobook
An Introduction to the Study of the Maya Hieroglyphs
by Sylvanus Griswold Morley
About the author
Born in Chester, Pennsylvania, in 1883, he became one of the best-known American scholars of the Maya in the early twentieth century. His work focused on archaeology, inscriptions, and the history of ancient Mesoamerica, and he played a major role in shaping public interest in Maya civilization.
He is closely associated with the Carnegie Institution's excavations at Chichén Itzá in Mexico, where he led extensive fieldwork over many years. He also published influential studies of Maya hieroglyphic writing at a time when the script was still only partly understood, helping preserve and organize important records for later researchers.
Beyond academic circles, he wrote for general readers as well, including books that introduced the Maya past in an engaging way. Although some of his interpretations were later revised, his energy, fieldwork, and publications made him a central figure in the history of Maya studies before his death in 1948.