Sylvanus Griswold Morley

Sylvanus Griswold Morley (1883–1948) was an American archaeologist of the ancient Maya. Trained at Harvard, he began work in Yucatán in 1907 and spent most of his career with the Carnegie Institution of Washington, recording hieroglyphic inscriptions across Central America and directing the long excavation and restoration of Chichén Itzá. During the First World War he used his expeditions as cover for gathering naval intelligence on the Central American coast. His Introduction to the Study of the Maya Hieroglyphs explained the calendar to beginners, The Inscriptions of Petén catalogued the monuments, and The Ancient Maya brought the civilization to a wide audience.