Biography

An archaeologist with 20 years in the field, Powell has worked all over the Maya world, both in the ruins and with the modern Maya people. After a decade of contract and research archaeology in the United States, Powell shifted his focus to Mesoamerica. From 1993 to 1996 he worked at Copan, Honduras with the University of Pennsylvania where he excavated the richly decorated tomb of Copan's lineage founder, Yax K'uk' Mo, the tomb of his queen, and the tomb of a sacrifical burial of a tlaloc style warrior. His work at Copan is featured in the December 1997 issue of National Geographic Magazine.

In 1996 he began working at Palenque, first as field director for the Pre-Columbian Art Research Institute's PGC (Projecto Grupo de Las Cruces) and later as a supervisor for INAH (Instituto Nacional de Antropologia y Historia). He was field director during the 1999 season when the PGC excavated Temple XIX and the finely carved throne of Akal Mo Nhab III, one of Palenque's final kings. Powell's 1998 University of Texas at Austin thesis entitled A New View on Maya Astronomy presented groundbreaking evidence regarding Maya calendrics and how they are mathematically based on multiple astronomical cycles.

His current focus is on the completion of his Ph.D. dissertation, The Shapes of Sacred Space, which will present his revolutionary new theories regarding Maya geometry and explain how the Maya, both ancient and modern, incorporate the proportions of nature in their art and architecture. MEC is proud to support his ongoing research.