Charles Etienne Brasseur de Bourbourg

Abbé Charles-Étienne Brasseur de Bourbourg (8 September, 1814 – 8 January, 1874) was a noted French writer, ethnographer, historian and archaeologist. He became a specialist in Mesoamerican studies, travelling extensively in the region. His writings, publications, and recovery of historical documents contributed much to the later understanding of the region's languages, writing, history and culture (in particular, that of the Maya and Aztec).

Travels and expeditions to Central America

From 1848 to 1863 he travelled extensively as a missionary throughout many parts of Mexico and Central America.

Related Topics:
1848 - 1863 - Missionary - Mexico - Central America

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On these journeys he gave great attention to Mesoamerican antiquities, and became well-versed in the then-current theories and knowledge about the history of the region, and the Pre-Colombian civilizations whose sites and monuments remained, yet were little understood.

Related Topics:
Mesoamerica - Pre-Colombian

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Using information he had collected during his time spent travelling there, as well as that compiled by other scholars of his time, he published in 1857 - 1859 a history of the Aztec civilization, containing what was then known or speculated about the former empire, which had been overrun and defeated some three hundred years previously by the Spanish conquistadores in alliance with local enemies of the Aztecs.

Related Topics:
1857 - 1859 - Aztec - Conquistador

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He also conducted research into the local languages and their transliteration into Latin orthography. Between 1861 and 1864 he edited and published a collection of documents in the indigenous languages.

Related Topics:
Latin - Orthography - 1861 - 1864

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In 1864 he was archaeologist to the French military expedition in Mexico, and his resulting work Monuments anciens du Mexique was published by the French Government in 1866.

Related Topics:
1864 - Archaeologist - French - 1866

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