Alice Dixon Le Plongeon (1851–1910) was an English photographer, amateur archeologist, traveller, and author. She was one of the first people to excavate and study the ancient Maya sites of Chichen Itza and Uxmal.
Portrait of Alice Dixon Le Plongeon, taken by her husband Augustus, ca. 1875
Alice Dixon was born in London on 12 December 1851. She was the second of nine children born to Henry Dixon and Sophia Cook. Henry Dixon was a copper-plate printer who later became a successful photographer. Henry Dixon was recognized in the late nineteenth century for his contribution to the development of panchromatic photography and for his photos of London architecture taken for the Society for Photographing Relics of Old London. Alice learned the principles of photography from her father and worked as an assistant at his studio.[1]
Another member of the family who had a strong influence on Alice was her uncle, Dr. Jacob Dixon. Dr. Dixon practiced Spiritualism and Alice became involved in the Spiritualist movement in England at a young age. 1871, Alice participated in a séance at her Uncle's home. In her memoirs Alice reports that at this séance a spirit predicted that she would be married before she was twenty and that she would move very far from England.
Later the same year Alice met Augustus Le Plongeon while he was in London studying Mexican and Maya artifacts at the British Museum. After she first met Augustus, Alice told her mother, "Mother, while I was out today I met him who I know that I shall have to marry by and by."[2] Twenty-five years her senior, Augustus Le Plongeon was a French-American photographer and amateur archeologist who had already traveled and worked in Chile, California, and Peru. He was in London to prepare for a trip into the jungles of Yucatán. Alice grew interested in ancient Maya civilization, studied John L. Stephen's Incidents of Travel in Yucatan, and agreed to join Augustus on his expedition. Alice and Augustus, not yet married, traveled from London to New York to complete the last of their preparations.
Career
The couple married in New York before traveling to Mexico in 1873. After arriving in Mérida, Alice Dixon Le Plongeon became seriously ill with yellow fever. Augustus nursed her back to health, and they stayed in Mérida while she regained her strength. The pair became acquainted with local scholars and learned to speak Yucatec Maya. Their first trip out of Mérida was a short visit to Uxmal, where they explored the site and took some photographs.[3]
The Le Plongeons were in Yucatán during the years of the Caste War, a conflict between the Maya, called the Chan Santa Cruz, and the army of Yucatán. In 1875, they left Mérida and traveled to Chicen Itza with a military escort, who was assigned to stay with the archeologists while they worked.[3]
When out in the field, the Le Plongeons practiced archeology by taking numerous photographs, sketching drawings and maps, making molds of bas-reliefs, and digging excavation tunnels to explore buildings. Their photography equipment consisted of two Scovill Manufacturing Company view cameras with an assortment of lenses. They took a variety of photographs, including 3D stereo images, which were developed in a darkroom set up on site. In addition to the detachment of soldiers, the Le Plongeons hired local Maya men to cut back the vegetation and clear growth from the site. The whole crew faced illness and hunger, heat, insects, and other dangerous wildlife.[1]
In addition to exploring the sites of Chichen Itza and Uxmal, Alice and her husband worked around the city of Mérida, and at Mayapan. In 1878 they traveled south to British Honduras before financial difficulties forced them to return to the United States to solicit sponsorship.[3]
From 1880 to 1884 the Le Plongeons spent time in Mexico City and continued their work at sites in Yucatán. During this time, they made a few trips back to New York when their finances were strained. Among their sponsors was cigarette manufacturer Pierre Lorillard and Phoebe Hearst. When in New York the couple gave lectures on their work and attempted to sell their bas-relief molds to museums and collectors.[1]
Findings and theories
By studying the murals and statues at Chicen Itza, Augustus and Alice developed theories about the past Maya rulers and the influence of the Maya. They pieced together a narrative of an ancient Maya ruler named Queen Moo (from the Maya word for macaw) and her brother and consort Prince Coh, sometimes called Prince Chaacmol (named for the Maya words chaac and mol, meaning powerful warrior). Throughout their careers, the Le Plongeons would expand on their theories. Eventually, they came to believe the ancient Maya had helped found ancient Egyptian civilization as well as the lost civilization of Atlantis.[4]
In November 1875 the Le Plongeons unearthed a large statue from near the Platform of the Eagles and Jaguars at Chichen Itza. The statue was of a reclining man and the Le Plongeons believed it was a representation of Prince Chaacmol. So, the statue was named Chacmool and was lauded by the American Geographical Society as a great archeological find.[5] Other artifacts were found near the statue including flint, ceramic pieces, and a piece of jadeite that Augustus had set in a gold brooch. Alice would keep and wear this talisman for the rest of her life.[3]
Life in New York
In 1884 the Le Plongeons left Mexico and settled in New York. There, Alice focused on her writing and giving lectures. She published articles and organized her field notes. Alice also became involved in a number of social movements. She was a member of Sorosis, a professional women's organization. She also gave lectures to fund raise for the New York Diet Kitchen Association, an organization which aimed to fed the poor.[1] Alice had a strong interest in Spiritualism, Freemasonry, and the Rosicrucians, and was active in the Theosophical Society.[1]
The archeological community was not welcoming to the Le Plongeon's theories about Queen Moo. Alice wrote that she was "bitterly indignant" about the lack of recognition for her and her husband's work. Despite these critics the pair continued to write and lecture on their findings. In 1886 Alice published Here and There in Yucatan and in 1902 her epic poem Queen Moo's Talisman was published. She also wrote about the Maya establishing the ancient civilization of Atlantis in A Dream of Atlantis, which was published in serial form in The World Magazine, a Theosophy serial, from 1909-1911.[1]
Augustus Le Plongeon experienced declining health in the summer of 1908. Alice spent much of her time attending to his needs before he died in December of that year. Alice continued to write and give lectures after her husband's death but became ill and was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 1910. She died on 8 June at New York Women's Hospital.[1]
^ abcdefgDesmond, Lawrence (2009). Yacatan Through Her Eyes. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press.
^"Finding Aid for Augustus and Alice Dixon Le Plongeon Papers". Getty Research Institute.
^ abcdDesmond, Lawrence (1988). A Dream of Maya. University of New Mexico Press.
^McDaniel, Sean (January–February 2007). "The Lure of Moo". Archaeology. 60 (1).
^Salisbury, Stephen (1877). "An Account of the Statue Called Chac-Mool, Discovered in Yucatan by Dr. Augustus Le Plongeon". Journal of the American Geographical Society of New York.
^"Le Plongeon (Augustus and Alice Dixon) Photographs". oac.cdlib.org. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
External links
Media related to Alice Dixon Le Plongeon at Wikimedia Commons
Works by or about Alice Dixon Le Plongeon at Wikisource
Queen Moo's Talisman by Alice Dixon Le Plongeon at Project Gutenberg
alice, dixon, plongeon, filipino, artist, alice, dixson, 1851, 1910, english, photographer, amateur, archeologist, traveller, author, first, people, excavate, study, ancient, maya, sites, chichen, itza, uxmal, portrait, taken, husband, augustus, 1875, contents. For the Filipino artist see Alice Dixson Alice Dixon Le Plongeon 1851 1910 was an English photographer amateur archeologist traveller and author She was one of the first people to excavate and study the ancient Maya sites of Chichen Itza and Uxmal Portrait of Alice Dixon Le Plongeon taken by her husband Augustus ca 1875 Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Findings and theories 4 Life in New York 5 Works 6 References 7 External linksEarly life EditAlice Dixon was born in London on 12 December 1851 She was the second of nine children born to Henry Dixon and Sophia Cook Henry Dixon was a copper plate printer who later became a successful photographer Henry Dixon was recognized in the late nineteenth century for his contribution to the development of panchromatic photography and for his photos of London architecture taken for the Society for Photographing Relics of Old London Alice learned the principles of photography from her father and worked as an assistant at his studio 1 Another member of the family who had a strong influence on Alice was her uncle Dr Jacob Dixon Dr Dixon practiced Spiritualism and Alice became involved in the Spiritualist movement in England at a young age 1871 Alice participated in a seance at her Uncle s home In her memoirs Alice reports that at this seance a spirit predicted that she would be married before she was twenty and that she would move very far from England Later the same year Alice met Augustus Le Plongeon while he was in London studying Mexican and Maya artifacts at the British Museum After she first met Augustus Alice told her mother Mother while I was out today I met him who I know that I shall have to marry by and by 2 Twenty five years her senior Augustus Le Plongeon was a French American photographer and amateur archeologist who had already traveled and worked in Chile California and Peru He was in London to prepare for a trip into the jungles of Yucatan Alice grew interested in ancient Maya civilization studied John L Stephen s Incidents of Travel in Yucatan and agreed to join Augustus on his expedition Alice and Augustus not yet married traveled from London to New York to complete the last of their preparations Career EditThe couple married in New York before traveling to Mexico in 1873 After arriving in Merida Alice Dixon Le Plongeon became seriously ill with yellow fever Augustus nursed her back to health and they stayed in Merida while she regained her strength The pair became acquainted with local scholars and learned to speak Yucatec Maya Their first trip out of Merida was a short visit to Uxmal where they explored the site and took some photographs 3 The Le Plongeons were in Yucatan during the years of the Caste War a conflict between the Maya called the Chan Santa Cruz and the army of Yucatan In 1875 they left Merida and traveled to Chicen Itza with a military escort who was assigned to stay with the archeologists while they worked 3 When out in the field the Le Plongeons practiced archeology by taking numerous photographs sketching drawings and maps making molds of bas reliefs and digging excavation tunnels to explore buildings Their photography equipment consisted of two Scovill Manufacturing Company view cameras with an assortment of lenses They took a variety of photographs including 3D stereo images which were developed in a darkroom set up on site In addition to the detachment of soldiers the Le Plongeons hired local Maya men to cut back the vegetation and clear growth from the site The whole crew faced illness and hunger heat insects and other dangerous wildlife 1 In addition to exploring the sites of Chichen Itza and Uxmal Alice and her husband worked around the city of Merida and at Mayapan In 1878 they traveled south to British Honduras before financial difficulties forced them to return to the United States to solicit sponsorship 3 From 1880 to 1884 the Le Plongeons spent time in Mexico City and continued their work at sites in Yucatan During this time they made a few trips back to New York when their finances were strained Among their sponsors was cigarette manufacturer Pierre Lorillard and Phoebe Hearst When in New York the couple gave lectures on their work and attempted to sell their bas relief molds to museums and collectors 1 Findings and theories EditBy studying the murals and statues at Chicen Itza Augustus and Alice developed theories about the past Maya rulers and the influence of the Maya They pieced together a narrative of an ancient Maya ruler named Queen Moo from the Maya word for macaw and her brother and consort Prince Coh sometimes called Prince Chaacmol named for the Maya words chaac and mol meaning powerful warrior Throughout their careers the Le Plongeons would expand on their theories Eventually they came to believe the ancient Maya had helped found ancient Egyptian civilization as well as the lost civilization of Atlantis 4 In November 1875 the Le Plongeons unearthed a large statue from near the Platform of the Eagles and Jaguars at Chichen Itza The statue was of a reclining man and the Le Plongeons believed it was a representation of Prince Chaacmol So the statue was named Chacmool and was lauded by the American Geographical Society as a great archeological find 5 Other artifacts were found near the statue including flint ceramic pieces and a piece of jadeite that Augustus had set in a gold brooch Alice would keep and wear this talisman for the rest of her life 3 Life in New York EditIn 1884 the Le Plongeons left Mexico and settled in New York There Alice focused on her writing and giving lectures She published articles and organized her field notes Alice also became involved in a number of social movements She was a member of Sorosis a professional women s organization She also gave lectures to fund raise for the New York Diet Kitchen Association an organization which aimed to fed the poor 1 Alice had a strong interest in Spiritualism Freemasonry and the Rosicrucians and was active in the Theosophical Society 1 The archeological community was not welcoming to the Le Plongeon s theories about Queen Moo Alice wrote that she was bitterly indignant about the lack of recognition for her and her husband s work Despite these critics the pair continued to write and lecture on their findings In 1886 Alice published Here and There in Yucatan and in 1902 her epic poem Queen Moo s Talisman was published She also wrote about the Maya establishing the ancient civilization of Atlantis in A Dream of Atlantis which was published in serial form in The World Magazine a Theosophy serial from 1909 1911 1 Augustus Le Plongeon experienced declining health in the summer of 1908 Alice spent much of her time attending to his needs before he died in December of that year Alice continued to write and give lectures after her husband s death but became ill and was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 1910 She died on 8 June at New York Women s Hospital 1 Works EditHere and There in Yucatan 1886 Subjects Places Country Year Other Information ImageChichen Itza Mexico 1873 1883 Pyramid of the Magician Mexico 1876 6 References Edit a b c d e f g Desmond Lawrence 2009 Yacatan Through Her Eyes Albuquerque University of New Mexico Press Finding Aid for Augustus and Alice Dixon Le Plongeon Papers Getty Research Institute a b c d Desmond Lawrence 1988 A Dream of Maya University of New Mexico Press McDaniel Sean January February 2007 The Lure of Moo Archaeology 60 1 Salisbury Stephen 1877 An Account of the Statue Called Chac Mool Discovered in Yucatan by Dr Augustus Le Plongeon Journal of the American Geographical Society of New York Le Plongeon Augustus and Alice Dixon Photographs oac cdlib org Retrieved 31 March 2019 External links Edit Media related to Alice Dixon Le Plongeon at Wikimedia Commons Works by or about Alice Dixon Le Plongeon at Wikisource Queen Moo s Talisman by Alice Dixon Le Plongeon at Project Gutenberg Augustus and Alice Dixon Le Plongeon Papers at Getty Research Institute Lawrence Gustave Desmond papers relating to Augustus and Alice Le Plongeon Research Library at the Getty Research Institute Los Angeles California Works by or about Alice Dixon Le Plongeon at Internet Archive Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Alice Dixon Le Plongeon amp oldid 1123897296, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
