Anthony Francis Aveni (born 1938) is an American academic anthropologist, astronomer, and author, noted in particular for his extensive publications and leading contributions to the field of archaeoastronomy. With an academic career spanning over four decades, Aveni is recognized for his influence on the development of archaeoastronomy as a discipline in the latter 20th century. He has specialized in the study of ancient astronomical practices in the Americas, and is one of the founders of research into the historical astronomy of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures. As of 2009[update] Aveni holds an endowed chair as the Russell Colgate Distinguished University Professor of Astronomy and Anthropology and Native American Studies at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. With his artist wife Lorraine, he currently resides in Hamilton, New York.[1][2] His books: Foundations of New World Cultural Astronomy Scholastic, 2005. The First Americans: Where They Came From and Who They Became Scholastic, 2005. The Madrid Codex: New Approaches to Understanding an Ancient Maya Manuscript (2006) [3]