Arthur Andrew Demarest is an American anthropologist and archaeologist, known for his studies of the Maya civilization.
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Demarest, a Louisiana Cajun,[1] studied Mesoamerican anthropology and archaeology at Tulane University, where he graduated. In 1981 Demarest was granted his doctorate by Harvard University and he was admitted to the prestigious Harvard Society of Fellows club. From 1984 on he taught at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, USA, where he holds the endowed chair of Ingram Professor of Anthropology and heads up the Institute of Mesoamerican Archaeology.
Demarest has worked in Mesoamerica for 25 years, leading archaeological excavations and expeditions. He is considered one of the world's leading experts on the Olmec and Maya cultures, but is also interested in Incas, Aztecs and anthropological theory.
As an authority in the field, Demarest was interviewed on the collapse of Maya civilisation by American journalist Alan Weisman for his book The World Without Us.[2] Demarest himself is the author of several books and numerous articles.
Demarest's work with the Maya in Mesoamerica was featured in the "Last Days of the Maya", a 2005 documentary in the television series Explorer, aired on the National Geographic Channel.
Demarest has been awarded various prizes for his archaeological and educational work in Guatemala and for his work on the contemporary Maya people.
In 2000 Demarest was presented with the Orden del Pop, an annual award bestowed by Guatemala's Museo Popol Vuh at the Universidad Francisco Marroquín, in recognition of his services to Guatemalan archaeology, particularly his fieldwork at locations such as the Petexbatún Basin, Soconusco coast, and the site of Cancuén.[3]
In 2004 Demarest became the first US citizen to be awarded the Orden Nacional del Patrimonio Cultural de Guatemala, an annual award presented by the office of the President of Guatemala in recognition of contributions to the country's cultural heritage. Demarest was presented with the award by the then Guatemalan president, Oscar Berger, in a ceremony on 10 November of that year, with a citation for his contributions to "the rescue, conservation and protection of tangible cultural patrimony".[4]