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Georges Courty

Paris, France, 1875–1953 (Subject)

Georges Courty (1875–1953) was a French geologist, natural scientist, and archaeologist. He was associated with the Muséum d’histoire naturelle in Paris. In 1903, he conducted archaeological excavations at the site of Tiahuanaco in Bolivia. During a three-month period, he conducted fieldwork in the Akapana mound, the Sunken Temple, the Kalasasaya, and the Chunchukala and Putuni structures which resulted in the unearthing of over 1,400 artifacts, divided between Bolivia (Museo Nacional de Arqueología) and France (Musée du Quai Branly). He failed to publish his findings and, early on, was criticized for his lack of rigor and the destruction of the sites.

Georges Courty at the site of Tiahuanaco in Bolivia
Georges Courty at the site of Tiahuanaco in Bolivia

 

References

Annie Smith Peck, A Search for the Apex of America: High Mountain Climbing in Peru and America (New York: Dodd and Mead and Company, 1911), 72–3.