Alfred Percival Maudslay (1850-1931) was born in England and first went to Central America to escape the cold of winter. Upon arrival in Guatemala in 1880-81, his interests in geographical and antiquarian research were awakened by the wonderful monuments he saw. He was induced to undertake better equipped expeditions and thus, between the ages of 31 and 44, devoted his life to the Mayan ruins. He spent eight dry seasons working among the ruins, excavating, taking notes, and making photogravures. Maudslay did extensive field work at Copán, Quiriguá, Tikal, Yaxchilán, Palenque, and Chichen Itzá, expeditions financed entirely at his own expense. In 1893, owing to the death of John Owens, director of the Peabody Museum expedition to Copán, Maudslay returned to this site and took over the leadership of the excavations. Maudslay’s work has served as a striking example of the value of scientific as opposed to intuitive research. The fact that he was a scientific scholar is not a matter of pedantic interest, as it has been a vital influence in the growth of Mayan studies.