Richard

Richard D. Hansen is a leading expert on the early Maya civilization and directs the Mirador Basin Project, which explores the geological and cultural region known as the Mirador-Calakmul Karst Basin in northern Petén, Guatemala. He has held esteemed academic positions at UCLA and Idaho State University and is the founder and president of the Foundation for Anthropological Research and Environmental Studies (FARES). Hansen's work has been widely recognized, featured in 36 film documentaries, including his role as the principal consultant for the movie Apocalypto, CBS' Survivor: Guatemala, and National Geographic's The Story of God with Morgan Freeman. His achievements have been honored with the Orden de la Monja Blanca, awarded by the Guatemalan Ministry of Defense in 2019. He was named one of the "24 individuals who changed Latin America," underscoring the impact of his contributions to Maya studies. Hansen graduated with a Ph.D. in Archaeology from UCLA in 1992, where he was a National Graduate Fellow, a Jacob Javits National Fellow, and received various prestigious honors, including Fulbright Scholar (Guatemala) and the UCLA Chancellor's Marshall with highest honors. His academic journey began with a double major B.S. degree (cum laude) in Spanish and Archaeology from Brigham Young University (1978) and an M.S. degree in Anthropology in 1984. As a prolific scholar, Hansen has published 190 papers and book chapters, edited three volumes (with three more in preparation), and presented over 393 professional papers and reports worldwide. His team's work has produced 318 scientific papers and 1209 technical reports across their research endeavors. Hansen's research has spanned Israel, the U.S. Great Basin, the U.S. Southwest, and Central America. Through his work in the rainforests of northern Guatemala, Hansen’s team has mapped and excavated 51 ancient cities in the Mirador Basin, revealing some of the largest and earliest Maya cities. His groundbreaking research has significantly enhanced our understanding of Maya civilization's development, earning him a lasting legacy in the field of archaeology.