Finding aid for the Payne B. Johnson Latin American photographs 0550
Diann Benti
USC Libraries Special Collections
2022 April
Doheny Memorial Library 206
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles, California 90089-0189
specol@usc.edu
Contributing Institution:
USC Libraries Special Collections
Title: Payne B. Johnson Latin American photographs
Creator:
Johnson, Payne B.
Identifier/Call Number: 0550
Physical Description:
1.46 Linear Feet
2 boxes
Date (inclusive): 1973-2010
Abstract: This collection contains 562 photographic slides taken by Payne Johnson during his travels and historical research. The color
slides principally document Mesoamerican Mayan sites visited by Johnson primarily from the 1970s to the early 2000s.
Language of Material:
English.
Advance notice required for access.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Payne B. Johnson, December 19, 2010.
Payne B. Johnson was born June 2, 1930, and worked as a child actor in Hollywood in the 1930s. He received a BS from the University
of Southern California and an MS from San Diego State University. Johnson worked in corporate advertising and public relations
and was the founder and editor of San Diego Home/Garden magazine. He helped form the San Diego Chapter of the Explorers Club
and was elected a Fellow of the Explorers Club in 1994 and served as Deputy Director of the San Diego Natural History Museum.
Johnson began photographing ruins in Mexico in the 1960s, and subsequently began leading tours and lecturing about Aztec and
Mayan ruins. An exhibit of his work "Discovery of the Maya Lost Cities" was put on at the San Diego Museum of Man in 1998.
[Box/folder no. or item name], Payne B. Johnson Latin American photographs, Collection no. 0550, Boeckmann Center for Iberian
and Latin American Studies, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
This collection contains 562 photographic slides taken by Payne Johnson during his travels and historical research. The color
slides principally document Mesoamerican Mayan sites visited by Johnson primarily from the 1970s to the early 2000s. The collection
also includes textual documents about the slides and Johnson's research, as well as compact discs related to the images. Places
depicted consist of: Aké (5 slides); Boca Iglesia (11 slides); Bonampak (20 slides); Chichen Itza (40 slides); Coba (16 slides);
Copan (100 slides); Cozumel & Isla Mujeres (15 slides); Izamal; Kabah (13 slides); Kiuic (5 slides); Labna (10 slides); Machu
Picchu (60 slides); Macoba (26 slides); the Olmecs (40 slides); Palenque (61 slides); Quirigua (56 slides); Sayil (15 slides);
Tulum (20 slides); Uxmal (39 slides); and Xul (5 slides).
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Department of Special
Collections at specol@usc.edu. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical
items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Rights Statement for Archival Description
Finding aid description and metadata are licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Central America -- Antiquities -- Photographs
Maya architecture -- Photographs
Guatemala -- Photographs
Mexico -- Photographs
Peru -- Photographs
Slides (photographs)
Bonampak Site (Mexico) -- Photographs
Cobá (Mexico) -- Photographs
Chichén Itzá Site (Mexico) -- Photographs
Copán (Honduras : Department) -- Photographs
Cozumel (Mexico) -- Photographs
Isla Mujeres (Mexico) -- Photographs
Izamal Site (Mexico)
Kabah Site (Mexico) -- Photographs
Labná Site (Mexico) -- Photographs
Machu Picchu Site (Peru) -- Photographs
Palenque (Chiapas, Mexico) -- Photographs
Quiriguá Site (Guatemala) -- Photographs
Sayil Site (Mexico) -- Photographs
Tulum Site (Mexico) -- Photographs
Uxmal Site (Mexico) -- Photographs
Xul (Mexico) -- Photographs
Johnson, Payne B. -- Archives
Box 1
Files and compact discs
Box 2
Slides