The collection comprises Lawrence G. Desmond's photographic documentation of symposia organized by the Moses Mesoamerican Archive and Research Project (MMARP) held between 1982 and 1999. Included are approximately 1,700 black-and-white and color slides and 179 gelatin silver prints including a panoramic print of the 1989 symposium participants at the Templo Mayor Museum in Mexico City.

Archaeologist, author and photographer, Lawrence Gustave Desmond, was born in San Francisco in 1935. His interest in photography began as a pre-teen growing up in the nearby small town of San Carlos. After receiving a BA from the University of Santa Clara in 1957 Desmond saw active duty as a Coast Guard officer from 1957 to 1960 and served in the coast Guard Reserve through the 1960s, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He completed an MBA at San Jose State in 1964 and went on to a career in human resources and management development with Silicon Valley electronic manufacturing companies. During this period Desmond developed an interest in Mesoamerican archaeology to the extent that he left his business career to pursue studies first at the Universidad de Las Americas in Cholula, México, where he received an MA in cultural anthropology in 1979, and then at the University of Colorado, Boulder where he was awarded a PhD in anthropology and archeology in 1983. It was during his time at Boulder that he first became involved with the Moses Mesoamerican Archive and Research Project (MMARP) for which he ultimately became its unofficial photographer.

9 Linear Feet (6 boxes and 1 flatfile)

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