Giles Healey
Encyclopedia
Giles Greville Healey was born in 1901 in New York City. He was educated in France and Germany and later attended Choate Preparatory School; graduating from Yale University
in 1924 with a degree in chemistry. In 1928 he volunteered for a two-year expedition to South America to collect curare
for medicinal purposes, during which he accomplished extensive cartographic work on the Orinoco River for the Royal Geographic Society.
Meeting his future wife, artist Sheila Healey
in 1940, they married in 1943, moved to Mexico in 1944 and he began a career as a Mayan archeologist, discovering 28 ruins. He was best known for the photography in 1946 of the pre-Columbian painted murals at the Maya
site of Bonampak
. He recorded his discoveries in still photographs and movie film, and produced the motion picture “Maya Through the Ages,” based on footage shot during the 10 years he spent in Guatemala
and the Yucatán Peninsula
. Prior to the discovery of Bonampak
's vivid murals dated to around A.D 800, Mayanists had contended that the Classic Maya knew little of war and bloodshed and did not practice bloody sacrifices.
An expert stellar navigator and past president of the Institute of Navigation
of Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles, he taught navigation for the Navy during the Korean War
. An expert on optics and astronomy, he worked on the development of alloy metals, including beryllium
, for the Space Program. He spoke seven languages, among them Lacandon
, the Mayan
dialect still spoken by the Lacandon people of Chiapas
. He died in Bignor
, West Sussex
in 1980.
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1924 with a degree in chemistry. In 1928 he volunteered for a two-year expedition to South America to collect curare
Curare
Curare is a common name for various arrow poisons originating from South America. The three main types of curare are:* tubocurare...
for medicinal purposes, during which he accomplished extensive cartographic work on the Orinoco River for the Royal Geographic Society.
Meeting his future wife, artist Sheila Healey
Sheila Healey
Sheila Healey, was born in 1915 in Buenos Aires, Argentina to Anglo Scots parents. After attending school in West Sussex and Kent, she taught English in Argentina after the death of her father in 1930. In 1935 she moved to England to stay with her sisters...
in 1940, they married in 1943, moved to Mexico in 1944 and he began a career as a Mayan archeologist, discovering 28 ruins. He was best known for the photography in 1946 of the pre-Columbian painted murals at the Maya
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
site of Bonampak
Bonampak
Bonampak is an ancient Maya archaeological site in the Mexican state of Chiapas. The site is approximately south of the larger site of Yaxchilan, under which Bonampak was a dependency, and the border with Guatemala...
. He recorded his discoveries in still photographs and movie film, and produced the motion picture “Maya Through the Ages,” based on footage shot during the 10 years he spent in Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
and the Yucatán Peninsula
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel...
. Prior to the discovery of Bonampak
Bonampak
Bonampak is an ancient Maya archaeological site in the Mexican state of Chiapas. The site is approximately south of the larger site of Yaxchilan, under which Bonampak was a dependency, and the border with Guatemala...
's vivid murals dated to around A.D 800, Mayanists had contended that the Classic Maya knew little of war and bloodshed and did not practice bloody sacrifices.
An expert stellar navigator and past president of the Institute of Navigation
Institute of Navigation
The Institute of Navigation is a non-profit professional organization for the advancement of the art and science of navigation. It was founded in 1945 and serves communities interested in navigation and positioning on land, air, sea and space. It is a worldwide organization with members in over...
of Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles, he taught navigation for the Navy during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. An expert on optics and astronomy, he worked on the development of alloy metals, including beryllium
Beryllium
Beryllium is the chemical element with the symbol Be and atomic number 4. It is a divalent element which occurs naturally only in combination with other elements in minerals. Notable gemstones which contain beryllium include beryl and chrysoberyl...
, for the Space Program. He spoke seven languages, among them Lacandon
Lacandon language
Lacandon is a Mayan language spoken by approximately 1000 Lacandon people in the state of Chiapas in Mexico. Native Lacandon speakers refer to their language as Jach t’aan or Hach t'an. A portion of the Lacandon people also speak Tzeltal, Chol, and Spanish....
, the Mayan
Mayan languages
The Mayan languages form a language family spoken in Mesoamerica and northern Central America. Mayan languages are spoken by at least 6 million indigenous Maya, primarily in Guatemala, Mexico, Belize and Honduras...
dialect still spoken by the Lacandon people of Chiapas
Chiapas
Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...
. He died in Bignor
Bignor
Bignor is a village and civil parish in the Chichester district of the English county of West Sussex, about six miles north of Arundel....
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
in 1980.