Robert Wauchope

Who was Robert Wauchope?

Robert Wauchope was an American archaeologist and anthropologist, whose academic research specialized in the prehistory and archaeology of Latin America, Mesoamerica, and the Southwestern United States.

Wauchope was born to George Armstrong Wauchope and Elizabeth Bostedo Wauchope in Columbia, South Carolina on December 10, 1909. His interest in archaeology developed early as an Eagle Scout, and upon graduating high school, he wrote Alfred V. Kidder and asked to join him on excavations at Pecos, New Mexico. Kidder accepted Robert’s request and invited him to be an assistant at the Forked Lightning Ruin site.

Robert attended the First Pecos Conference in 1927 where he met H.S. and C.B. Cosgrove, who invited him to their 1928–1929 excavations at Stallings Island, Georgia. After leaving Stallings Island, he attended the University of South Carolina where he received a bachelor’s degree in English in 1931.

He enrolled at Harvard University in 1931 with his interests focused on archaeology. During 1932, Wauchope accompanied Alfred V. Kidder during excavations at Uaxactun, Guatemala. In 1938, he graduated from Harvard with a Ph.