1821-1888

American archaeologist and journalist who explored and excavated prehistoric earthworks throughout the United States and Central and South America. Squier held diplomatic posts in Central America and Peru, but is best known for his Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley (1847). This profusely illustrated book, coauthored with archaeologist Edwin Hamilton Davis, provided accurate maps and drawings of prehistoric mounds built by Native Americans. However, it also popularized the myth that these sites were the work of a vanished race of Mound Builders.