Alice Dixon Le Plongeon
Encyclopedia
Alice Dixon Le Plongeon (1851 – 1910) was an English
photographer, amateur archaeologist traveller, and author. Together with her husband Augustus Le Plongeon
she spent eleven years living and working in southern Mexico
and Central America
photographing and studying the ruined cities of the pre-Columbian
Maya civilization
. The origins and history of the ruins were at that time obscure.
Together with her husband, she helped make some of the first photographs of ruins at Chichén Itzá
and Uxmal
. They developed several speculative theories concerning the origins of the Maya, which are today completely discounted by modern Mayanist
scholarship but contributed to the emergence of Mayanism
. The Le Plongeons believed the ancient Maya had been in direct communication with the lost continent of Atlantis
and with ancient Egypt
and that Jesus
had been influenced by the Mayas and spoke the Yucatec language.
Alice had a strong interest in Spiritualism
, Freemasonry
, and the Rosicrucians, and was active in the Theosophical Society
and a friend of Annie Besant
. Her writings included Queen Moo's Talisman, a fanciful description of the ancient Maya royalty featuring the characters Queen Moo and Prince Coh (also known as Chacmool). Its title refers to a jade
pendant that had been found in the ruins at Chichén Itzá that Alice wore. Her epic poem A Dream of Atlantis (1909-11) was published in The Word Magazine, a Theosophy
serial. Alice was also an acquaintance of James Churchward
, who wrote extensively about Mu
(Lemuria
), whose name came from the saga of Queen Moo.
Although her interpretations of the ancient Maya have been rejected, her documentation and recording of monuments and inscriptions at several Maya sites remains a useful repository of information.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
photographer, amateur archaeologist traveller, and author. Together with her husband Augustus Le Plongeon
Augustus Le Plongeon
Augustus Le Plongeon was a photographer and antiquarian who studied the pre-Columbian ruins of America, particularly those of the Maya civilization on the northern Yucatán Peninsula. While his writings contain many eccentric notions that were discredited by later researchers, Le Plongeon left a...
she spent eleven years living and working in southern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
photographing and studying the ruined cities of the pre-Columbian
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
Maya civilization
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...
. The origins and history of the ruins were at that time obscure.
Together with her husband, she helped make some of the first photographs of ruins at Chichén Itzá
Chichen Itza
Chichen Itza is a large pre-Columbian archaeological site built by the Maya civilization located in the northern center of the Yucatán Peninsula, in the Municipality of Tinúm, Yucatán state, present-day Mexico....
and Uxmal
Uxmal
Uxmal was dominant from 875 to 900 CE. The site appears to have been the capital of a regional state in the Puuc region from 850-950 CE. The Maya dynasty expanded their dominion over their neighbors. This prominence didn't last long...
. They developed several speculative theories concerning the origins of the Maya, which are today completely discounted by modern Mayanist
Mayanist
A Mayanist is a scholar specialising in research and study of the Central American pre-Columbian Maya civilization. This discipline should not be confused with Mayanism, a collection of New Age beliefs about the ancient Maya....
scholarship but contributed to the emergence of Mayanism
Mayanism
Mayanism is a non-codified eclectic collection of New Age beliefs, influenced in part by Pre-Columbian Maya mythology and some folk beliefs of the modern Maya peoples...
. The Le Plongeons believed the ancient Maya had been in direct communication with the lost continent of Atlantis
Atlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
and with ancient Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and that Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
had been influenced by the Mayas and spoke the Yucatec language.
Alice had a strong interest in Spiritualism
Spiritualism
Spiritualism is a belief system or religion, postulating the belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living...
, Freemasonry
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
, and the Rosicrucians, and was active in the Theosophical Society
Theosophical Society
The Theosophical Society is an organization formed in 1875 to advance the spiritual principles and search for Truth known as Theosophy. The original organization, after splits and realignments has several successors...
and a friend of Annie Besant
Annie Besant
Annie Besant was a prominent British Theosophist, women's rights activist, writer and orator and supporter of Irish and Indian self rule.She was married at 19 to Frank Besant but separated from him over religious differences. She then became a prominent speaker for the National Secular Society ...
. Her writings included Queen Moo's Talisman, a fanciful description of the ancient Maya royalty featuring the characters Queen Moo and Prince Coh (also known as Chacmool). Its title refers to a jade
Jade
Jade is an ornamental stone.The term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals:...
pendant that had been found in the ruins at Chichén Itzá that Alice wore. Her epic poem A Dream of Atlantis (1909-11) was published in The Word Magazine, a Theosophy
Theosophy
Theosophy, in its modern presentation, is a spiritual philosophy developed since the late 19th century. Its major themes were originally described mainly by Helena Blavatsky , co-founder of the Theosophical Society...
serial. Alice was also an acquaintance of James Churchward
James Churchward
James Churchward is best known as a British born occult writer. However, he was also a patented inventor, engineer, and expert fisherman....
, who wrote extensively about Mu
Mu
- Language :* Mu , Μ or μ, a letter in the Greek alphabet* Mu , represented by the Japanese kana む or ム* 無, Mu , a Japanese and Korean word important in Zen practice...
(Lemuria
Lemuria (continent)
Lemuria is the name of a hypothetical "lost land" variously located in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The concept's 19th century origins lie in attempts to account for discontinuities in biogeography; however, the concept of Lemuria has been rendered obsolete by modern theories of plate tectonics...
), whose name came from the saga of Queen Moo.
Although her interpretations of the ancient Maya have been rejected, her documentation and recording of monuments and inscriptions at several Maya sites remains a useful repository of information.