Pedro Armillas Garcia was an archeologist who had a great impact on Mexicanist studies. Though his highest formal academic credential was a Bachelor of Science degree from the Instituto Balmes in Barcelona, he made his mark on the field of anthropology through his studies of the affect of irrigation in the development of civilization in Mesoamerica.
Armillas was born on September 9, 1914 in San Sebastian, Spain. After receiving his degree in 1932, he continued his study of fine arts at the Escuela de Artes y Oficios Artisticos in Barcelona. His studies were interrupted in 1936 when he served in the Spanish Civil War until he was forced to flee to Mexico.
In Mexico he got a job surveying land for distribution to indigenous peasant communities. Because of his work with the Tzeltal Indians he was inspired to pursue a career in anthropology. In 1940 he entered the newly formed Escuela Nacional de Anthropologia in Mexico City and immediately landed a teaching position because of his experience as a surveyor while he continued his studies.
Armilla's greatest contribution to archeology was his influence on the study of pre-Hispanic agriculture and hydrologic control in Mesoamerica. His work laid the foundation for a theoretical school of thought that links irrigation and the evolution of civilization in Mesoamerica. He proved that much time has passed between the fall of Teotihuacán and the beginning of such groups as at Xochicalco and Tula by carefully documenting the relative chronological position of Coyotla-telco-style pottery.
In the 1940s, academic funding began to decline in Mexico, especially for newly-arrived Spanish exiles like Armillas. In 1947 he received a fellowship for a comparative study of pre-Columbian cultures in the U.S. He was employed as an archeological consultant for UNESCO, Ecuador, and other nations.
From the 1960s until his death, Armillas was employed as a professor at American universities such as the University of Illinois at Chicago, and as a museum curator. During his career, he published over 60 articles and books. At the time of his death in 1984 he was the Chairman-elect of Section H of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
References
Freeman, L. G.
1986 Pedro Armillas Garcia (1914-1984). American Anthropologist 88(3):687-692.
Written By: Melissa Lorentz, 2008