Séjourné, Laurette (1914-2003)

Laurette Séjourné (1914 - 2003) was an archaeologist and anthropologist of Mexico. Born in L´Aquila, Italy, Séjourné spent her formative years in Paris before fleeing Vichy France alongside her partner, the revolutionary Victor Serge. After her early career as a film editor, Séjourné became one of the few female archaeologists of Mexico, working with the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia. Her many works include field-based monographs, notably on Teotihuacan, and broader synthetic works such as Pensamiento y religión en el México antiguo (published in English as Burning Water: Thought and Religion in Ancient Mexico). Séjourné’s life and work are marked by political engagement on the left and her editorial contributions, notably for Siglo XXI Editores.

“Art, Archaeology and Socialism: The Life and Work of Laurette Séjourné, Interpreter of Mesoamerica ”

Ian William Merkel, 2022

Laurette Séjourné (October 24, 1914–May 25, 2003) was an archaeologist and anthropologist of Mexico. Born in L’Aquila, Italy, Séjourné spent her formative years in Paris before fleeing Vichy France alongside her partner, the revolutionary, Victor Serge. After her early career as a film editor, (…)

“Art, Archaeology and Socialism: The Life and Work of Laurette Séjourné, Interpreter of Mesoamerica ”