Michael Douglas Coe (May 14, 1929 – September 25, 2019)[1] was an American archaeologist, anthropologist, epigrapher and author. He is known for his research on pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, particularly the Maya, and was among the foremost Mayanists[2] of the late 20th century. He specialized in comparative studies of ancient tropical forest civilizations, such as those of Central America and Southeast Asia. He held the chair of Charles J. MacCurdy Professor of Anthropology, Emeritus, Yale University, and was Curator Emeritus of the Anthropology collection in the Peabody Museum of Natural History, where he had been Curator from 1968 to 1994.[3]
Coe authored a number of popular works for the non-specialist audience, several of which were best-selling and much reprinted, such as The Maya (1966) and Breaking the Maya Code (1992). He also co-authored the book Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs (1962, sixth edition, 2008) with Rex Koontz.
Books in order of publication:
| Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs | 1962 |
| The Maya (Ancient Peoples & Places) | 1966 |
| An Early Stone Pectoral from Southeastern Mexico | 1966 |
| Three Maya Relief Panels at Dumbarton Oaks | 1966 |
| America’s First Civilization | 1968 |
| The Maya Scribe and his World | 1973 |
| Classic Maya Pottery at Dumbarton Oaks | 1975 |
| Lords of the Underworld: Masterpieces of Classical Mayan Ceramics | 1978 |
| La Victoria | 1978 |
| In the Land of the Olmec | 1980 |
| The Olmec and Their Neighbors | 1981 |
| Old Gods and Young Heroes | 1982 |
| Breaking the Maya Code | 1992 |
| The Olmec World | 1995 |
| The Art of the Maya Scribe | 1998 |
| Reading the Maya Glyphs | 2001 |
| Angkor and the Khmer Civilization | 2003 |
| Final Report: An Archaeologist Excavates His Past | 2006 |
| The Line of Forts | 2006 |
| Preh Khan Monastic Complex: Angkor, Cambodia | 2011 |
| Royal Cities of the Ancient Maya | 2012 |
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