Nuttall, Zelia (1857–1933)

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Nuttall, Zelia (1857–1933)

American archaeologist. Name variations: Mrs. Z. Nuttall. Born Zelia Maria Magdalena Nuttall in San Francisco, California, on September 6, 1857; died at Casa Alvarado, Mexico, on April 12, 1933; second of six children of Robert Kennedy Nuttall (a physician) and Magdalena Parrott Nuttall; married Alphonse Louis Pinart (a French ethnologist), in 1880 (separated 1884, divorced 1888); children: Nadine Pinart (b. 1882).

A leading authority on Mexican archaeology and ancient picture writing, Zelia Nuttall made extensive studies in antiquities, history, and languages. She first came into prominence in 1886 through the publication of her work on "The Terra Cotta Heads of Teotibuacan" in the American Journal of Archaeology. Following that, she published several important works, including The Fundamental Principles of Old and New World Civilization and Book of the Life of Ancient Mexicans. In 1908, Nuttall was named honorary professor of the National Museum of Mexico.