Stephen D. Houston

Stephen Douglas Houston (/ˈhaʊstən/ HOW-stən; born November 11, 1958)^[1] is an American anthropologist, archaeologist, epigrapher, and Mayanist scholar, who is particularly renowned for his research into the pre-Columbian Maya civilization of Mesoamerica. He is the author of a number of papers and books concerning topics such as the Maya script, the history, kingships and dynastic politics of the pre-Columbian Maya, and archaeological reports on several Maya archaeological sites, particularly Dos Pilas and El Zotz. In 2021, National Geographic noted that he participated in the correct cultural association assigned to a half-size replica discovered at the Tikal site of the six-story pyramid of the mighty Teotihuacan culture,^[2] which replicated its Citadel that includes the original Feathered Serpent Pyramid.

Houston is an endowed chair as the Dupee Family Professor of Social Science at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, and is a professor in the department of anthropology at the university.^[3]

Houston has collaborated with many of his students and colleagues on projects and publications. He has led investigations at Piedras Negras, Kaminaljuyu, and El Zotz, Guatemala. These projects have resulted in new information on the ancient cultures of Mesoamerica.