Aerial Expedition, Guatemala and Mexico, 1930

Percy J. Madeira, Jr., 1889-1967, a banker and lawyer by trade, developed an interest in anthropology, archaeology, and exploration, prompting him, at age 41, to pursue a master's degree in anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania. Concurrently, in 1930, he became a member of the Board of Managers of the University Museum and organized and directed the aerial expedition to uncover unexplored sites of Mayan civilization. In 1941, Madeira was elected President of the Museum's Board of Managers and served for twenty-one years. In recognition of his impressive tenure, Madeira was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws which also coincided with the Museum's 75th anniversary.

John Alden Mason [J. Alden Mason/J.A. Mason], 1885-1967, noted archaeological anthropologist and linguist, earned his A.B. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1907. He pursued his Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley completing his dissertation on the ethnography of the Salinan Indians of California. Mason was influenced by Alfred J. Kroeber while at Berkeley and Edward Sapir of the University of Pennsylvania. Following the completion of his Ph.D., Mason was chosen to represent the state of Pennsylvania for two seasons in Mexico at the International School of Archaeology and Ethnology, a joint enterprise between Mexico and the United States. Other notable appointments held by Mason include Assistant curator of Mexican and South American Anthropology at the Field Museum of Natural History (1916-1923), Assistant Curator of Mexican and Central American Archaeology at the American Museum of Natural History (1924-1925). Mason was the Curator of the American Section, University Museum at the University of Pennsylvania from 1926 until 1955. Mason conducted field expeditions in North, Central, and South America.

The Penn Museum embarked on an aerial expedition from December 3rd to December 13th, 1930, to uncover ancient sites in multiple areas of Guatemala and Mexico. The members of the expedition were Percy Madeira (Director), John Alden Mason (Archaeologist), Gregory Mason (Field Leader) [no relation to John Alden Mason], Robert A. Smith (Photographer, Fairchild Aerial Survey Company of New York), Frank B. Ormsbee (Chief Pilot), and William Carey (Co-Pilot/Radio Operator/Recorder). The team chartered a Sikorsky amphibian biplane from the Pan-American Airways Company in Miami, Florida and navigated with the aid of Blom-Ricketson-Spinden maps, U.S. Navy charts of the coastal areas, and available Mexican government maps. The team also referred to the 1929 Lindbergh-Carnegie Institute Flight documented by Oliver Ricketson and A.V. Kidder in "An Archeological Reconnaissance by Air in Central America" published in the Geographical Review (New York, April 1930) and Dr. Thomas Gann's Maya Cities (London: Duckworth, 1927). Landing and/or refueling sites included Havana, San Julien, Cozumel Island, Belize, and Merida, all facilitated by the Pan-American Airways Company.

The collection consists of material from two separate sources: (1) correspondence, field notes, and photographs left by John Alden Mason (J.A. Mason), and (2) reports, publications, newspaper clippings, postcards, and additional photographs donated by Margaret C. Madeira, the granddaughter of Percy Madeira, in 2011.

The overall arrangement of the collection is chronological and includes expedition planning correspondence, field notes including flight logs maintained by the pilots on the expedition, photographs, regional post-cards, newspaper clippings and other public announcements of the expedition. Many of the raw items were used in Percy Madeira's publication, "An Aerial Expedition to Central America", published by The Museum Journal (Philadelphia: The University Museum, 1931).

Additional records of the J.A. Mason can be found in the American Section curatorial records (PU-Mu. 0048) as well as several collections of expedition records (Puerto Rico; Santa Marta, Colombia; Sitio Conte, Panama; and Piedras Negros, Guatemala) and J.A. Mason's Mexican Expeditions). Most of J.A. Mason's professional records were deposited at the American Philosophical Society (Philadelphia, PA) after J.A. Mason's death.

Additional Percy Madeira correspondence can be found in the records of Museum Directors Horace Jayne (1929-1940), George Vaillant (1941-1945), and Froelich Rainey (1947-1977), as well as the University of Pennsylvania Archives.

Publication Information: University of Pennsylvania: Penn Museum Archives,

Finding Aid Author:

Use Restrictions:

Horace H.F. Jayne Director's Office Records (PU-Mu. 0001.04)

J. Alden Mason American Section records (PU-Mu. 0048)

Froelich Rainey Director's Office records (PU-Mu. 0001.07)

George C. Vaillant Director's Office Records (PU-Mu. 0001.05)

Form(s)/Genre(s)

• Correspondence -- Field notes -- Photographs -- Guatemala -- Mexico

Subject(s)

• Anthropological museums and collections
• Anthropology
• Archaeological expeditions
• Archaeological surveying
• Maya architecture