Laurette Séjourné facts for kids
Laurette Séjourné (born October 19, 1911, in Perugia, Italy – died May 25, 2003, in Mexico City) was an important Mexican archaeologist and ethnologist. She is famous for her studies of ancient civilizations like Teotihuacan and the Aztecs. She also had interesting ideas about a legendary hero called Quetzalcoatl.
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Early Life and Moving to Mexico
Laurette Séjourné was born in Perugia, Italy. Her original name was Laura Valentini Corsa. When she was young, she moved to France. She became involved in cultural life there and met famous people like André Breton.
Later, she left France in 1942 because of World War II. She moved to Mexico with her partner, Viktor Kibalchich, who was also known as Victor Serge. In Mexico, she became a Mexican citizen. After Viktor Serge passed away, she joined a political group called the Mexican Communist Party. She later married Arnaldo Orfila, who was a director of a publishing house.
Laurette Séjourné believed that ancient societies in Mesoamerica, like the ones before the Spanish arrived, were very fair. She thought people had good health and enough resources. She felt that the arrival of the Spanish changed this peaceful way of life.
Exploring Ancient Civilizations
During the 1950s, Laurette Séjourné worked for Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). She first studied people in Oaxaca. Then, she started working in archaeology, which is the study of old human history through digging up sites.
She excavated at the ancient city of Teotihuacan. She believed this city was the legendary place called Tollan. Laurette Séjourné wrote several books about the art and buildings of Teotihuacan. She was one of the first to notice that Teotihuacan was different from the later Aztec civilization.
Ideas About Quetzalcoatl
Laurette Séjourné became well-known for her 1957 book about the beliefs of the Toltecs and Aztecs. The English title of this book is Burning Water: Thought and Religion in Ancient Mexico. This book mainly focused on the figure of Quetzalcoatl, who was a priestly king of Tollan.
She wrote another book five years later called Quetzalcoatl's Universe. In these books, she described Quetzalcoatl as a very spiritual leader. She wrote about "laws of interior preparation" that he supposedly taught. She believed these teachings helped people become more spiritual.
Later Years and Legacy
In her final years, Laurette Séjourné worked to bring education to the Indigenous peoples in southern Mexico. Her work is still important and valued by experts today.
See also
In Spanish: Laurette Séjourné para niños
