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John Hessler

When not searching through Maya ruins in Central America, climbing in the Alps or mountain biking through some jungle, John Hessler is the Curator of the Jay I. Kislak Collection of the Archaeology & History of the Early Americas at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. A Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in London, he is the co-director of the Mesoamerican Language, Theory and Decipherment Seminars, and is also on the faculty of the Rare Book School at the University of Virginia where he teaches a seminar called the History & Construction of the Mesoamerican Codex. The author of more than 100 books and articles, including, the New York Times bestseller MAP: Exploring the World, his research and writing has been featured in many national media outlets including Discover Magazine, Wired Magazine, CBS News, the New York Times, the Washington Post and most recently on NPRs All Things Considered. His current research studies the topological structure of ancient DNA and its applications in the field of archaeology. He is at work on the forthcoming book, Collecting for a New World: Treasures of the Early Americas at the Library of Congress that will be published in 2019.

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