Phil Weigand, the U.S. archaeologist who discovered and excavated the Guachimontones site in central Jalisco, died in Guadalajara on September 3 after an extended illness.
Born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1937, Weigand was brought up in Indiana, studied history at the University of Indiana and later anthropology and archaeology at the University of Illinois.
Weigand first came to Mexico in the late 1950s, traveling from Zacatecas to Guadalajara, where he met his wife, Acelia Garcia, an art historian.
Weigand’s explorations in western Mexico led him to discover traces of an unknown civilization that has come to be referred to as the Tradicion Teuchitlan, a society dating from around 300 BCE to 900 CE. His most important find, in 1970, turned out to be Guachimontones, a highly developed ritual center and residence that was home to around 40,000 people at its peak, between 200 and 400 CE. However, finance allowing the 19-acre site to be fully excavated wasn’t made available until 1996, when Weigand finally took charge of the dig. The site is now considered one of the finest in western Mexico.
Weigand worked as a professor and researcher at the Colegio de Michoacan for most of his career and was the author of dozens of books and papers on Mexican anthropology and archaeology. His efforts were rewarded on several occasions with official recognition by state and municipal governments, the latest being only a few weeks ago, when the Jalisco Culture Secretary announced that the soon-to-open museum at Guachimontones would bear his name.
Throughout his career Weigand campaigned ceaselessly to persuade authorities to take better care of archaeological sites and prevent their looting and destruction.
Weigand is survived by his wife, daughter Nena, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
For a fuller appreciation of the remarkable life and work of Phil Weigand, read this article by his friend John Pint.