Biology Writing Assignment

Doris Zemurray Stone by Carleen D. Sanchez, PhD
Early Life and Education
At a time when women’s lives were largely constrained to the domestic sphere of running the
household and rearing children, Doris Zemurray Stone was engaged in an exciting and
dangerous career of archaeology in one of the most far-flung areas of the Americas. Stone was
a pioneer of prehispanic archaeology as well as the cultural study of Central American cultures.
Stone’s life spanned the better part of the 20th century. She was born on November 19, 1909 in
New Orleans, Louisiana (Andrews V and Lange 95). From an early age, Stone would be familiar
with Central America as her father was engaged in trade with Honduras and other nations of the
region (Andrews V and Lange 95). Stone’s father, Sam Zemurray was also known as “Sam the
banana man” as he made his fortune first working with United Fruit Company and later
purchased his own plantation lands in Honduras (Terrell). Owing to her father’s business
ventures, Doris traveled frequently to Honduras which would draw her attention until her death.
Stone majored in anthropology as an undergraduate at Radcliffe College, a women’s college.
Wanting to enroll in classes at Harvard’s Peabody Museum, Stone was required to obtain
permission from the president of Harvard. She was warned that any bad behavior would end
this privilege (Andrews V and Lange 95). While Harvard began admitting women students in
1920, there were still significant barriers to their full participation at the institution (Ulrich). But
Stone persisted; she graduated in 1930. That same year, Stone married Roger Thayer Stone, a
physics graduate student at Harvard. The couple moved to Costa Rica in 1939 where they lived
until Roger retired in 1962. They returned to the US to reside in Louisiana until their respective
deaths (Andrews V and Lange 95). Doris Stone had one child, Samuel Zemurray Stone.
Doris with her father
Professional Life
After her university studies, Doris Stone worked as an ethnographic and archaeological
researcher affiliated with the Department of Middle American Research at Tulane University
from 1931 until she moved with her husband to Costa Rica in 1939 (Stone Center). From her
husband’s coffee plantation outside of San Jose, Costa Rica, Doris would undertake numerous
archaeological investigations in the “Intermediate Area” (anonymous) — the term used to
reference the region between the high civilizations of the Maya and South America.
Stone’s archaeological research in Honduras was literally groundbreaking. Beginning in the
1930s, Stone visited, documented, and excavated numerous archaeological sites. Her first visit
to the majestic Maya city of Copan was undertaken by mule as no roads connected the site to
major cities (Andrews V and Lange 97).
Doris Stone on her most trusted form of transportation
Doris Stone published prolifically on the cultures and archaeology of Central America.
Frequently, hers were the first reports in English documenting past and present Indigenous life.
These works set the baseline for subsequent archaeological research including my own
(Sanchez). For Honduran prehistory, Stone’s two monographs Archaeology
of the North Coast of Honduras (1941) and The Archaeology of Central and Southern Honduras
(1957) provided a nearly complete survey of this large country (Andrews V and Lange
95). Similarly, Stone extensively studied Costa Rican prehistory and her book Costa Rican
Prehistory (1958) was the first detailed overview of the region. In all, Stone published 13 books
and more than 140 articles documenting her studies of Central America. Her books provide
detailed descriptions, historical and archaeological information, as well as accurate maps,
drawings, and photographs. These works are a treasure trove as many of these sites have been
destroyed in the intervening years.
Doris Stone undertaking excavations in Costa Rica
Doris Stone was also involved with local Indigenous people. She believed that the study of
modern languages could provide insight into the origins of Central American peoples. In Costa
Rica, Stone worked to establish the Council for the Protection of Indigenous Races as a means
to protect Native people and their cultures (Andrews V and Lange 96). In 1948 she worked to
found the National Museum of Costa Rica. She raised funds for the museum relying on
Communist Party member and Congressman Manuel Mora Valverde. The irony of this is that
Mora Valverde and Stone’s father were political enemies (Andrews V and Lange 96); her father
represented the worst of Yankee Imperialism into Central America. Nevertheless, Doris was
able to negotiate with multiple parties to see her goal of a National Museum achieved.
Although her actual studies were limited to a Bachelor’s degree and some graduate courses,
Doris Stone would receive honorary degrees from Tulane University (1957), Union College
(1973), and Radcliffe College (1994) and was awarded the Harvard Medal (1993) in recognition
of her more than 60 years of ethnographic and archaeological research (Andrews V and
Lange).
Doris Stone was a driven worker and organizer. In 1982 she worked overtime planning the
International Congress of Americanists in Manchester, England. After a full day’s participation,
she asked to be taken to the hospital believing she had had a heart attack in the morning —
which she had indeed had. Well into her 80s, Stone travelled and attended conferences. Her
final publication was in 1993, one year before her death at the age of (nearly) 85 (Andrews V
and Lange 99).
Doris Stone left a monumental legacy for the understanding of Central American culture,
archaeology, and institution building. She has inspired dozens of scholars in the United States,
Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. Her independence and intrepid spirit provided an early
role model for women archaeologists.
Works cited
Andrews V, E. Wyllys and Frederick Lange. In Memoriam: Doris Zemurray Stone 1909 – 1994.
Ancient Mesoamerica, 6 (1995): 95-99. Accessed 17 October 2020.
Anonymous. About Doris Zemurray Stone: American Mesoamericanist.
https://peoplepill.com/people/doris-zemurray-stone/. Accessed 17 October 2020.
Sanchez, Carleen (2003). Topographies of Power: The Political Landscape of the Southeast
Maya Region. Unpublished PhD dissertation, University of California Santa Barbara.
Stone Center for Latin American Studies (2007). “History”. History of the Roger Thayer Stone
Center for Latin American Studies. Tulane University. Accessed 17 October 2020.
Terrell, Ellen. 2018. Sam the Banana Man. Inside Adams, October 11, 2018,
https://blogs.loc.gov/inside_adams/2018/10/sam-the-banana-man/. Accessed 17 October 2020.
Ulrich, Laurel Thatcher. 2018. From the Archives: Harvard’s Womanless History. Harvard
Magazine, December 18, 2018. From https://harvardmagazine.com/2018/12/harvardswomanless-history. Accessed 17 October 2020..