Gordon Randolph Willey (7 March 1913 – 28 April 2002)[1] was an American archaeologist who was described by colleagues as the "dean" of New World archaeology.
His family moved to California when he was twelve years old, and he completed his secondary education at Long Beach.
After completing his studies at Arizona, Willey moved to Macon, Georgia to perform field work for Arthur R.
[2] Along with James A. Ford, Willey helped implement and refine ceramic stratigraphy, a concept new to Georgian archaeological sites.
In 1941, together with Marshall T. Newman, Willey conducted research at Ancon (archaeological site) in Peru, including in the area of Las Colinas.
In 1950, he accepted the Bowditch Professorship of Mexican and Central American Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University.