Thomas Gann

Thomas William Francis Gann (13 May 1867 – 24 February 1938) was a medical doctor by profession, but is best remembered for his work as an amateur archaeologist exploring ruins of the Maya civilization.

At Tulum he documented buildings overlooked by previous explorers, including a rare find of a temple with the Pre-Columbian idol still intact inside.

Midway through his career, in 1908 Gann became the honorary lecturer in Central American Antiquities at the new Institute of Archaeology of the University of Liverpool (not long after he had taken the Diploma there in Tropical Medicine).

[3] Thomas Gann retired as British Honduras's medical officer in 1923 when he wrote several books about his travels and explorations.

Some like David David Pendergast reflect on Ganns methods as destructive saying he ‘remained more destructive than protective of evidence from beginning to end’[4] This was supported by Gann's independent claims of blowing up numerous mounds all across Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico to the Society of Antiquaries of London in 1897.