Richard A. Diehl (PhD Penn State 1969) is a Mesoamerican archaeologist. He received his education from William T. Sanders and Paul T. Baker, who taught him cultural ecology, cultural evolution, and the centrality of field research to all good anthropology. Diehl's research has focused on the pre-Columbian cultures of central Mexico and the Olmec culture of the tropical lowlands of the Mexican Gulf coast (see Olmec head in photo to the right). His field research includes projects at Tula, San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán Matacapan, Kaminaljuyu, and La Mojarra, settlement pattern surveys in the Basin of Mexico, and ethnographic research on contemporary settlement patterns in the Basin of Mexico and peasant agriculture in the tropical lowlands of Veracruz. His theoretical and topical interests include the origins of civilizations, preindustrial urbanism, comparative studies of civilization, pre-Columbian art history, and the history of archaeology. Much of Diehl's professional involvement centers on training graduate students. He particularly tries to involve students in his own research projects and strongly encourages them to utilize materials from these projects in their theses. He views his professional relationship with students as one of symbiosis in which all parties benefit. His role is that of a mentor who trains students by taking a very active role in their intellectual and scholarly development. He served several years as Executive Director of UA Museums and Director of the Alabama Museum of Natural History (http://museums.ua.edu), responsibilities that left no time for formal classroom teaching. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies Inc., a major funding agency and research center for Mesoamerican archaeology (http://www.famsi.org).
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| 2004 |
| Diehl RA. The Olmecs: Mesoamerica's First Civilization, Thames and Hudson, Ltd., London. |
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| 2000 |
| Diehl RA. Olmec Archaeology after Regional Perspectives: An Assessment of Recent Research. In Olmec Art and Archaeology in Mesoamerica, John E. Clark and Mary E. Pye, eds. Pp 19-29, Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art, Washington. |
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| 1996 |
| Diehl RA. The Olmec World. in Olmec Art of Ancient Mexico, Elizabeth P. Benson and Beatriz de la Fuente, eds., Pp. 29-34, National Gallery of Art, Washington. |
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| 1995 |
| Diehl RA and Michael D. Coe. Olmec Archaeology. in The Olmec World: Rulership and Ritual, published by The Art Museum, Princeton University and Harry N. Abrams, Inc. |
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| 1993 |
| Diehl RA. The Toltec Horizon: Old Debates and New Perspectives. In Latin American Horizons, Don Rice, ed. Pp 263-294, Dumbarton Oaks Research Collections, Washington, DC. |
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| 1990 |
| Diehl RA. The Olmec at La Venta. In Mexico: Splendors of Thirty Centuries. Pp. 51-71, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Bulfinch Press, Boston. |
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| 1989 |
| Diehl RA. Mesoamerica after the Decline of Teotihuacan: A.D 700-900. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collections, Washington, DC. Co-edited with Janet Catherine Berlo. |
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| 1989 |
| Diehl RA. Olmec archaeology: What we know and what we wish we knew. in Regional Perspectives on the Olmec. Robert J. Sharer and David C. Grove, eds. Pp. 17-32. A School of American Research Book. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England. |
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| 1983 |
| Diehl RA. Tula: The Toltec Capital of Ancient Mexico. Thames and Hudson, Ltd., London. |
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| 1981 |
| Diehl RA. Olmec Architecture: A Comparison of San Lorenzo and La Venta. In The Olmec and Their Neighbors: Essays in Honor of Matthew W. Stirling, edited by Elizabeth P. Benson, pp. 69-82. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library Collections, Washington, D.C. |
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| 1981 |
| Diehl RA. Tula, Hidalgo. Supplement to the Handbook of Middle American Indians: Archaeology, edited by Jeremy Sabloff, pp. 277-295, University of Texas Press. |
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| 1980 |
| Diehl RA and Michael D. Coe. In the Land of the Olmec. 2 volumes. University of Texas Press. |
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| 1967 |
| Diehl RA, Michael D. Coe, and Mintz Stuiver. Olmec Civilization, Veracruz, Mexico: Dating of the San Lorenzo Phase, Science, Vol. 155, No. 3768, pp. 1399-1400. |
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