Count Maurice de Périgny (1877-?)
At the end of Nineteenth Century many explorers found the lure of the ruins of America impossible to resist. One of these explorers was a actual French Count.
The Count Maurice de Perigny was born in 1877 at the Chateau de Tourcairats inTarn, France. Périgny received training as a geographer and joined the Geographical Society of Paris. By 1902 he was regularly traveling to the United States. He visited New York City and Boston on an annual basis. In 1904 he attended the Eighth International Geographical Congress. It was during this trip that he chose to visit the ruins in Mexico. As a geographer Perigny brought a professional style to his research.
Each of Count Maurice de Perigny's four expeditions cost him several months of his time and he did them at his own expense. He also became sick with fever at least twice both times requiring long recuperations. During these he located at least eleven sites, two are now well known - Nakum and Rio Bec. The French Geographical Society awarded him a Silver medal and a Gold medal for his work. These travels were clearly a labor of love.
(Excerpt from IMS Pioneers in Maya Archaeology: Count Maurice de Périgny)
Sources: Dr Eric Taladoire, 1995 - Maurice de Perigny, Archaeologist or Explorer?; Maurice de Perigny, 1907 – Maya Ruins in Quintana Roo; varous newspaper and magazine articles.