The author of the present travel letters from Mexico, Eduard Georg Seler (1849-1922), was an expert in Mesoamerican studies and ancient Mexican studies. He studied mathematics, mineralogy, botany, and paleontology. In 1887, he earned his doctorate in Leipzig on Mayan languages. In 1892, he became an assistant director at the Museum of Ethnology in Berlin. In 1894, he habilitated in Berlin on Mexican picture manuscripts. Between 1887 and 1910, he made six trips to Mexico and created an extensive archaeological and botanical collection. In 1899, he was appointed a professor of American languages, ethnology, and ancient studies at the University of Berlin. In 1903, he took over the leadership of the Americas department at the Museum of Ethnology. From 1910 to 1911, he served as the director of the International Archaeological Institute in Mexico. In his scholarly work, Seler focused primarily on ancient studies.