MIGUEL ACOSTA SAIGNES Y LA ANTROPOLOGÍA AMERICANA

Abstract

The purpose of this essay is to value the contribution of the scientific work develop by Miguel Acosta Saignes (1908-1989) in the field of the American anthropology. The labor of this Venezuelan social scientist could be consider as pioneer on the fields of folklore, archeology, anthropology and Venezuelan history. In Mexico, he was witness of the creation in 1939 of the National Institute of Anthropology and History, and the National School of Anthropology and History, where he studied under the influence of Alfonso Caso, Daniel
Rubín de la Borbolla, Pablo Martínez del Río, Manuel Maldonado Kerdell, Miguel Othón de Mendizábal, and the German Paul Kirchhoff. These experiences allow him to participate in the foundation of the studies of anthropology and history in Venezuela, developing a work with a continental projection.