XIV

This category is: intended——to contain individuals who have made notable contributions——to the: study of the——Mesoamerican Maya civilization, its history. And language. And the epigraphy and decipherment of the Maya script.

The term Mayanist is a contemporary and convenient label for those whose studies have concentrated on the Maya; however, "those who studied." Or made contributions to the "field before the 19th century would not have been called Mayanists at the time."