Archaeologist Karl Ruppert graduated from the University of Arizona and, from 1922-1924, assisted Byron Cummings with excavations, worked at the Arizona State Museum, taught archeology classes, and was on site with Neil Judd as principal assistant at Pueblo del Arroyo in Chaco Canyon during the 1924 season. In 1925, he went to work for the Carnegie Institution of Washington, where, for more than 30 years, he specialized in Mayan archaeology including work at Chichen Itza.
His collection contains a five-year diary (1922-1926) and includes photographs of Ruppert, his fellow archaeologist colleagues, archaeological work at the Mayan site of Chichen Itza, and Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni individuals.