On the Trail of the Maya Explorer
Tracing the Epic Journey of John Lloyd Stephens

Steve Glassman (Author)

9780817354428

Paperback / softback, published 25 March 2007

296 pages, 32 illustrations
22.3 x 14.6 x 1.9 cm, 0.467 kg

Author Steve Glassman retraces Stephens' route, visiting the same Maya ruins, Spanish colonial towns, markets, and churches, many of them hardly changed in the 170 years since Stephens and Catherwood visited. Intertwining history, anthropology, and the environment, Glassman presents a wonderful tale of Stephens' adventure and his own. This is a fun and informative book for lovers of Mesoamerica who are drawn to the mysteries of the ancient and modern Maya. - American Archaeology

In October 1839, American travel writer John Lloyd Stephens climbed upon a mule in the Mico Mountains of eastern Guatemala to explore an obscure land with ""volcanoes and earthquakes, torn and distracted by civil war."" Accompanied by the talented and intrepid illustrator, Frederick Catherwood, Stephens embarked on an epic journey to find and describe the lost cities of the Maya. His ""Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan"" appeared in 1841 and was an instant success, selling an unprecendented 20,000 copies in the first three months.