Few explorers have had the experience of uncovering a civilization almost entirely unknown to the world.
Highly exact, remarkably realistic drawings show overall views, ground plans of the cities, elevations of palaces and temples, free-standing sculpture, carved hieroglyphics, stucco bas-reliefs, small clay figures, and interior details..
Frederick Catherwood\'s illustrations virtually double the appeal of the book. -- never lose their interest.
His account of his attempt to buy Copan for $50 is told with the adroitness of a Mark Twain, and his descriptions of Indian life -- primitive villages a few miles from the ruins, burials, treatment of the sick, customs, amusements, etc.
Telling of journeying by mule back on narrow paths over unimaginable deep ravines, through sloughs of mud and jungles of heavy vegetation, describing dangers of robbery, revolution, fever, mosquitoes and more exotic insects, Stephen\'s narrative remains penetrating and alive.
In addition to being a great book on archaeological discovery, Stephen\'s work is also a great Travel book.
For all these cities, his details are so accurate that more recent explorers used the book as a Baedeker to locate ruins forgotten by even the Indians.
In this book, he describes the excitement of exploring the magnificent ruined cities of Copan and Palenque, and his briefer excursions to Quirigua, Patinamit, Utatlan, Gueguetenango, Ocosingo, and Uxmal.
In this work, and in his other masterpiece Incidents of Travel in Yucatan, he tells the story of his travels to some 50 ruined Mayan cities.
But Stephen\'s two expeditions to Mexico and Central America in 1839 and 1841 yielded the first solid information on the culture of the Maya Indians.
Few explorers have had the experience of uncovering a civilization almost entirely unknown to the world
