Maya Explorer: John Lloyd Stephens & the Lost Cities of Central America & Yucatan

by Victor Wolfgang von Hagen

The exciting biography of John Lloyd Stephens, "the father of American archaeology." In his extraordinary journeys to the Yucatan and Central America more than 150 years ago, John Lloyd Stephens uncovered the ruins of an entire culture-- at that time, a civilization without a name or documented history. His books, including "Incidents of Travel in Yucatan", yielded the first glimpses of such wondrous ancient centers as Copan, Chichen Itza, Palenque, and Tulum. Also a lawyer, diplomat, and builder of a railroad across Panama, Stephens was a true adventurer whose exploits had been all but forgotten until Victor von Hagen published this compelling biography in 1948. His narrative is enriched with Stephen's own accounts of his discoveries and the superb illustrations of Frederick Catherwood, the artist who traveled with Stephens.

Genres: History

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1947

About the author

Victor Wolfgang von Hagen (February 29, 1908 - March 8, 1985) was a US-American explorer, archaeological historian, anthropologist, and travel writer who traveled the South Americas with his wife, Christine. Mainly between 1940 and 1965, he published a large number of widely acclaimed books about the ancient people of the Inca, Maya, and Aztecs.

Reviews

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read the Stephens-Catherwood books some years before and having enjoyed other books by Von Hagen, I picked this thing up as what I expected to be a fun refresher about the 19th century account supplemented by a more modern contextualization. I wasn't disappointed, but recommend reading the originals--Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan & Incidents of Travel in Yucatan--beforehand.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victor Wolfgang von Hagen's Maya Explorer: John Lloyd Stephens & the Lost Cities of Central America & Yucatan is the ideal next read for anyone who has read John Lloyd Stephens's two books about his travels in Mexico and Central America. He was not just a travel writer: He is one of the major American literary figures of the 1840s, along with William Hickling Prescott and Francis Parkman, two historians whose works are internationally recognized as going well beyond their subject matter.

If you read Stephens on the Maya, you may be interested in his earlier travel books, and also in the last act of his life. Around the time of the California Gold Rush, he was largely responsible for building a railroad across the Isthmus of Panama, saving many lives which would otherwise have been lost rounding the stormy waters of Cape Horn.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A perfect book to read for a first-time visitor to the Yucatan! This book chronicles the explorations of John Lloyd Stevens and Frederick Catherwood in the early 1800's. They were the first westerners to 'discover' many of the Maya ruins remaining in the Yucatan. Stephens published two books about his experiences, complete with some incredible drawings of the ruins made by Catherwood. This book pulls deeply from those two sources while adding addition information about these men, the Maya, and the history of the region.

[Evan Albright · Rating 4 out of 5]

BOOKS ABOUT YUCATÁN: I don't see why anyone would read this book before having read Stephens travelogues, Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan and Incidents of Travel in Yucatan. Those books are so wonderful, but von Hagen has created a terrific companion volume that gives you insight into Stephens and the world he lived in. Read it after!

[Daniel Callister · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thorough biography of John Lloyd Stephens. The middle portions were very fun, reading about his explorations and discovery of lost Mayan cities, the rest was pretty tedious. I guess I wasn't so much interested in JLS as I was in those few years of his life. Well-written, though, and well-researched.

[☆Ashy⁠☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love history but this wasn't it I didn't couldn't finish it, it didn't really interesting me, I think it was the wording but it still really good I only got to pg 125 but I will be reading this again I will edit this when I do finish the book