The Lost World of Quintana Roo

by Michel Peissel

At the ripe old age of 21, back in 1957, Peissel gave up his Wall Street activities & went off alone to the Mexican jungles of the Quintana Roo territory where he discovered several Mayan cities lost for over 400 years. This seething jungle was the site of one of the highest civilizations ever achieved by humanity. The Mayan Indians have ruled the jungle there for 3700 years. Those Mayas still living in the jungle today preserve the physical type but have almost no memory of their vanished splendor. With colossal innocence & no food or gun (he even loses his shoes & knife), he staggers down 250 miles of Mosquito Coast discovering town after lost town which archaeologists had missed from their planes & boats. The largest town he investigates turns out to be an enormous architectural complex almost a mile square, which he describes at thrilling length. He relates his nearly constant fright with much wit & irony. Highly recommended.--Kirkus (edited)

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, History, Biography

318 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

Michel Georges Francois Peissel was a French ethnologist, explorer and author. He wrote twenty books mostly on his Himalayan and Tibetan expeditions. Peissel was an emeritus member of the Explorers Club and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
Raised in England, Peissel later studied a year at Oxford University and the Harvard Business School and obtained a doctorate in Tibetan Ethnology from the Sorbonne, Paris.

Michel Peissel in the English Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_...

Michel Peissel in the French Wikipedia: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_...

Reviews

[Erik Graff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I made three trips to Quintana Roo during my marriage, spending most of my time exploring rather than hanging out on the beach. The routine was to fly into Cancun, rent a VW and drive south to a dive shop north of Tulum to enquire as to available rentals. Ensconced along the sea, I'd approach younger locals for advice about Maya sites off the beaten trail and head off as they directed.

Linda, my wife, had other ideas. She'd want to sightsee by car, read novels on the beach, go to restaurants. We compromised. On one such occasion, she, I and the couple we were with on that occasion ended up at a nude beach just north of Tulum. This was uncomfortable. I'm quite okay with being naked on my beach with close friends, but doing so with strangers was voyeuristic, so I walked back to our rental--a walk that took a whole day. This was so pleasant that I did the same thing going north from our rental another day. These walks and visits by car to sites from Cancun to the border of Belize had me pretty familiar with the coast along the entire distance.

The Lost World of Quintana Roo is an account of another walk along the selfsame coast, an account I was able to follow in detail by memory as much of what Peissel saw, I had seen as well. Of course, by the time I came around, the territory (now it's a state, but then it was still pretty undeveloped, with only one coastal blacktopped road) was much safer and I always ended the day in a bed, but the ruins he described were still there, many of them only accessible by footpath and most of them on no published map.

On my last visit, just before our divorce, I did the walk north and found survey stakes along the way. Mexico had changed its law and was to allow foreigners to own Mexican land. Sadly, I expect that another trip down there nowadays would be a great disappointment. They might even have telephones...

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly amazing tale of a man who explores the Caribbean coast of Mexico in the late 1950's before it was "discovered". Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys this part of Mexico and the history of the Mayans.

On a side note, I visited the Muyil ruins the same day I finished the book. The author's second trip to this coast was specifically to uncover more of the structures at this site. Seeing the ruins first hand and the surrounding jungle vegetation only increased my amazement of the author's feat and my enjoyment of the site. Although the Muyil ruins are small as compared to Chichen Itza or Coba, only a portion of the site is open to the public.

[Pam Cipkowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michel Peissel was 21 years old in 1958 when he decided to leave the business world and spend a summer exploring the untamed coast of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. Most tourists who visit Quintana Roo these days don't even know they are there, as they are confined behind the walled compounds of the sanitized all-inclusives that make up the hotel zones of Cancun and the Riviera Maya. I've ventured to the region twice in the past 10 years, and have marveled at the swaths of undeveloped land outside the resorts, the side roads and hidden coves around Akumal and Tulum, and dreamed of venturing down the Boca Paila road towards the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve and beyond. Peissel provides a firsthand account of his travels in these areas, and he was arguably one of the first outside visitors to penetrate the interior along the coast and come across many of the ruins found in the jungle. His account is rather lighthearted and humorous at times, as he naively made his way down the coast with really no cohesive plan. Along the way, he encounters friendly cocaleros who oversee the lonely, isolated coconut plantations along the coast, befriends members of the Chan Santa Cruz Indian tribe, and has narrow brushes with shady chicleros, who are often criminals hired to do the hard work of going into the jungle to extract chicle from trees for the chewing gum industry. Peissel's account is written in a delightful and conversational Stanley and Livingstone style of the old explorers of the day, and gives an interesting overview of the history of the region and its peoples. If you've ever traveled to this region and have even the slightest interest in the beauty of the land and how it looked before the mega-resorts took over, check out this outstanding account. (You may have to ask your library to get this through their interlibrary loan service for you, as it is out of print and not a lot of copies are out there. But this fascinating read is worth the extra effort!)

[Greer Andjanetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A detailed description of the author's trips tp the coast of Quintana Roo in the early 1960's when there was little modern civilization present anywhere along that coast. His descriptions of life among the Mayas of the jungle and of discovering sites which are today gaudy tourist attractions are fascinating to read, especially for those of us who have travelled in inland Yucatan, into remote villages and jungle.
He concludes with a lament that his previously undiscovered world would probably not remain that waqy for long (this in 1962), that the few remaining authentic native Mayans would soon be exterminated. How sad it must make him to see his beloved country despoiled by the ugly monster which is current-day Cancun!

[Dr. Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in my 20's and longed to replicate Peissel's adventure. Now, many years later I say Forget It!! The author was 23 when he made this trek and that's the right age to go blindly on faith and good health. He managed to travel the coast on foot with only a concept and absolutely no technology, but plenty of insects and banditos. Although he spoke some Spanish, he spoke no Mayan. Nonetheless, his apparent good nature allowed for indigenous hospitality and insight into a quickly vanishing culture. His encounters were some of the last unadulterated remnants of Mayan archaeology. Even when he returned 3 years later, a lot had been exposed and explored and changed. In spite of the fact that this was not written as a novel, it was every bit as exciting as Robinson Crusoe.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A French adventurer’s compelling account of his journey down the Quintana Roo coast searching for undiscovered Mayan ruins, mostly on foot. Most interesting because there was literally no civilization in place in the area at the time, and the journey took place fairly recently (in the late 1950’s). Most of the sparsely populated locations he references will be recognizable to readers familiar with the area currently (though some names have changed).

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. It exceeded my expectations. As I have spent much time in that area, I found it very interesting, given that it was written long ago. I will take it on my January trip to Quintana Roo and leave it for for another traveler to enjoy.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Ura · Rating 2 out of 5]

me lo pillé por dos euros en la librería de enfrente de casa. el autor se hace caer fatal. ególatra y desagradecido. todo lo demás, bien.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remarkable exploration of Quintana Roo on the Yucatan peninsula in 1958. For anyone who has spent time in Quintana Roo before the increased development that encroaches on the jungle and the coastline, this book describes the heart of the land and of the last Mayas living there in the mid-20th Century. He shares the treasures he discovered of the cultural history and of the people. In addition, it's a great adventure story. It's an experience that definitely changed the course of Michel Peissel's life. I didn't want the book to end.

[Mari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was made to feel that I was right in the jungle with this explorer looking for ruins and eating turtle eggs, mingling with the locals of the land. Yes, it is from 50 years ago, yet it still is something fascinating to read if you care to know what life was like in the past, where one could go off to distant lands and just be with nature and disappear into another world without gadgets and technology.

[Leonide Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating adventure-journey through jungles of Quintana Roo when it was wild and dangerous. Hard to imagine such wilderness along the Maya Riviera now completely covered with luxury resorts and 4-lane highway and thousands of tourists. It was really fun for me to read, having lived 5 years in Merida (capitol of Yucatan) and visited the Caribbean coast many times.

[Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

we picked this up before going to Cancun. this was fascinating to see that in my lifetime a place could change so dramatically from barely inhabited jungle to tourist mecca.
The book is a bit like Thor Heyerdal's Kon Tiki wherethe author gets an idea and manages to make it a reality with quite a bit of luck and pluck.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone who loves the Yucatan. Mr. Peissel's adventure will give you a greater appreciation of the wonders of this part of Mexico and will have you marveling at how much can change in 50 years.

[Mary Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful read. We have a winter home in Merida and the Mayan culture and history are right here on our doorstep, so it really felt close to home to hear Mr. Peissel's account of his journey. I was truly captivated by this book and plan to read more of his work.

[Tony Fitzpatrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable travel book - although very superficial coverage of detail on the shards of Mayan civilisation encountered. General patronising attitude to the native people the author met did however annoy me.

[Ktschreck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in 1950's about this guys trip, walking thru Quintana Roo, Mexico. Out of print book. We both loved it, my husband and I. We vacation in that area every year, so it had special appeal.

[Jeffrey]

Second printing 1963. An adventure book. French guy got lost and wandered 500 miles of yucatan coast.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take this book on your next trip to Tulum, Playa del Carmen, MX, etc.

[Juan Mayen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makes you want to go out there and explore the mayan world still left to be discovered. Recommend it for explorer enthusiasts!