In October 1839, John Lloyd Stephens, an American lawyer-diplomat, and Frederick Catherwood, a British architect and artist, set sail for Central America. Stephens was to take up a diplomatic post in Guatemala City, but more importantly they were determined to explore the jungles for a lost civilization. Both men had traveled widely and independently in the Middle East, Greece, and Rome, and Stevens had produced a popular travelogue on the region. Over the next three years they covered hundreds of miles by mule in Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico, recording the astounding Maya ruins of the region. The result was the publication of two amazing volumes that, for the first time, described the area and this lost civilization. Stephens was the writer, and Catherwood provided stunning illustrations. The books were a sensation in the United States and Europe. They were also the beginning of Maya archaeology, and the first to recognize the extent and sophistication of the Mesoamerica people. They are still widely used today.
California journalist William Carlsen tells the story of the intrepid explorers as he retraces their route through the jungle in a beat up Toyota. Part travelogue and part serious biography, Jungle of Stone is a lively adventure story about two of archaeology’s most exciting pioneers. Matching Catherwood’s illustrations with new photography gives the reader a visual record of the ruins, then and now.