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Incidents of travel in Yucatan. Volume 2 of 2
Incidents of travel in Yucatan.
John LLoyd Stephens
Gale, Sabin Americana
Based on Joseph Sabin's famed bibliography, Bibliotheca Americana, Sabin Americana, 1500--1926 contains a collection of books, pamphlets, serials and other works about the Americas, from the time of their discovery to the early 1900s. Sabin Americana is rich in original accounts of discovery and exploration, pioneering and westward expansion, the U.S. Civil War and other military actions, Native Americans, slavery and abolition, religious history and more.
Sabin Americana offers an up-close perspective on life in the western hemisphere, encompassing the arrival of the Europeans on the shores of North America in the late 15th century to the first decades of the 20th century. Covering a span of over 400 years in North, Central and South America as well as the Caribbean, this collection highlights the society, politics, religious beliefs, culture, contemporary opinions and momentous events of the time. It provides access to documents from an assortment of genres, sermons, political tracts, newspapers, books, pamphlets, maps, legislation, literature and more.
Now for the first time, these high-quality digital scans of original works are available via print-on-demand, making them readily accessible to libraries, students, independent scholars, and readers of all ages.
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The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition
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Huntington Library
SABCP03335202
CTRG00-B1053
18430101
Selected Americana from Sabin's Dictionary of books relating to America
2 ill. (some fold.), fold. map, plans; 23 cm
John LLoyd Stephens
Gale, Sabin Americana
Based on Joseph Sabin's famed bibliography, Bibliotheca Americana, Sabin Americana, 1500--1926 contains a collection of books, pamphlets, serials and other works about the Americas, from the time of their discovery to the early 1900s. Sabin Americana is rich in original accounts of discovery and exploration, pioneering and westward expansion, the U.S. Civil War and other military actions, Native Americans, slavery and abolition, religious history and more.
Sabin Americana offers an up-close perspective on life in the western hemisphere, encompassing the arrival of the Europeans on the shores of North America in the late 15th century to the first decades of the 20th century. Covering a span of over 400 years in North, Central and South America as well as the Caribbean, this collection highlights the society, politics, religious beliefs, culture, contemporary opinions and momentous events of the time. It provides access to documents from an assortment of genres, sermons, political tracts, newspapers, books, pamphlets, maps, legislation, literature and more.
Now for the first time, these high-quality digital scans of original works are available via print-on-demand, making them readily accessible to libraries, students, independent scholars, and readers of all ages.
++++
The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition
++++
Huntington Library
SABCP03335202
CTRG00-B1053
18430101
Selected Americana from Sabin's Dictionary of books relating to America
2 ill. (some fold.), fold. map, plans; 23 cm
536 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1843
18 people are currently reading
193 people want to read
About the author
John Lloyd Stephens
53 books22 followersJohn Lloyd Stephens was an American explorer, writer, and diplomat. Stephens was a pivotal figure in the rediscovery of Maya civilization throughout Middle America and in the planning of the Panama railroad.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 13, 2023
The second volume from Stephens explorations in the Yucatan, accompanied by Catherwood with his excellent engravings. This is a continuation of the same form provided in Volume 1, but covers many more Mayan ruin sites which are discovered, explored, excavated and mapped.
As with volume 1, I read the Project Gutenberg version (it doesn't have the excellent cover the GR listing does, more is the pity), which contained seventy engravings. It remains fairly workman like in its descriptions - the travel, the people they meet, the obtaining of food and water, the excavations, the findings, etc. It seemed to me in this volume that they were more focussed on the culture and people, I suppose there is only so much can be written about the many, many ruins they visit, unearth and record.
I expected, at the end we get the description of the fire which destroyed the warehouse of artifacts that Stephens had collected from the ruins (as mentioned in Vol 1), but there was no mention (unless I missed it!). How devastating, and such a pity so much of what he saved was lost.
Volume 2 has various appendices - a manuscript in the Maya language with side-by-side translation - it discusses the Mayan ancient history, but I didn't find it very readable. Second up is an explanation of the ornithology of Yucatan, with an observation list. The third is a letter related to the red hand as a symbol comparing Mayan with North American Indian usage.
I read this over along period of time as it was on my phone and was read 'while waiting' for whatever, when I didn't have a book to hand.
I gave volume one 4 stars, for me this was still interesting, but did become a little repetitive. It is still worthy of 4 stars.
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Volume 1 Review
As with volume 1, I read the Project Gutenberg version (it doesn't have the excellent cover the GR listing does, more is the pity), which contained seventy engravings. It remains fairly workman like in its descriptions - the travel, the people they meet, the obtaining of food and water, the excavations, the findings, etc. It seemed to me in this volume that they were more focussed on the culture and people, I suppose there is only so much can be written about the many, many ruins they visit, unearth and record.
I expected, at the end we get the description of the fire which destroyed the warehouse of artifacts that Stephens had collected from the ruins (as mentioned in Vol 1), but there was no mention (unless I missed it!). How devastating, and such a pity so much of what he saved was lost.
Volume 2 has various appendices - a manuscript in the Maya language with side-by-side translation - it discusses the Mayan ancient history, but I didn't find it very readable. Second up is an explanation of the ornithology of Yucatan, with an observation list. The third is a letter related to the red hand as a symbol comparing Mayan with North American Indian usage.
I read this over along period of time as it was on my phone and was read 'while waiting' for whatever, when I didn't have a book to hand.
I gave volume one 4 stars, for me this was still interesting, but did become a little repetitive. It is still worthy of 4 stars.
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Volume 1 Review
May 12, 2020
The Maya are justly famous, if sometimes misunderstood, while John L. Stephens and Frederick Catherwood have been nearly forgotten. (Read William Carleson's fantastic book, Jungle of Stone: The Extraordinary Journey of John L. Stephens and Frederick Catherwood, and the Discovery of the Lost Civilization of the Maya to learn about their exploits).
Stephens is rightly honored today as the "father of Mayan studies," not only for his work as a writer and explorer but also for his sensible view that the ruins he found were of indigenous origin and of no tremendous age. In view of the wild theories then current, those opinions were valuable.
But in 1839, rumors of stone ruins buried in Mesoamerica reached the two intrepid travelers: American diplomat Stephens and British artist Catherwood (they both were already famous for their adventures in Egypt, the Holy Land, Greece, and Rome) and they sailed together on an expedition to present-day Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. They were astonished by the ruins, first at Copan, Honduras finding them mysterious and romantically attractive. Once Stephens had fulfilled his diplomatic obligations, he and Catherwood traveled through difficult country to Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico where they spent three weeks, Catherwood produced a far better record of the architecture and sculpture than any previous visitor. They then sailed up the coast to the Yucatán Peninsula and, with Catherwood still very weak from malaria, they made only the briefest visit to Uxmal before going home.
Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan (1841) was one of the world’s first international best-sellers, with twenty-five hundred copies of the American edition sold in England even before the London edition appeared. In it, Stephens promised a sequel, describing other ruins he had heard of in Yucatán, and within a year he and Catherwood left on a second expedition. They went back to Uxmal, via Mayapán. This time both Stephens and Catherwood succumbed to malaria, but they soon recovered. Catherwood spent six weeks at Uxmal before they moved on to make a great discovery, the ruins of Kabah. There, they found two sculptured stone jambs and a carved wooden lintel, which they brought back to New York. Unfortunately, the lintel would be lost in a fire. Many other ruins previously unknown to the world at large were also described by them. One was the Yucatán site of Tulum; they lingered at the site of Chichén Itzá, noticing its distinct Toltec-related style of architecture and sculpture while correctly identifying the ballcourt as such. With so much new material, Incidents of Travel in Yucatan (1843) equaled the success of its predecessor. I have now read both volumes!
They are each available at Project Gutenberg for free.
Stephens is rightly honored today as the "father of Mayan studies," not only for his work as a writer and explorer but also for his sensible view that the ruins he found were of indigenous origin and of no tremendous age. In view of the wild theories then current, those opinions were valuable.
But in 1839, rumors of stone ruins buried in Mesoamerica reached the two intrepid travelers: American diplomat Stephens and British artist Catherwood (they both were already famous for their adventures in Egypt, the Holy Land, Greece, and Rome) and they sailed together on an expedition to present-day Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. They were astonished by the ruins, first at Copan, Honduras finding them mysterious and romantically attractive. Once Stephens had fulfilled his diplomatic obligations, he and Catherwood traveled through difficult country to Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico where they spent three weeks, Catherwood produced a far better record of the architecture and sculpture than any previous visitor. They then sailed up the coast to the Yucatán Peninsula and, with Catherwood still very weak from malaria, they made only the briefest visit to Uxmal before going home.
Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan (1841) was one of the world’s first international best-sellers, with twenty-five hundred copies of the American edition sold in England even before the London edition appeared. In it, Stephens promised a sequel, describing other ruins he had heard of in Yucatán, and within a year he and Catherwood left on a second expedition. They went back to Uxmal, via Mayapán. This time both Stephens and Catherwood succumbed to malaria, but they soon recovered. Catherwood spent six weeks at Uxmal before they moved on to make a great discovery, the ruins of Kabah. There, they found two sculptured stone jambs and a carved wooden lintel, which they brought back to New York. Unfortunately, the lintel would be lost in a fire. Many other ruins previously unknown to the world at large were also described by them. One was the Yucatán site of Tulum; they lingered at the site of Chichén Itzá, noticing its distinct Toltec-related style of architecture and sculpture while correctly identifying the ballcourt as such. With so much new material, Incidents of Travel in Yucatan (1843) equaled the success of its predecessor. I have now read both volumes!
They are each available at Project Gutenberg for free.
May 28, 2019
John Lloyd Stephens's Incidents of Travel in Yucatan, Vol 2 continues its author's intelligent survey of Maya ruins in the State of Yucatan. Although this book is not quite as good as the author's earlier Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas & Yucatan, Vol 1 and Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas & Yucatan, Vol 2, which is made more exciting by the mountains and the political turmoil in Central America. Only toward the end of the Yucatan volume does the political situation in Mexico begin to come apart.
It is amazing to me how contemporary Stephens's writing appears to be. Unlike others of his contemporaries, he refrained from speculating that the Maya pyramids were the result of Egyptians coming to the Americas. Moreover, his speculations about the Mayan language were ahead of his time. Today, it is possible to reconstruct the rulers and events of many Maya cities based on our understanding of the glyphs scattered throughout the region.
If you are planning to visit the land of the Maya, the Stephens books are not only highly recommended for their informative content, but for their entertainment value.
It is amazing to me how contemporary Stephens's writing appears to be. Unlike others of his contemporaries, he refrained from speculating that the Maya pyramids were the result of Egyptians coming to the Americas. Moreover, his speculations about the Mayan language were ahead of his time. Today, it is possible to reconstruct the rulers and events of many Maya cities based on our understanding of the glyphs scattered throughout the region.
If you are planning to visit the land of the Maya, the Stephens books are not only highly recommended for their informative content, but for their entertainment value.
July 3, 2023
This second volume of John Lloyd Stephens' adventures in the Yucatan widens the discovery of Indian civilization in the region enormously. Along with his engraver, Catherwood, who documents scores of Mayan ruins in various states of decay, Stephens was able to identify 44 cities in his journey. And, of course, there were/are many more hidden beneath the jungle. Also to consider is how much of what Stephens saw and did not see has crumbled into dust since then, with modern eyes never holding their structures for even an instant.
Again, this volume, along with the first, was important in generating interest in the documentation and exploration of Mayan cities in Yucatan and Indian settlements elsewhere in Mexico. What is notable about this Yucatan expedition is the documented difficulties with acquiring water. Outside of the rainy season, Indian villages and haciendas would travel 6 to 9 miles just to attain water in a region subject to drought. The ancient Mayan waterworks seem still to be in place, but their secrets and functions were beyond the inhabitants of 1841 Yucatan.
Most of Stephens' journey is about pushing inwards from Merida to the interior of the Yucatan, until they turn back and then explore the coast. This includes Chichen Itza and Cozumel, which contain spectacular castles, lookouts, mounds, and palaces that create romantic landscapes encrusted in the shorelines and smothered in jungle growth. Along the way, Stephens makes an ardent defense of Mayan antiquity--while equally criticizing Spanish destruction of the peoples' earlier rites and ways of living. He also spends a little time taking aim at other things he considers semi barbarous, such as bullfighting. But he always evidences a like and respect for the people he travels and stays among.
Again, this volume, along with the first, was important in generating interest in the documentation and exploration of Mayan cities in Yucatan and Indian settlements elsewhere in Mexico. What is notable about this Yucatan expedition is the documented difficulties with acquiring water. Outside of the rainy season, Indian villages and haciendas would travel 6 to 9 miles just to attain water in a region subject to drought. The ancient Mayan waterworks seem still to be in place, but their secrets and functions were beyond the inhabitants of 1841 Yucatan.
Most of Stephens' journey is about pushing inwards from Merida to the interior of the Yucatan, until they turn back and then explore the coast. This includes Chichen Itza and Cozumel, which contain spectacular castles, lookouts, mounds, and palaces that create romantic landscapes encrusted in the shorelines and smothered in jungle growth. Along the way, Stephens makes an ardent defense of Mayan antiquity--while equally criticizing Spanish destruction of the peoples' earlier rites and ways of living. He also spends a little time taking aim at other things he considers semi barbarous, such as bullfighting. But he always evidences a like and respect for the people he travels and stays among.
February 17, 2013
Stephens two books about his early nineteenth century travels to the Yucatan are much cited in studies of the Maya, his speculations about their civilization and Catherwood's illustrations of their monuments and inscriptions being epochal for their accuracy and thoroughness. Planning a trip to what was still the territory of Quintana Roo (NE Yucatan), I read up on the area ahead of time, works by Thompson and Coe leading me to Stephens' groundbreaking chronicle. Despite its age, the narrative read well, conveying much of the excitement of their adventures in what was then still a region contested between the Republics of Texas and Mexico (a contestation, incidentally, inherited by the USA and only resolved under Franklin Roosevelt's adminstration upon negotiations with the Cardenas government).
October 11, 2014
This books takes you to an amazing journey of discoveries in the the Yucatan Peninsula in the mid-19th century. A definite must for Maya enthusiasts.
This is probably the book that gave birth to the studies of the Maya civilization.
This is probably the book that gave birth to the studies of the Maya civilization.
September 15, 2016
Not for anyone I can think of
This book is well written by an enthusiastic explorer.
I know the area which adds a lot. Still, try it. Become immerse reed in stevens's enthusiasm, always measured
This book is well written by an enthusiastic explorer.
I know the area which adds a lot. Still, try it. Become immerse reed in stevens's enthusiasm, always measured
December 5, 2008
See my review under Vol. 1
April 3, 2017
ame as the other one.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews