John Lloyd Stephens was an interesting fellow. Born in 1805 in New Jersey to an affluent family, he studied the classics and enrolled at Columbia College at the pubescent age of 13. After graduating four years later he studied law, practiced for eight years and promptly got bored. In the 19th century most people with means traveled when they were bored, or just because they could. So Stephens went to Egypt and what is now Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
When Stephens arrived home from his travels in 1836, he wrote Incidents of Travel in Egypt, Arabia Petraea and the Holy Land. It was a huge success in North America, as was his next book of similar title: Incidents of Travel in Greece, Turkey, Russia and Poland. Being a man of remarkable intelligence, Stephens quickly became bored with the traveling class of glitzy heiresses and their hangers-on. So he dabbled in New York politics and studied Mesoamerica.
Through those readings, Stephens became intrigued by accounts of ancient ruined cities as reported by explorer Alexander von Humboldt. Perhaps through his political and familial ties of wealth to politics, the eighth American President Martin Van Buren appointed Stephens Special Ambassador to Central America. It must have been a dream come true for this aspiring explorer. The timing was not the best, however, as civil war amid all the Central American nations was wreaking havoc. Stephens witnessed many incidents of the civil strife, all of which lead to the fall of the Federal Republic of Central America.
In 1841 Stephens published Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan. This book told vivid tales of locating lost Mayan cities, his interpretation of their lives and maps of the buildings found. Stephens and his traveling companion documented numerous temples now popular with travelers. Such as the Temple of Inscriptions, Temple of the Sun and Temple of the Foliated Cross. This particular book was a milestone in the accurate information on Mesoamerican cultures available at the time. Stephen went on to explore the Yucatan peninsula, producing yet another publication on his findings.
John Lloyd Stephens was an interesting man. No one could say he was just a lawyer or just an ambassador, or indeed just a travel writer. Stephens was a lover of the world and all its mysteries. He wanted to explore the intriguing cultures that differed from his own; what resulted was a collection of travel books that inspired even the dark and complex Edgar Allan Poe.
When Stephens arrived home from his travels in 1836, he wrote Incidents of Travel in Egypt, Arabia Petraea and the Holy Land. It was a huge success in North America, as was his next book of similar title: Incidents of Travel in Greece, Turkey, Russia and Poland. Being a man of remarkable intelligence, Stephens quickly became bored with the traveling class of glitzy heiresses and their hangers-on. So he dabbled in New York politics and studied Mesoamerica.
Through those readings, Stephens became intrigued by accounts of ancient ruined cities as reported by explorer Alexander von Humboldt. Perhaps through his political and familial ties of wealth to politics, the eighth American President Martin Van Buren appointed Stephens Special Ambassador to Central America. It must have been a dream come true for this aspiring explorer. The timing was not the best, however, as civil war amid all the Central American nations was wreaking havoc. Stephens witnessed many incidents of the civil strife, all of which lead to the fall of the Federal Republic of Central America.
In 1841 Stephens published Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan. This book told vivid tales of locating lost Mayan cities, his interpretation of their lives and maps of the buildings found. Stephens and his traveling companion documented numerous temples now popular with travelers. Such as the Temple of Inscriptions, Temple of the Sun and Temple of the Foliated Cross. This particular book was a milestone in the accurate information on Mesoamerican cultures available at the time. Stephen went on to explore the Yucatan peninsula, producing yet another publication on his findings.
John Lloyd Stephens was an interesting man. No one could say he was just a lawyer or just an ambassador, or indeed just a travel writer. Stephens was a lover of the world and all its mysteries. He wanted to explore the intriguing cultures that differed from his own; what resulted was a collection of travel books that inspired even the dark and complex Edgar Allan Poe.
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