Nancy Ogg

An enthralling account. When, in the course of reading, I was continually reminded that the Stephens/Catherwood expeditions took place before the US Civil War, the discoveries became all the more amazing. The reproductions of Catherwood's paintings are beautifully done, and matched with modern photographs. The maps are useful and easily followed. Possibly the most eye-opening aspect was the relation of how extensively covered by ruins the Yucatan Peninsula is, and how little we know of the civilization even today. If you, like me, pored over National Geographic articles about Central America in the 50's and 60's, this book is bound to fill many gaps in that information, and satisfy many unanswered questions.