At two o'clock, under a brilliant moonlight, and with a single guide, we
started for the Pacific. The road was level and wooded. We passed a
trapiche or sugar-mill, worked by oxen, and before daylight reached the
village of Masagua, four leagues distant, built in a clearing cut out of
the woods, at the entrance of which we stopped under a grove of
orange-trees, and by the light of the moon filled our pockets and
alforgas with the shining fruit. Daylight broke upon us in a forest of
gigantic trees, from seventy-five to a hundred feet high, and from
twenty to twenty-five feet in circumference, with creepers winding
around their trunks and hanging from the branches. The road was merely a
path through the forest, formed by cutting away shrubs and branches. The
freshness of the morning was delightful. -from Chapter XIII As a Special
Ambassador to Central America in 1839, American diplomat and writer JOHN
LLOYD STEPHENS (1805-1852) witnessed civil war, explored Mayan ruins,
and even bought a city for $50. He turned his real-life adventures in
the jungles and villages of that fabled land into this classic of travel
literature. Originally published in two volumes in 1841-and followed up
by 1843's Incidents of Travel in Yucatan (also available from
Cosimo)-Stephen's enthralling exploits introduced American and European
readers to the mysteries of the Maya sites. Complemented by beautiful
illustrations by English artist and architect FREDERICK CATHERWOOD
(1799-1854), also included in this new edition, Stephens' evocative
prose reads like the best adventure fiction, and continues to delight
readers today.
