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Wars, jungles and malaria, stelae, reliefs and pyramids, a panoramic description of the Mayan discovery journey in the pre-Columbian era! This is an extraordinary and true story about the rediscovery of the Mayan civilization: following "The Lost City of Z" and "Frozen Empire", we usher in another forgotten adventure history. In 1839, John Stephens, the U. S. Envoy to Central America, and Frederick Catherwood, the renowned British architect and draughtsman, set out for the untouched jungles of Yucatan. At that time, the Bible was the template for history, and many people still believed that world civilization had only existed for 6,000 years. Traveling deep into the jungle, Stephens and Catherwood overcame disease, war, nature, and the difficulties of the terrain to uncover and meticulously document the remains of an astonishing civilization. This American civilization, which flourished at the same time as ancient Greece and Rome, established artistic, architectural achievements and influence that rivaled the former two. This discovery also changed Westerners' understanding of human history. In Stones, Temples, and Lost Civilizations, Pulitzer Prize finalist William Carlson follows Stephens and Catherwood as they revisit present-day Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico to uncover the rich history of Mayan ruins. Drawing on a wealth of primary sources, including Stephens's diaries, letters, and Catherwood's masterful illustrations, Carlson deftly tells the fascinating story of these two great travelers and their discovery of the Maya.