Incidents of Travel in Yucatan, Vol. II.

John Lloyd StephensProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 4.5
Word count
694K words
Chapters
70

Tags

English Originals Historical GeographyTravel Human GeographyHistorical RuinsDiscoveryTravel LiteratureArchaeological DiscoveryAdventure JourneyDocumentary NarrativeMesoamericaExotic CultureCultural Observation

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Incidents of Travel in Yucatan, Vol. II. by John L. StephensAuthor: Stephens, John L., 1805-1852,Language: English, Class: F1201: North America local history: Mexico, Release Date: Jul 10, 2010

Editor's review

This is the second volume of John L. Stephens's travelogue of Yucatan, continuing from the previous volume his firsthand account of his explorations in Central America. As an important text in nineteenth-century travel literature and early Maya studies, its value lies not in offering today's archaeological conclusions but in showing how a firsthand observer saw, recorded, and understood unfamiliar ruins and customs. The descriptions of journey details, local observations, and ancient architectural remains preserve a contemporary firsthand perspective and are useful for understanding the early history of Maya site exploration and the tradition of travel writing. The prose has the unhurried rhythm of Victorian travelogues, with narration focused on observations and impressions, giving readers a sense of the age of exploration. It is suitable as extended reading in historical geography and travel literature, and for readers interested in the early history of Maya studies to read alongside modern research. As a public-domain ebook, its main barriers are the English original and the historical context; reading with maps and background materials is recommended.

Who it's for

A good fit for

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Reading tips

  1. Read Volume I first or learn about Stephens's earlier travels before starting this volume.
  2. Read with a map of Yucatan, marking the sites and routes mentioned in the book.
  3. When encountering descriptions of buildings and sites, cross-reference modern Maya research for understanding.
  4. Read chapter by chapter, briefly noting observations and key points after each chapter.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45
  46. 46
  47. 47
  48. 48
  49. 49
  50. 50
  51. 51
  52. 52
  53. 53
  54. 54
  55. 55
  56. 56
  57. 57
  58. 58
  59. 59
  60. 60
  61. 61
  62. 62
  63. 63
  64. 64
  65. 65
  66. 66
  67. 67
  68. 68
  69. 69
  70. 70

FAQ

Is this a complete work or one volume? This is the second volume of Incidents of Travel in Yucatan, part of a multi-volume travelogue. It continues the journey and observations of the previous volume and can stand alone, but to fully understand the author's travel trajectory, it is best to start with Volume I or first learn about his earlier work.
Is the archaeological information in the book still accurate today? This book is a nineteenth-century travel record; its observations and judgments have the limitations of their time and should not be used as today's archaeological conclusions. Its value lies in preserving firsthand observations from early exploration and a travel-writing perspective. Readers should compare it with modern Maya research and distinguish historical records from contemporary knowledge.
What advice is there for reading the English public-domain ebook? It is recommended to read with maps and background materials, and to look up place names and site names as needed. The travelogue's pace is slow, so read chapter by chapter and take brief notes. If English is difficult, read relevant Chinese background introductions first, then return to the original to appreciate the feel of the travel writing.

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About the author

John Lloyd Stephens Author · American · 1805–1852

John Lloyd Stephens (1805–1852) was an American traveler, archaeologist, and writer. He made two expeditions to Central America with the artist Frederick Catherwood to study Maya ruins, and their jointly authored Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan (1841) and Incidents of Travel in Yucatan (1843) presented Maya sites through text and illustrations, awakening Western interest in Maya civilization. His travel writing also covered Greece, Turkey, Russia, and Poland, with vivid prose that combines personal observation and scholarly value. Four of his works are held in the collection, including the two volumes of Incidents of Travel in Yucatan and the two volumes of Incidents of Travel in Greece, Turkey, Russia, and Poland. Beyond these works and expeditions, public information on his life is limited.