Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatán, Vol. 2
John Lloyd Stephens
Play
Length 17 h 16 min
Chapters 31
First published 1841
The year is 1838. The scene is the dense Honduran forest along the Copán River. Two men, John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood, are about to rediscover Mayan civilization. Their guide, slashing through the rampant growth with his machete, leads them to a stone column, fourteen feet high, sculptured on the front with a portrait of a man, “solemn, stern and well fitted to excite terror,” covered on the sides with hieroglyphics, and with workmanship “equal to the finest monuments of the Egyptians.” Stephens records their discoveries and also his travels in Central America, while Catherwood directs his immense artistic talent to illustrating views of Mayan architecture. Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatán was a best seller in its day and has been called an “Indiana Jones” saga by modern reviewers. (Summary by Sue Anderson)
Chapters
1
01 - Visit to the Volcano of Masaya; Lake of Managua Read by Sue Anderson 33:08
2
02 - Baneful Effects of Party Spirit; Importance of a Passport Read by Sue Anderson 33:22
3
03 - Eruption of 1835; Prejudice against Foreigners Read by Sue Anderson 33:28
4
04 - Depredations of Rascon; Subterranean Fires Read by Sue Anderson 34:14
5
05 - Surrender of the Town; Diplomacy Read by Sue Anderson 35:34
6
06 - The Town taken by General Morazan; Plans Deranged Read by Sue Anderson 32:44
7
07 - Arrival at Guatimala; A Sketch of the Wars Read by Sue Anderson 33:34
8
08 - Purchasing a Ruined City; The Captain in Trouble Read by Sue Anderson 33:13
9
09 - Last Interview with Carrera; Departure from Guatemala Read by Sue Anderson 32:14
10
10 - A Sacred Stone; Losing a Good Friend Read by Sue Anderson 34:36
11
11 - Whipping Posts; Ruins of Quiche Read by Sue Anderson 33:17
12
12 - Description of the Ruins; A Facetious Cura Read by Sue Anderson 35:11
13
13 - Royal Bird of Quiche; Another Lost City Read by Sue Anderson 33:43
14
14 - Preparations for Holy Week; The Crucifixion Read by Sue Anderson 35:01
15
15 - Sierra Madre; A Huge Skeleton Read by Sue Anderson 34:32
16
16 - A Forest on Fire; Entry into Mexico Read by Sue Anderson 33:38
17
17 - Scarcity of Soap; A Curious Cave Read by Sue Anderson 33:50
18
18 - Indian Carriers; Ride in a Silla Read by Sue Anderson 33:42
19
19 - Village of Palenque; Ruins of Palenque Read by Sue Anderson 32:49
20
20 - Discovery of the Ruins of Palenque; Mammoth Fireflies Read by Sue Anderson 37:27
21
21 - Mode of Life at Palenque; Description of the Palace Read by Sue Anderson 32:01
22
22 - Effect of Insect Stings; A Scene of the Sublime and Terrible Read by Sue Anderson 31:21
23
23 - Human Figures; Remarkable Hieroglyphics Read by Sue Anderson 30:16
24
24 - Negotiations for Purchasing Palenque; Adventure with a Monstrous Ape Read by Sue Anderson 34:42
25
25 - Embarcation for the Laguna; Shooting Alligators Read by Sue Anderson 35:08
26
26 - Arrival at the Laguna; Journey to Merida Read by Sue Anderson 32:47
27
27 - Value of Water; A Peculiar Kind of Coach Read by Sue Anderson 34:14
28
28 - House of the Dwarf; An Indian Legend Read by Sue Anderson 37:47
29
29 - Who built these ruined Cities?; Accounts of the Spanish Historians Read by Sue Anderson 33:17
30
30 - Probable Antiquity of these Ruins; Exploration Finished Read by Sue Anderson 29:25
31
31 - Getting Lost at Sea; Passage to New York Read by Sue Anderson 25:22
From LibriVox, read by volunteers and in the public domain. LibriVox page (opens librivox.org) , the text (opens archive.org) , all files on the Internet Archive (opens archive.org) .
