"In 1839, John Lloyd Stephens, then 31 years old, and his traveling companion, artist Frederick Catherwood, disappeared into the vast rain forest of eastern Guatemala. They braved Indian uprisings, road agents, heat, and biting insects to eventually discover what is today referred to as the lost civilization of the Maya."

"Steve Glassman retraces Stephens's route, visiting the same archaeological sites, towns, markets, and churches and meeting along the way the descendants of those people Stephens described from a mestizo en route to the cornfields to town elders welcoming the norteamericanos. Glassman compares his 20th-century experience with Stephens's 19th-century exploration, gazing in awe at the same monumental pyramids, eating similar foods, and avoiding the political clashes that still disrupt the governments and economies of the area."--Jacket.