Jungle of Stone

The True Story of Two Men, Their Extraordinary Journey, and the Discovery of the Lost Civilization of the Maya

De: William Carlsen

Narrado por: Paul Michael Garcia

"Thrilling.... A captivating history of two men who dramatically changed their contemporaries' view of the past." (Kirkus)

In 1839 rumors of extraordinary yet baffling stone ruins buried within the unmapped jungles of Central America reached two of the world's most intrepid travelers. Seized by the reports, American diplomat John Lloyd Stephens and British artist Frederick Catherwood - each already celebrated for their adventures in Egypt, the Holy Land, Greece, and Rome - sailed together out of New York Harbor on an expedition into the forbidding rainforests of present-day Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. What they found would rewrite the West's understanding of human history.

In the tradition of The Lost City of Z and In the Kingdom of Ice, former San Francisco Chronicle journalist and Pulitzer Prize finalist William Carlsen reveals the unforgettable true story of the discovery of the ancient Maya. Enduring disease, war, and the torments of nature and terrain, Stephens and Catherwood uncovered and documented the remains of an astonishing civilization that had flourished in the Americas at the same time as classic Greece and Rome. Their remarkable book about the experience became a sensation and is recognized today as the birth of American archeology. Most importantly, Stephens and Catherwood were the first to grasp the significance of the Maya remains, recognizing that their antiquity and sophistication overturned the West's assumptions about the development of civilization.

By the time of the flowering of classical Greece (400 BC), the Maya were already constructing pyramids and temples around central plazas. Within a few hundred years, the structures took on a monumental scale. Over the next millennium dozens of city-states evolved, each governed by powerful lords, some with populations larger than any city in Europe at the time. The Maya developed a unified cosmology, an array of common gods, a creation story, and a shared artistic and architectural vision. They created dazzling stucco and stone monuments and bas reliefs, sculpting figures and hieroglyphs with refined artistic skill. At their peak an estimated 10 million people occupied the Maya's heartland on the Yucatan Peninsula. And yet, by the time the Spanish reached the "New World", the classic-era Maya had all but disappeared; they would remain a mystery for the next 300 years.

Today the tables are turned: The Maya are justly famous, if sometimes misunderstood, while Stephens and Catherwood have been all but forgotten. Based on Carlsen's rigorous research and his own 2,500-mile journey throughout the Yucatan and Central America, Jungle of Stone is equally a thrilling adventure narrative and a revelatory work of history that corrects our understanding of the Maya and the two remarkable men who set out in 1839 to find them.

©2016 William Carlsen (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers

Held back by narration

A surprising and interesting history of early Central American exploration. Though the writing was excellent and the people well-described, the narrator’s mispronunciations of English and Spanish, left me wondering where the editor had gone.

Title is misleading

This is a really good book. But I thought it would be more about the Mayan and archeology. It is more based on the loves of these 2 men who first drew and published books of Mayan civilization. However. It was a really fascinating story. So if you are looking for an archeology book, this may not be for you.

upstairs, downstairs; helps and hinders

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

remarkable people are very much worth study

What was one of the most memorable moments of Jungle of Stone?

when Stephens won't put up 9000$ for Catherwood's book though Stephens father was worth $500,000. Penny wise, pound foolish.

Have you listened to any of Paul Michael Garcia’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

A fine reading.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

the men's lives were tragic largely

Any additional comments?

you will enjoy it

Stevens' & Catherwood's bizarre adventure

The story of these two men are quite extraordinary & very entertaining to listen to. If you're at all interested in learning how two pioneers ventured to accurately document the Mayan ruins, I'd highly recommend this book.

great story in there somewhere.

great story, but I'm not terribly crazy with the way he chose to write it. focused on a lot of things I would have left out, left out a lot of things I would have focused on. there is a great story in here somewhere and I shouldn't complain so much because I enjoyed the listen. still, I wanted more feeling in the struggle. I wanted a better understanding of the relationship. I wanted something to grab hold of. maybe it just couldn't decide if I wanted to be a history book or a great narrative.

Better than Indiana Jones…but real.

A story of adventure, exploration, and tremendous friendship…all this with an education in the “discovery” of the Mayan civilization in Mesoamerica.

Highly recommended real-life adventure.

Rich and Enveloping

the content is so rich and captivating - great narration, excellently written and the subject matter is incredible. Very detailed which could deter some who might wish for a shorter book - but if you enjoy well researched historical books about early explorers, this is a real treat!

Very Interesting

Very detailed accounts of Catherwood and Stephens lives and their adventures in Central America. Probably didn’t need as much detail about Catherwoods personal life divorce/marriage and all. Descriptions of locations and the experience of being there in the time frame that they were made for a super real and gritty listen. Makes you want to go see some of these epic Mayan sites or at least check out some of the countries in Central America

Great Read

Great read for fans of history and exploration. Would highly recommend. Could not put it down.

Incredible story

Great combination of Mayan archeology US history and Panama Isthmus railroad history. Really well written.