Stephens, John Lloyd

Stephens, John Lloyd
born Nov. 28, 1805, Shrewsbury, N.J., U.S.
died Oct. 12, 1852, New York, N.Y.

U.S. traveler and archaeologist.

Stephens's travels in the Middle East resulted in two books. With his illustrator friend Frederick Catherwood he embarked for Honduras in 1839 to explore ancient Maya ruins rumoured to exist. At Copán, Uxmal, Palenque, and elsewhere, they identified major new sites. They described their findings in Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan (1841) and recounted a second trip in Incidents of Travel in Yucatan (1843). Their books created a storm of popular and scholarly interest in the region.

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▪ American archaeologist
born Nov. 28, 1805, Shrewsbury, N.J., U.S.
died Oct. 12, 1852, New York City

      American traveler and archaeologist whose exploration of Maya ruins in Central America and Mexico (1839–40 and 1841–42) generated the archaeology of Middle America.

      Bored with the practice of law and advised to travel for reasons of health, in 1834 he set out on a journey that took him through eastern Europe and the Middle East, where he was particularly drawn to many of the archaeological sites. Two popular books resulted, Incidents of Travel in Egypt, Arabia Petraea, and the Holy Land, 2 vol. (1837), and Incidents of Travel in Greece, Turkey, Russia, and Poland, 2 vol. (1838), with drawings by the English illustrator and archaeologist Frederick Catherwood.

      Reports of the existence of ancient ruins in Central America and Yucatán stirred Stephens' curiosity to locate and explore them. He obtained an appointment as U.S. chargé d'affaires to Central America through the influence of President Martin Van Buren, and in 1839, accompanied by Catherwood, he went to Central America, then torn by political upheaval and civil war. Their progress to Copán, Honduras, was imperiled first by local strife and then by the hazards and extreme hardships of travel through dense, dark jungle. At times they nearly despaired of finding what they sought, but their perseverance was vastly rewarded. After coming upon a wall of uncertain significance, they were stunned by the appearance of a magnificently carved stone stela (slab).

      Other discoveries—more stelae, terraces, stairways, and walls with strange and fantastic ornamentation—came in quick succession. Stephens “purchased” the extensive site for $50, and work progressed in clearing away the jungle overgrowth. There and elsewhere, including Uxmal and Palenque in Mexico, Catherwood set about drawing the Maya remains. The report of the first expedition, Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan, 2 vol. (1841), and the subsequent publication of Catherwood's superb drawings caused a storm of popular and scholarly interest and precipitated much study of earlier, mostly forgotten accounts of the lands of the Maya by Spanish conquerors and explorers.

      After their second expedition, Stephens and Catherwood published Incidents of Travel in Yucatan, 2 vol. (1843), containing accounts of visits to the remains of 44 ancient sites. Stephens' last years were devoted to directing the first American transatlantic steamship company and to developing a railroad across the Isthmus of Panama.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Stephens, John Lloyd — (28 nov, 1805, Shrewsbury, N.J., EE.UU.–12 oct. 1852, Nueva York, N.Y.). Viajero y arqueólogo estadounidense. Sus viajes a Medio Oriente derivaron en la publicación de dos libros. Con su amigo dibujante Frederick Catherwood se embarcó a Honduras… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • John Lloyd Stephens — (* 28. November 1805 in Shrewsbury, Monmouth County, New Jersey; † 13. Oktober 1852 in New York City) war ein US amerikanischer Forschungsreisender, Amateurarchäologe, Autor, Anwalt und …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • John Lloyd Stephens — John Lloyd Stephens. John Lloyd Stephens (28 de noviembre de 1805 – 13 de octubre de 1852) fue un explorador, escritor y diplomático estadounidense. Stephens fue una figura central en la investigación de la civilización maya, y en la planeación… …   Wikipedia Español

  • John Lloyd Stephens — Portrait de John Lloyd Stephens (1839). Pour les articles homonymes, voir Stephens. John Lloyd Stephens (28 novembre 1805 – …   Wikipédia en Français

  • John Lloyd — puede referirse a: John Lloyd Stephens: escritor y diplomático norteamericano. John Lloyd: tenista británico. Esta página de desambiguación cataloga artículos relacionados con el mismo título. Si llegaste aquí a través de …   Wikipedia Español

  • John Lloyd Stephens — Infobox Scientist name = PAGENAME box width = image size =175px caption = PAGENAME in 1839 birth date = November 28, 1805 birth place = death date = October 13, 1852 death place = residence = |citizenship = nationality = American ethnicity =… …   Wikipedia

  • Lloyd — Lloyd, Frank Lloyd, Harold * * * (as used in expressions) Chris Evert Lloyd Garrison, William Lloyd Hopkins, Harry L(loyd) Lloyd George de Dwyfor, David Lloyd George, conde Lloyd Webber, Andrew post. Lloyd Webber Lloyd s of London …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Lloyd — /loyd/, n. 1. Welsh Legend. Llwyd. 2. Harold (Clayton) /klayt n/, 1894 1971, U.S. actor. 3. (John) Selwyn (Brooke) /sel win/, 1904 78, British statesman. 4. a male given name: from a Welsh word meaning gray. * * * (a …   Universalium

  • Stephens — /stee veuhnz/, n. 1. Alexander Hamilton, 1812 83, U.S. statesman: vice president of the Confederacy 1861 65. 2. James, 1882 1950, Irish poet and novelist. * * * (as used in expressions) Stephens Alexander Hamilton Stephens John Lloyd Stephens… …   Universalium

  • Stephens — (as used in expressions) Stephens, Alexander H(amilton) Stephens, John Lloyd Stephens, Uriah Smith …   Enciclopedia Universal

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