A review by biblioventurer
Jungle of Stone: The True Story of Two Men, Their Extraordinary Journey, and the Discovery of the Lost Civilization of the Maya by William Carlsen

2.0

I was first drawn to this book because of my interest in Andean archaeology. I was, however, disappointed that the author did not incorporate more information about the sites themselves. There was no description of the layouts, no incorporation of what we now know of Mayan culture and history, no exploration of finds after Catherwood and Stephens visited.

I think the book would have been much more powerful if the author had traced the path traveled by the two men, and juxtaposed their experiences with his own. I think it would also have benefited from harsher editing. I didn't need to know (and didn't care about) what happened to the men in the building of the Panama railroad and gold mining. A short epilogue with their post-exploration careers, relationships, and demise would have been sufficient.