Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The Gulf of Honduras was unknown to most North Americans in 1839, as it was far removed from U. S. trade routes. But in 1802, the Spanish Empire began to dissolve, and its American colonies broke free.

#2 Stephens and Catherwood were tasked with meeting the leaders of the recently formed United Provinces of Central America and concluding a trade agreement. However, they were also on another mission: to explore the jungle and see if they could find any intricately sculpted stones.

#3 Catherwood and Stephens had similar adventures in the Middle East. They had both survived the region's often hostile political and natural environment, and they had both studied the same ancient historical sites. They were like two parallel tracks that were destined to meet.

#4 In 1836, Catherwood moved his family to New York. He began work on a cavernous panorama exhibition hall to show his huge canvases of the Middle East. The enterprise took off instantly and drew in healthy profits. Meanwhile, Stephens was coming off two phenomenal publishing coups. He had never drafted anything more exciting than law briefs and contracts, but he began writing up his European and Middle Eastern adventures.