In 1502, on his fourth voyage to the Americas, explorer Cristofero Colombo ( Christopher Columbus) sailed along the Yucatan shoreline. There, he was met by a canopied canoe which carried twenty-five men, women and children. Their great chief sat below the canopy, sheltered from the bright sun. The admiral's brother, Bartrolomeo, wrote of the encounter, "They were a timid and proper people, and the women hid their faces with colorful shawls." But by 1562, this fascination for a newly discovered people had worn off. In an effort to abolish their pagan ways, Diego de Landa, a Franciscan missionary, commanded the fiery destruction of the single greatest collection of Maya literature. Thus, in the town of Mani, almost all of their ancient manuscripts were turned to ash. Possibly regretting his actions, Diego de Landa later wrote extensively about the local Maya, documenting their "heathen" religion, along with their customs, language and writing system in a book alled, "Relacion de las Cosas de Yucatan". Today, much of what we know about them comes from the three-four codices that escaped his bonfire, combined with his writings, excavated artifacts, and the few surviving bass-relief mural paintings at Palenque, Bonampak, and Tulum.

Research on Maya origin and culture was not earnestly started until the mid 19th century, when American lawyer John Lloyd Stephens set out with English artist Frederick Catherwood to explore Central America. During the winter of 1839, the two first ventured into the highland city of Copan, some 2,000 feet above sea level. "..We could not see ten yards before us.. We stopped to cut away branches and vines.. and when the machete rang against the chiseled stone.. the beauty of the sculpture, the solemn stillness of the woods, [was] disturbed only by the scrambling of monkeys and the chattering parrots, the desolation of the city, and the mystery that hung over it." ~John Lloyd Stephens, from "Incidents in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan"

From Copan, Stephens and Catherwood moved on to Palenque. During their second expedition, in 1841, they journeyed through the Yucatan, exploring the cities of Chichen Itza, Uxmal and the coastal port city of Tulum. By reading the detailed, richly illustrated scenarios of their journeys, one can see the Classic Maya thorough the eyes of those who first pursued the dream, gaining new insight.

"The time when and the circumstances under which they were built, the rise, progress, and full development of the power, art, and skill required for their construction, are all mysteries which will not be easily unraveled. They rise like skeletons from the grave, wrapped in their burial shrouds."
~John Lloyd Stephens, from "Incidents of Travel in Yucatan".