1805-1852

American traveler and author of popular archaeological accounts. Educated as a lawyer, Stephens was a successful executive in transportation companies. He is remembered for his travel narratives about Central America, the Near East, Middle East, and Central Europe. Though not an archaeologist himself, he brought the Mayan monuments to the world's attention through his illustrated Incidents of Travel in Central America (1841) and Incidents of Travel in Yucatan (1843).