Maya Stela at Copan, Honduras
1843
Frederick Catherwood trekked through the dense Honduran jungle in the 1840s to become the first Western artist to accurately document the ancient Maya ruins of Copán. This moody, atmospheric scene captures a massive, intricately carved stela lying on its side next to a standing monument, both half-swallowed by the encroaching forest. His incredibly detailed illustrations were published in best-selling travel books, effectively introducing the mysterious Maya civilization to a fascinated 19th-century audience and sparking a lasting obsession with archaeology.
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