John Lloyd Stephens
#97538 Most Popular
About
North American explorer who rediscovered the Mayan civilization.
Before Fame
A child prodigy, he enrolled at Columbia at age 13 and graduated four years later.
Trivia
He came upon the first Mayan ruins quite by accident, and then from there continued to find related sites.
Family Life
He was born into a prosperous merchant family.
Associated With
Martin Van Buren appointed him as the the Special Ambassador to Central America, where he witnessed its federation of states break apart.
