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AMCS Reprint Series 7by Henry C. Mercer Originally published by Lippincott, Philadelphia, in 1896 5.5 by 8.5 inches, 23+xliv+183 pages, softbound |
This classic nineteenth-century report on cave archaeology bore the subtitle "A Search for evidence of man's antiquity in the caverns of Central America." Besides the archaeology, it is an interesting narrative of travel in the area at the time. Mayanist Eric Thompson's introduction to the 1975 reprint is itself considered a classic in the field. The AMCS reprint is a facsimile of the 1975 edition, with a new foreword by contemporary Mayanist and cave archaeologist James Brady. Mercer's book has 74 illustrations, and the Introduction and Foreword add 10 more.
Table of Contents f1-f23 Foreword by James Brady viii-xliv Introduction to the 1975 edition by Eric Thompson 9 Introduction 15 The Journey to Yucatan 21 Actun Spukil, the Cave of Mice 32 Wet Caves in a Dry Land 45 The First Important Evidence 58 A First Glance at the Ruins 64 Caves that were Doubtful 70 Archæology in Yucatan 79 Over Hill and Dale 85 Uxmal 91 Kabah, Rancho Chack, and Tabi 98 Loltun, the Rock of Flowers 126 Caves near Oxkutzcab 142 Actun Skokikan, The Cave of Serpents 146 The Last Trench at Sabaka 160 A Summary