British archaeologist Alfred P. Maudslay explored the Mayan ruins of Central America in the 1880s. Few people outside Latin America knew anything about Mayan civilization. The only widely published images of Mayan ruins were the drawings of artist Frederick Catherwood, who had visited in 1839.

Maudslay too wanted to share the ruins with people at home - and to bring back more accurate information about them than anyone had seen.

Maudslay photographed the buildings and monuments, took notes, collected objects, and made plaster molds of large statues. Many more people became interested in the Maya after his work was published.