Large folio, chromolithographed title by Owen Jones, dedication, 24pp, 26 hand coloured lithographed plates mounted on 25 cards after sketches by the author. Preserved in a green morocco backed cloth box, spine gilt lettered within a decorative gilt frame, text in original yellow wrappers. Only 300 copies printed. "The letterpress is by John Stephens with whom Catherwood travelled throughout the region described from 1839. "In a real sense they were the people who rediscovered the glories of the Mayan civilisation, which had remained hidden, overgrown by jungle, for a thousand years. Catherwood's illustrations convey the beauty and mystery of these forgotten treasures as well as combining the earliest depictions in modern times" (Sabin). Coloured plates in order: No captions. 1. Title page. 2. [Idol at Copan.] 3. [Pyramidal Building and Fragments of Sculpture at Copan.] 4. [Back of an Idol, at Copan.] 5. [Broken Idol at Copan.] 6. [Idol and Altar at Copan.] 7. [General View of Palenque.] 8. [Principal Court of the Palace at Palenque / Interior of Casa No. III Palenque.] 9. [General View of Las Monjas, ay Uxmal.] 10. [Ornament over principal doorway, Casa del Gobernados, Uxmal.] 11. Archway: Casa del Gobernados, Uxmal.] 12. [Gateway of the great Teocallis, Uxmal.] 13. [Ornament over the gateway of the great Teocallis, Uxmal.] 14. [General View of Uxmal, taken from the Archway of Las Monjas, looking south.] 15. [Portion of a Building; Las Monjas, Uxmal.] 16. [Portion of La Casa de Las Monjas, Uxmal.] 17. [General View of Kabah.] 18. [Interior of the principal building at Kabah.] 19. [Well and building at Sabachtsche.] 20. [Gateway at Laborah.] 21. [Well at Bolonchen.] 22. [Las Monjas, Chichen-Itza.] 23. [Teocallis, at Chichen-Itza.] 24. [Castle, at Tuloom.] 25. [Temple at Tuloom.] 26. [Colossal Head at Izamal.]