The Manuscript Hunter Volume 84

In two decades of traveling throughout Mexico, Central America, and Europe, French priest Charles tienne Brasseur de Bourbourg (18141874) amassed hundreds of indigenous manuscripts and printed books, including grammars and vocabularies that brought to light languages and cultures little known at the time. Although his efforts yielded many of the foundational texts of Mesoamerican studiesthe pre-Columbian Codex Troana, the only known copies of the Popol Vuh and the indigenous dance drama Rabinal-Achi, and Diego De Landas Relacin de la cosas de YucatnBrasseur earned disdain among scholars for his theories linking Maya writings to the mythical continent of Atlantis. In The Manuscript Hunter, translator Katia Sainson reasserts his standing as the founder of modern Maya studies, presenting three of his travel writings in English for the first time. While civil wars raged throughout Mexico and Central America and foreign interests sought access to the regions rich resources, Brasseur focused on uncovering Mesoamericas mysterious past by examining its ancient manuscripts and living oral traditions. His Notes from a Voyage in Central America, From Guatemala City to Rabinal, and Voyage across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec document his travels in search of these texts and traditions. Brasseurs writings weave vivid geographical descriptions of Central America and Mexico during the mid-1800s with keen social and political analysis, all steeped in vast knowledge of the regions history and interest in its indigenous cultures. Coupled with Sainsons thoughtful introduction and annotations, these captivating, accessible accounts reveal Brasseur de Bourbourgs true accomplishments and offer an unrivaled view of the birth of Mesoamerican studies in the nineteenth century. Brasseurs writings not only depict Central America and Mexico through the eyes of a European traveler at a key moment, but also illuminate the remarkable efforts of one man to understand and preserve Mesoamericas cultural traditions for all time.