During the course of his career, photographer C. C. Lockwood has recorded the abundant natural beauty of Louisiana — particularly the Atchafalaya Basin — and the rest of the Gulf Coast, from Florida to Texas. In this book Lockwood travels to the other side of the Gulf to present an unparalleled look at the untamed wonders of the Yucatán Peninsula.

The specific emphases of The Yucatán Peninsula are the Mexican states of Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Yucatán. Avoiding such tourist-trampled ports of call as Cozumel and Cancun, Lockwood focuses instead on less accessible wilderness areas. With the assistance of trained explorers as well as native volunteers, Lockwood visited, over a two-year period, such hidden treasures of the Yucatán as Arrecife Alacrán and Banco Chinchorro, two coral-laden reefs; Sian Ka’an, a 1.2-million-acre wildlife refuge; and Calakmul, an area of dense jungle.

These expeditions gave Lockwood the perfect opportunity to photograph the peninsula’s astonishing array of animal life: rainbow-colored parrot fish and enormous lobsters, sea turtles and nurse sharks, flamingos and toucans, egrets and brown pelicans, iguanas and spider monkeys. Lockwood also captures the magnificent beauty of the land itself, with evocative shots of shimmering green vegetation, colorful flowers, and jungle sunrises. Stunning photographs of Mayan ruins, open-air markets with brimming stands of fruits and vegetables, and the expressive faces of the Yucatecans themselves complete this picture of unspoiled paradise.

Lockwood’s informal, yet informative text recounts many of his frequently hilarious, sometimes dangerous, and always interesting adventures. Lockwood also writes about the history of the Yucatán Peninsula and its various ecosystems.

The Yucatán Penisula opens a window onto a world that most tourists never see.