Bliss Travels Collection

In 1935, Robert Woods Bliss, founder of Dumbarton Oaks, traveled through the highlands and tropics of Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. Recently retired from diplomatic service, Bliss was eager to satisfy a long-deferred interest to travel to the ancient cities of the Maya. His travelling companion, Frederic C. Walcott, was at the time trustee of the Carnegie Institution of Washington and arranged the trip which included visits to the archaeological sites under excavation by the Carnegie, as well as visits to several highland Maya communities. The following compilation presents 132 unpublished photos documenting the expedition, accompanied by information derived from Bliss’s travel journal and letters to his wife, Mildred Barnes Bliss.