Julian Lee has been around. After boyhood in the Midwest, Julian attended college and graduate school in California and Kansas, and completed a distinguished professional career at the University of Miami. He attributes his boyhood herpetological awakening to an issue of National Geographic that featured a beautifully illustrated article on snakes. As an undergraduate he spent his summers as a member of the El Cariso Hot Shots fighting fires in southern California, clearing brush, and finding snakes. He began fieldwork in Mexico during his graduate student years, and continued to conduct reptile and amphibian research in the Yucatan until he retired in 2006.
His interest in the Maya people stemmed from studying animals in the Yucatan and considering the possible influences the Maya may have had on the animals of the region, and how reptiles and amphibians figure prominently in the ancient Maya culture.
If you are looking for a Renaissance man, spend some time with Julian Lee, the man who loves snakes, studies ancient cultures and teaches evolution.