Description
The Silk Road was not just a singular pathway, but actually a network of perilous caravan routes that roamed from China through Kazakhstan to Turkey and Europe. Merchants traveling west carried silk, jade, porcelain, tea, spices, and gunpowder to Europe, while those traveling east returned to Asia with horses, gold and silver, jewels, and glassware. Genghis Khan and his offspring organized Mongol tribal horsemen to conquer that land. For a price, they provided amazing trade-route security, enabling Marco Polo to travel east from Venice in 1271.
Maya Sutton graduated from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service— an experience that lit the spark for her extensive travels abroad. She received her PhD from UNM and taught there for 30 years. She spent a summer teaching English at the university in Ulaan Baatar, and has avidly researched Mongolia and the Silk Road ever since.