He Dreams of an Ancient People 

BY BETH PROBASCO (A11411) 
OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIR


He dreamed of trekking through the thick jungle of a rainforest and riding 
narrow water buses down snake-infested rivers. The local animal life wouldn't 
worry him, and the mosquitoes—only slightly. He wouldn't be squeamish about 
where he laid his head at night, and nary a thought would be spent on sustenance. 
If only he could reach that dream. 


Then, after hundreds of hours of research for a book he was creating, Officer 
Phil Konstantin (11643), Border Division Communications Center, realized that 
dreams could come true — especially if one worked hard enough. 


Konstantin was born in Houston, Texas. He carries his Cherokee heritage with 
pride. He received his Cherokee ancestry from his mother, Lila Beatrice Adair 
Konstantin. His father, Morris Benjamin Konstantin, Jr., although not of 
Indian descent, was raised in Cherokee country. Konstantin, an enrolled member 
of the Cherokee Nation, has a vested interest in American Indian history, 
so he wrote a book, "This Day in American Indian History," which is due to be 
released in September. 


Konstantin became a CHP officer for a variety of reasons. His father had been 
in law enforcement in Texas for 26 years. He recognized the stability of that 
career, and he wanted to make a difference. There wasn't anything specific 
that Konstantin wanted to effect, but he desired to be of service to a community. 
The CHP with its solid reputation, was a logical choice.


Prior to joining the department, Konstantin held a myriad of unusual jobs. He 
worked in Mission Control for NASA during the Apollo and Skylab missions. He 
also worked in television and radio as a talk show host-interviewer. Konstantin 
interviewed people from astronauts to presidential candidates, and even famous 
writers such as Isaac Asimov and Stephen King. jobs. 


Finally Konstantin found his niche. He currently works in the Border Division 
Communications Center as the media information officer. He handles media inquiries, 
traffic reporting and any other situations that would warrant media attention. 
Upon graduation from the academy in 1985 he was assigned to the Santa Fe Springs 
Area, where he earned his first 10851 pin (auto theft recovery award). He 
remained for 18 months and then transferred to the San Diego Area and earned six 
additional 10851 pins. 


Konstantin expounded, "I really enjoyed catching drunks (drivers), but my favorite 
stops were for tinted windows and no front plates." One way to catch a stolen is to 
pay attention to the front plates." 


As a child, Konstantin was close to, but not immersed in, his Indian heritage. 
His maternal grandfather disappeared when his mother was very young, and his 
mother wasn't adequately versed in the traditions to pass them down through the 
family. In order to become more knowledgeable about his heritage, Konstantin 
began another project. A voracious reader, he had always wanted to write and 
publish a book; he realized that there were no chronological history books on 
American Indians. 


The book doesn't contain regurgitated encyclopedia facts, rather 10 years of 
carefully compiled data and a couple of years of organization. It sounded like 
a daunting task, especially since many tribes didn't maintain calendars. However, 
some of the Southwestern and Mexican tribes did have calendars, so that's where 
his early travels focused. Konstantin explained, "It was hard work; therefore, 
the book only reflects information on the American Indians from Panama to Canada. 
But it was a project born of love." 


Konstantin had already traveled in Southwestern U.S. and portions of Mexico. He set 
his sights on visiting the grand pyramids in Mexico. The first expedition was in 
September 2000, to Mayan ruins in Yucatan, Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Chiapas in 
Mexico. His second trip, which occurred in the fall of 2001, encompassed a much larger 
territory. It included a variety of sites, museums, cultures, and states: Mexico, 
Oaxaca, Chiapas, Campeche and Veracruz. It also included Tikal in Guatamala. 


Most of the ancient sites he visited were regularly accessed by tourists. On these 
occasions he didn't pay for a tour, but merely roamed around to his heart's content. 
However, Konstantin wanted to visit Yaxchilan, on the Usumacinta River. This Mayan 
village was not frequented by tourists. The tour included armed guards, a meal, a 
night's stay in the remote village, a variety of animal sightings, and a lot of 
personal satisfaction. While most of the sites he visited were accessible by bus, 
this village was accessed only by a small jungle river "bus." 


In addition to his three children, Sarah, 20, Heidi, 22, and Ron, 29; his career 
and his book, Konstantin manages to occupy his "spare" time. He reads, enjoys 
photography, has engaged in amateur astronomy and spends a great deal of time 
maintaining his website (http://americanindian.net/). He has recently begun to work 
with the science museum in San Diego on an American Indian exhibit. Meanwhile, he 
says that he has plenty on his plate and isn't looking at any new projects. Always 
busy, I wonder what his next adventure will be. 




 
Photo captions:
 

-«. Konstantin poses on top of Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, Mexico. 
      In the background is the pyramid of the moon. 

-«. A view of some ruins in Palenque. This picture was taken from atop another site in 2001.

-«. During his second visit to Mexico in 2001, Konstantin visited the Museo de 
      Antropologia de Xalapa where he found many Toltec heads on exhibit.

-«. This is a reconstruction of a panel in one of the small buildings near the Temple of 
      the Sun in Palenque, Mexico. The Mayans used the panels to depict significant events. 
 
-«. Konstantin visited a portion of a Mayan ruin in Labna, Mexico during his trip in 2000. 


Zenith 12000 March/April 2002