John Major Jenkins

John Major Jenkins is an independent scholar of Maya Studies and author whose work reconstructs ancient Maya cosmology and the Maya understanding of the 2012 date.

His path began in 1986, when at 22 he journeyed through Mexico and Central America to explore ancient Maya temple sites, visit remote villages and learn about the Maya calendar. That trip became his first major book, Journey to the Maya Underworld, written in 1988–89 and first published in 1989. It has since been re-released with a new preface, end notes and appendices. His career in Maya Studies has now spanned more than 30 years.

In 1995 he recorded and released an audiotape of his articles, Mayan Cosmogenesis 2012, sold through his Four Ahau Press mail-order catalog and the Borderland Sciences Research Foundation catalog. He regards it as the first publication of the discoveries behind his Maya Cosmogenesis 2012 reconstruction work.

His other writing includes Ivory Tower, House of Cards, a critique of scholarly treatments of 2012 and of his work, and Three Plumes of Judas, a novel that took twelve years to complete. His website also gathers his poetry and songs, letterpress work and travels.