John Major Jenkins (1964–2017)

I am an independent researcher devoted to reconstructing ancient Mayan cosmology and philosophy. Since 1986, I've traveled to Mexico and Central America many times. In 1990 I helped build a school in San Pedro, near Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. In 1994 I delivered relief supplies to a Quich' Maya community in the Western highlands of Guatemala. Since beginning my work with the Maya, I've authored dozens of articles and many books.

I also facilitated the translation of The Key to the Kalevala by Pekka Ervast, editing and writing the introduction for it. This classic text on Finnish mythology was published with Blue Dolphin Publishers in 1999. In 1995 I was appointed literary executor for Eino Friberg, Finnish-American poet and translator of The Kalevala, the national epic of the Finnish people.

As a visiting scholar, I've taught classes at The Institute of Maya Studies in Miami, The Maya Calendar Congress in Mexico, The Esalen Institute, Naropa University and many other venues both nationally and abroad. I wrote the preface to Geoff Stray's book Beyond 2012, and have been interviewed on numerous radio and television shows, including the Discovery Channel, the History Channel, and the recent documenary 2012: The Odyssey. Currently working on 2012 documentaries with Mystic Fire Video and Vision Quest Productions.