Journey to the Mayan Underworld

At age 22 in 1986, the author journeyed to Mexico and Central America to explore ancient Maya temple sites. He also fell in love with the modern Maya people, visiting remote villages and learning about the Maya calendar. Along the way, traveling on a shoestring for almost four months, he made many friends and had unexpected realizations about his own identity. A ritual circuit around the four corners of the Maya world was completed, from Mexico City to Oaxaca, Chiapas, Guatemala, Belize, Quintana Roo, Yucatan, Palenque and northward, back to the States. At the end of his journey, recently release from jail, he arrived home with 12 cents in his pocket, all his belongings stolen, reflecting on his first introduction to the Maya world. It was the beginning of a career as an independent scholar of Maya Studies which has spanned more than 30 years, reconstructing ancient Maya cosmology and the ancient Maya understanding of the enigmatic and much misunderstood 2012 date. This travelogue was initially written in 1988-89. It is now, finally, offered with a new preface and end notes, providing a glimpse into the origins of the author's work, delving deep into Maya thought, religion, and calendar science.