INTRODUCTION:

The men on board the caravel Pinta, the lead ship of the fleet of Columbus, watching intently for evidence of land floating in the sea for several days and now late in the evening they “saw a cane and a stick, and took on board another small stick that appeared to have been worked with iron, and a piece of cane, and other vegetation originating on land, and a small plank.” (Columbus, in Dunn p. 57) It was Thursday the eleventh of October that fateful day in 1492. Later that evening the Pinta ahead of the Admiral’s ship, sighted land, they raised the flag to the mast top and fired a small cannon as the proscribed signal of their discovery. “A sailor named Rodrigo de Triana was the first to sight the land, though Columbus at the tenth hour of the night, while he was on the sterncastle, saw a light….Pero Gutierrez, the steward of the king’s dais, confirmed the sighting. Two hours after midnight Triana sighted the first land of the voyage. He received the sovereign’s reward of ten thousand maravedis as an annuity. A maravedis was a copper coin, 375 of them was worth one ducat, an ounce of gold. At this point in my lectures, I would pass around a one ounce gold ducat so they can see what it looks like, it is thinner, but a little larger than a silver dollar, but it is solid gold. So the reward was ample. (Dunn pp. 53, 63) Admiral Columbus would also give to the one who sighted land first a silk jacket. I suppose somewhere there is a history of Triana, it would have been interesting to find out what happened to him. The History of the world was forever altered. The western hemisphere had been found by Europeans who were eager for new lands to colonize, but in 1421 much of the western Hemisphere had been visited by and engaged in trade by China. There was the voyage of Zhou Man who established a small colony in the Americas, later a colony in Central America, Zhou Wen established a colony in North America, or so the Chinese accounts would have us believe. (Menzies pp. 197. 215, 270) But the Chinese were not part of the master plan, and did not influence or change history at that time. The master plan called for men to come out of Europe.   

THE NEW WORLD

On August 21, 1877, some 55 prominent historical men, and 45 additional eminent men, along with 70 eminent women, and a few other women including Martha Washington and her family appeared to Wilford Woodruff in the St. George, Utah Temple. They laid their case before this great apostle, later to become President of the Church, ‘Said they, “you have had the use of the Endowment House for a number of years, and yet nothing has ever been done for us…and we were faithful to God.” (Durham p. 160) And that day Brother J.D.T. McAllister, an official and sealer in the temple baptized Wilford Woodruff for 100 of these men, and Woodruff baptized McAllister for 21 other men not listed, and all the Presidents of the United States except Buchanan Van Buren and U. Grant. Sister Lucy Bigelow Young was baptized for the women. (Woodruff pp. 368-369) Of the 45 eminent men, number 20 is most interesting, he was the cartographer for Columbus, he had prepared the most important maps for him, and sailed with Columbus on the third voyage, this time they encountered the mainland and then they sailed south along the coast. The man was Americus (Amerigo) Vespucius, who gave the name “New World” to the newly discovered continent. He was Americus, after whom America is named, in a letter to Columbus after the second voyage he wrote:  “My own thoughts lead me to the conviction that there exists near unto the lands you have visited, an immense country…being according to my calculations as large, if not larger, than the whole of Europe.” (Anderson p. 369-370) Americus was right. Americus, after the third voyage of Columbus “Dramatically improved the known maps of the time. This voyage not only established the existence of the New World and a new continent but a whole new hemisphere…[he said] we knew that land to be a continent and not an island.” (Anderson p. 369) But few know that it was this same Americus, the manager of the banks and the influence of the house of  Bereardi, who for Ferdinand and Isabella contracted to outfit groups of ships to be sent to the New World, and was responsible for the outfitting of the ships for the voyages of Columbus. (Anderson p. 368) And on the list of those who came that fateful day in 1877 to Elder Woodruff, was Columbus, he was No. 41. (Woodruff p. 368) Both of these unusual and persistent men were entitled to their endowments. They were figures on the vast tapestry of time that played their roles well. And at the appropriate time their lives were expended for man and the future of man. Columbus got most of the credit, but they both have eternal life.

THE COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE

What has been called the “Columbian Exchange” began in 1492 when the voyages of Columbus unleashed an avalanche of transatlantic migrations of peoples, [DNA, plants, animals, and germs. The later was catastrophic for all peoples. (Burenhult p. 210) Of the 625 tribes identified pre-Columbus only a few more than 500 are left, some of these have only a few members left, mostly elderly members, and some of these are only women, when they die the tribe dies. Of the nearly 100 million estimated Indians at the time of the arrival of Columbus, within 400 years the number was reduced to less than 2 million. Of these, two tribes make up more than a fourth of the Indians left, these are the Cherokee and Navajo, each with more than 250,000 members. The census of 2010 will determine which is the larger tribe. The HOPI stand out as a tribe that remains today on its own original land and with most of its population, in 1868 it was about 8,000, mostly intact. And since then there population has varied very little. Though with new land recently granted to them near Flagstaff, Arizona, their numbers may now increase. There are few full blooded Indians. Some tribes require that you be more than a sixteenth to be included in the tribe. The Navajo, with only 16,000 in two groups in 1864,  when 8,000 were captured by Kit Carson were deported by foot to Bosque Redondo, (Bailey, Front Piece) that was the Long Walk of 1864. After less than five years of harrowing circumstances at Bosque Redondo those who survived were permitted to return “to the newly established reservation within their old territory.” (Taylor p. 62) By tribal law they cannot marry any one who belongs to or is related to their mother, so most of the Navajo are in name only, they have diluted their original numbers so the likelihood of finding a full blooded Navajo among 250,000 members after 140 years, is low. What followed after this for all the Indian tribes was a calamitous history fulfilling Book of Mormon prophecy.   

Mormon doctrine has many unique teachings. Of course among the most important is the eternal nature of man, the pre-existence and the Godhead two of which were personally seen by the boy Prophet at that first magnificent encounter. Later he came to know the Holy Ghost and that there was a Heavenly mother. Of particular interest is another member of that pre-existent scene, Lucifer, who was cast down, (D&C 76:20-27) and the unique aspects of the creation, the Temple Ceremony, and many more. Of interest therefore, are those Indians who have traditions that confirm any or all of these doctrines. Most of our emphasis in this fifth part of this series will be to explore accounts of ancient traditions that do confirm detailed aspects of these doctrines but singling out Hopi and other Anasazi as well as Aztec and Central American traditions.

TAIOWA, SOTUKNANG, MASAW & THE FOURTH WORLD (TUWAQACHI)

Again, from the records of the HOPI compiled by Waters, we select some comparisons to Mormon Doctrine and the Book of Mormon.  I assume the reader knows his doctrines and has spent some time in the Temple. The excerpt that follows contains elements that watched for, though distorted by 2000 years of oral transmission, still contain deep doctrines, knowledge and unexpected parallels. I will not always point them out.

“I have something more to say before I leave you, ‘Sotuknang told the people’, as they stood ready to enter into the FOURTH WORLD. ‘This is what he said: The name of the Fourth World is Tuwaqachi, WORLD COMPLETE. You will find out why. It is not all beautiful and easy like the previous ones (TC)…it has everything for you to choose from. What you choose will determine if this time you can carry out the plan of Creation on it, (Abraham 3:24-28)…now you will separate and go different ways…you will follow your own star…you will settle…now I must go, but you will have help from the proper deities…remember what I have told you.’ Then he disappeared.” (Waters p. 27)  “The people moved off the shore and into the land. Looking around they saw a handsome man…do you not recognize me? My name is Masaw. I am the caretaker, the guardian and protector of this land. ..The people recognized Masaw. He had been appointed head caretaker of the Third World, but, becoming a little self-important, he had lost his humility before the Creator, Being a spirit, he could not die, so Taiowa took his appointment away from him (D&C 76: 25-27) and made him the deity of death and the underworld.” (Malotki pp. 4-11; Abraham 2:28) Maasaw complained: “This job below was not as pleasant as the one above…Taiowa decided to give him another chance, as he had the people and appointed him to guard and protect this Fourth World as its caretaker…(TC) ‘will you give us you permission to live on the land?’ They asked. ‘Yes I will give my permission as owner [God] of the land.’ ‘Will you be our leader?” the people asked?’ ‘No,” replied Masaw, ‘A greater one than I has given you a plan to fulfill first (Jar 1:2)…you have not yet made your migrations. You have not yet followed your stars to the place where you will meet and settle. This you must do…but if you go back to evil ways again I will take over the earth from you for I am its caretaker, guardian, and protector. (TC) To the north you will find cold and ice. So go and claim the land.’ Masaw disappeared, the people divided into groups and clans to begin their migrations. ‘May we meet again!’ they all called back. This is how it all began…where all the people (Alma 63:4) went on their migrations.” (Waters pp. 27-28)  Taking the advice of Masaw, they avoided going too far north where there was cold and ice. Maasaw, as most important books about him spell  his name, “[in] his very role as tutelary god of the land and its inhabitants…assisted him in transcending his indigenous genius…in achieving the stature of a ‘Great Spirit….the one who is invisible…this being who is unseen….in addition there exists a host of other periphrastic locutions, all of which attempt to capture various divine aspects of the deity…this unknown one who owns the earth,…this unknown one who devotes his attention to us.” (Malotki p. 248)  Maasaw is also considered to be a “death Spirit” (Malotki p. 7) However, “the neologism pahan-maasaw “White man’s Maasaw”…stands for the Anglo concept of Devil.” (Malotki pp. 6-7) Mormons know this being as Lucifer, (TC) In other ancient documents he declares “I am God and there is no other God but me.” (Giverson pp. 67, 68) But “A voice came forth from Imperishability, saying ‘You are wrong, Samael,’ which is, ‘the god of the blind’.” (Bullard p. 21)  Whoever taught that Lucifer was the God of this world? Or what in high authority in the life be this world was created?

Let us get something from the Aztecs. “The great Franciscan friar Sahagun has given us an appreciation of the Aztec gods….to characterize them, he paired them with the gods of the classical world…at the head of this pantheon and taking the place of Jupiter, Sahagun placed Tezcatlipoca… Sahagun felt that a further statement was needed about this god: he added, ‘This wicked Tezcatlipoca we know as Lucifer, the great devil who was there in the midst of heaven, even in the beginning, began war, vice and filth’.” (Brundage p. 81) “The black Texcatlipoca was the greatest (although not the firstborn) of the sons of the goddess…[various sculptors show him as] welding sacrificial knives…[to] symbolize the lethal effects of this god upon the present cosmos…his will was capricious…[he] would deliberately delude one…his power to reduce all men to misery..[he] was…only one ruler of the earthly states…He Who Pretends to Be What He is Not…no human heart could keep an ugly desire hidden from him…[the] original aeon…itself ended only with the extinguishing of Tezcatlipoca’s sun [light]. This was performed by the god Quetzalcoatl, who knocked Tezcatlipoca out of the sky, whence he tumbled into the dark waters that surround the earth (D&C 61:3-14) [he fell] from heaven…here…he had sinned....was hurled down from the ambrosial regions…[He had his] priesthood… [victims] selected for sacrifice…[Mormon 4:15, 21) were forced to ascend the steps leading to the top, [of the pyramid or mountain] …At the top he was immediately ceased by the waiting priests and sacrificed. His opened body was…tumbled down the steps…At the bottom the cadaver was decapitated and defleshed. The pieces of flesh were taken back to the city, where they were incorporated into a sacred meal given to the ruler and the princes of the state…He is the symbol of total rule and majesty, an evil and destructive sorcerers, a warlord, a rain withholder, a virginal young man [forever cursed with the loss of procreation]. ( Forester p. 47)… a seducer, a creator, a ghastly demon…secretive, whimsical…absurd …malicious…ubiquitous …he has established no law within himself…He does not love…he is simply the sheer power and will of God without his law and without his love.” (Brundage pp. 80,82,84-93,95,100,101)

What was needed for the extreme sacrificial aspects of Mesoamerican ceremonies were the mountains, or pyramids and ballcourts.  The northern most controlling center for such ceremonies was the complex centered “at Paquime in northwestern Chihuahua… The relationships of the American Southwest to Mesoamerica were considerable different than they had been in previous centuries…Paquime adopted a new version of the Mesoamerican ballgame to service its own purpose, the Puebloans [especially the Hopi] did not” (Scarborough pp. 124-125) Except for the Hohokam, the Puebloans totally rejected this aspect of the Central American culture. Only the southern Hohokam of the Anasazi continued an altered and modified ceremony requiring the ballcourt and pyramids mentioned earlier. The Hohokam spread from the upper southwest across the border into the Paquime territory and conducted trade with that area for centuries. Copper bells, macaws, feathers of exotic birds, shells, found in other Anasazi areas came through Paquime and the Hohokam traders out of northwest Mexico. (Scarborough p. 125)

YOU MUST NOT KILL ANYONE

Further light is shed on this people who buried their weapons. “If wars ever take place here, don’t pick up your weapons, and don’t engage in the business of killing…And from where you transplanted yourselves here, you came bearing the name HOPI, because you are HOPIS, you must NOT KILL ANYONE. Thus if ever a war arrives, do not join in with the rest.” (Malotki p. 250) This also suggests that from wherever they started their migrations they were called HOPI, or the peaceful people! And they went and claimed the land and occupied it for nearly 2000 years, and they are still there. They are still the peaceful people.  In the absence of references to snow and ice in the Book of Mormon, it is assumed the events of that book took place in a semi-tropical or tropical area. Other evidence points in that direction also, such as what and who Columbus saw.

The Mormon reader familiar with the Temple Ceremony, will certainly recognize subtle parallels in the above accounts. Only an ancient, but most likely oral transmitted source because the TC is not normally written down, underlying their traditions would make this possible. It is difficult today after the death of so many elders and in the absence of a written record, to glean the underlying truths behind all of their traditions. It is also evident from what they have not retained that a horrible loss of doctrine has occurred over the many years since their departure northward.

THE TABLETS OF STONE

“The basic meaning of the HOPI creation myth and the symbols which express it is subjective we cannot ignore the literal interpretation--that the HOPIS came to America from the west, crossing the sea on boats.” (Waters p. 31) When they had “reached their permanent settlement there would come three other races of people, which would be identified by the colors of the corn they raised-black, the yellow, and the white…the HOPI were represented by red corn “whose color symbolized the west from which they had come to this Fourth World.” (Waters p. 84)  They were to continue to raise corn of all colors to assure “all races would live in brotherhood in this new world.” (Waters p. 84) 

The Fire Clan possesses a number of small tablets of stone given to them by Maasaw. After the Fire Clan had migrated to their permanent home the tablet said: “They would be overcome by a strange people. They would be forced to develop their land and lives according to the dictates of a new ruler, or else they would be…punished…they were not to resist. They were to wait for the person who would deliver them. This person would be their lost white brother, Pahana who would return to them with the missing corner piece of the tablet.” (Waters pp. 37-38)  “The HOPI people know that they were led [to their present land] so that they would have to depend upon the scanty rainfall which they must evoke with their power and prayer….[to] preserve their faith in the supremacy of their Creator.” (Waters p. 43) All the time waiting for further instructions.

THE WUWUCHIN CEREMONY

One of the HOPI’s most sacred ceremonies is the WUWUCHIN [Wu-to germinate, chin-to manifest] Ceremony, which requires a ceremonial building of elaborate design, such as the Sun Temple found in 1915 at Mesa Verde and described and explained by White Bear of the Coyote Clan, though he has withheld certain esoteric aspects and deeper implications. (Waters p. 114) It included the recitation of the “dawn of Creation for the germination of all forms of life on earth-plant, animal, and man.” (Waters p. 168)  It includes a recitation of their creation and migrations. (Waters p. 114)  It is lengthy lasting sixteen days [the same days as the Snake Ceremony] the last eight days are for secret rituals. “Oraibi on Third Mesa has been considered the parental home of HOPI ceremonialism…almost a deserted ghost town…forms are followed most closely in Hotevilla.” (Waters p. 169) There are very elaborate altars, unlike those however, prepared for the snake dance. The snake dance is held in August, the Wuwuchin after the vernal equinox or early winter. The appearance and lay out of the altars today reflect the distortions that have crept in, especially in the use of symbols for ideas over time. An essential preparation includes the Two Horn representation with two elk horns nearly six feet high, their prongs representing all the races of mankind they are a symbol of the society’s deity, Alosaka, who has been given permission to manifest himself by dream or vision. Between the two horns is the tiponi [scepter of authority] the name is derived from “the three words for “person,” “Altar,” and “authority,” its name denotes a person who has spiritual authority to conduct rites at the altar.” (Water p. 171)  From the Bow Clan come two men, Tovusnyamsinom, Smoldering Wood Partners…[they] hold knowledge of the Creation. Ritual mongkos are possessed by only three societies, it is the supreme symbol of spiritual power and authority. It is about as close as they can get to a written text of some sort. The construction of the Altars is a ceremony in itself. There are ceremonies required in order to construct many aspects of the daily requirements of most Amerinds. When I was introduced to the Sweat Lodge, before constructing the Lodge, first there was a preparational ceremony, very elaborate in detail, where one was identified, generally by their Indian name, and participation in the pipe, smoke, and blessing parts of the ceremony. The officiating priest was decked out and around him on deer skin were laid the pouches and necessary things required for this particular ceremony, the place for the Sweat Lodge was only a few feet away. During the building of the Lodge, I had the opportunity to discuss each stage of its construction from the three tiers [levels of glory], the symbols of created things, man, the creepy crawlies, etc., in the center near where the heated stones will be brought in and placed, the position of the two witnesses, the path from the earth over the path of tribulations to the Lodge and many other details. Even in this brief outline one can sense there were abundant parallels to Mormon beliefs.  Traditions have added and subtracted from the original truths.  

“The Two Horn mongkos is a flat piece of wood…painted white…representing the faultless [innocent] body at creation. One end …is painted blue…symbol of earth’s carpet of vegetation…two…blue lines to denote water. The serrated other end…symbolizes the three dominating factors of the HOPI’s supreme law, respect, harmony, and love. Attached to it is a small ball of earth in a cotton net…a drop of water…symbolize the earth and the seas…tied to it is… a perfect ear of corn representing man. Strung from it are also turkey feathers…[symbolizing] the wildness of the earth and the everlasting mystery of Creation which man has never quite understood.” (Waters p. 171-172)  At one point in the ceremony a lone white-robbed figure wearing a large white star quietly enters the kiva and announces, “I am the Beginning and the End.” (D&C 19:1, 35:l, 54:1, He is Nutungktatoka [First and Last]…he leaves as quietly as he came.” (Waters p. 178) There is also a ritual drenching of naked bodies with water “that symbolically wash away all wickedness.” (Waters p. 179)  There is no easily accessible standing water sufficient for an emersion in HOPI land, so they drenched individuals with water. The attributes of Christ or his equivalent are provided by identifying them with representative beings with different names which express these attributes. Otherwise, if not understood, one would get the idea there were many deities instead of one with many manifestations and names that were developed to understand Him. Like the Book of Mormon, the New Testament has many names for Christ. (Taylor,  pp. v-vi)

The Road of Life, a circular annual calendar of events and ceremonies to be played out each year, is provided with explanations as CHART 2. Waters provided additional detail and explanations in his Book. (Waters p. 231) He also provides a version of the Snake dance, another 16 day long ceremony. Having witnessed this dance I describe it elsewhere. (Erickson p.141-150) The significance of the rattle snake in such ceremonies  needs an explanation and will be developed in PART 6, the conclusion of this series.   

THE TIME OF QUETZALCOATL

IXTLILXOCHITL records that when the peoples were visited by Quetzalcoatl, great  calamites were predicted. “And [Quetzalcoatl predicted] that they and their descendants would pass through many calamites and persecutions, and many other prophecies [were made by him] which later were very clearly seen.” (Hunter p. 316; 2 Nephi 26:9-11) “Quetzalcoatl was a favorably disposed man, of grave aspect, white and bearded” (Hunter p.219; 3 Nephi 13:16, 19:25) The chronicler also records that there were kings of Bountiful-land…”These kings were high of stature, and white, and bearded.” (Hunter p. 240)  Stone carvings from various areas and different periods of time reflect early and late depictions of bearded men. (Hunter pp. 242, 246, 25l, 274, 319)

We also read in Alma 1:32 “For those who did not belong to their church [Nephite Church of Christ] did indulge themselves in sorceries.” Note this curious comment is enlarged on by the Chronicler: “to a certain extent they [the Tultecas] were necromancers, enchanters, sorcerers, astrologers.” (Hunter p. 289)  “…They have in their history that the sun stood [still] for a natural day without moving from one spot (place), and they add a fable saying that as the mosquito saw the sun [God] so suspensive and pensive, he said to him: Lord of the world, why are you so suspensive and pensive and not do your work as it has been ordered you to do? Do you want to destroy the world as you are wont?” (Hunter pp. 298-299; Helaman 12:7-15; Moses 8:26)

It is not unusual during an excavation of a Basketmaker or Pueblo ruin that the archaeologist will encounter turkey bones. It is evident that the Anasazi and Basketmakers raised and kept turkeys [along with dogs]. The chronicler comments: “…likewise they, the Tultecas had chickens and turkeys, and many seeds and vegetables for their sustenance.” (Hunter p. 308; l Nehi 18:25; 2 Nephi 5:116)  This would suggest that those who went north took with them at least some turkeys. Turkey feathered objects are found throughout the Southwest.  In another place Ixtlilxochitl states: “The kings would always put on some plain white mantles, and other gray ones, with pearls.” (Hunter p. 324) Compare that with this: “And now, in this two hundred and first year there began to be among them those who were lifted up in pride, such as the wearing of costly apparel, and all manner of fine pearls.” (4 Nephi 1:24) Where did they get them?

The Chronicler records: “I want to make an account of Huematzin, [Hueman]…before dying he….gathered together all the histories of the Tultecas … from the creation of the world up to that time (his time) and had them pictured [described] in a very large book…[describing] all their persecutions and hardships, prosperities and good happenings, kings and lords, laws and good government of their ancestors, old sayings and good examples, temples, idols, sacrifices, rites and ceremonies that they had…adverse battles, and many other things.” (Hunter 337-338)  This ancient book was lost, so the people, from memory, compiled the Popol Vuh. “The Popol Vuh [“Book of the Community], as it is called, cannot be seen any more, in which was clearly seen the coming from the other side of the sea. The original book, written long ago, existed, but its sight is hidden to the searcher and to the thinker.” (Hunter p. 64)  Hunter, utilizes the translation prepared in 1950 by Delia Goetz and Sylvanus G. Morley. (Hunter p, 56)  Three other translations have been made, they are referred to herein. “The Pool Vuh is the most important example of Pre-Columbian Maya literature to have survived the Spanish Conquest. In the past three hundred years, the Popol Vuh has been translated approximately thirty times into seven languages. Most of these translations were based not on the original K’iche’-Maya text but rather on various Spanish versions derived from it.” (Christenson p. xiv)  Christenson, who knew K’iche’, made a new translation based on his own knowledge of the language and with native K’iche’ speakers in Momostenango, Totonicapan and Cunen, which resulted in a fresh and entirely unexpected recognition of the literary aspects of the text with its frequent Chiasmus elements and Chiastic arrangements, unique parallels to the Book of Mormon and the work by John Welch. Christenson’s translation is therefore, a very informative one.

IXTLILXOCHITL provides many details of Toltec History. Of interest to students of the Book of Mormon is his history from 322 A.D. to 385 A.D. It is almost an exact parallel to that of 4 Nephi and Mormon’s writings. Hunter has assembled the history along side the Book of Mormon accounts showing the remarkable comparison. It is too lengthy to repeat here, just be aware that it exists. (Hunter pp. 348-376) But then the Book of Mormon record ends at about 420 A.D., except as its prophetic content demands fulfillment. IXTILILXOCHITL continues on with his history providing insights with an additional 500 years of history up to the end of the Tultec Empire 958 AD, and then the  coming of the new rulers and the establishment of the Itzas, of which IXTLILXOCHITL was a descendant. The rest is available as accessible history. Notice that Toltec has more than one spelling as is often the case in the diverse accounts.

THE  POPOL VU AND THE CREATION ACCOUNT

In what follows, I have quoted essentially the 1950 translation of the Popol Vuh prepared by Goetz and Morley as quoted by Hunter. Then the words in italics are taken from the translation by Nelson. Between the two translations we get a more complete account. Then, through quotes and references, I introduce selections from the translation by Christenson. His work “Is the first time the Popol Vuh has been published with modern orthography used today by the K’iche people in Guatemala.” (Christenson p. xiv) The result is a fair picture of part of the Creation Account, which is only a small portion of the total content of the Popol Vuh. But it has significant parallels to Mormon doctrine. It provides a unique portion of the Central American legacy for comparison to Southwestern American Indian accounts and Mormon accounts, in particular the Temple Ceremony.

EXTRACTS FROM THE CREATION ACCOUNTS:

Before the world was created. “All was in suspense, all calm, in silence; all motionless, still, and the expanse of the sky was empty…this the first…narrative…There was neither man…animals, birds, fishes, crabs, tree, stones, caves, ravines, grasses nor forests; none of these existed yet…there was only the sky. The surface of the earth had not appeared…only the calm sea and the great expanse of sky. There was nothing brought together…nothing could make a noise, roar, or tremble… cry…in the sky. ..nothing standing,  flatness and emptiness…only the calm water, sea …placid sea…alone and tranquil breathless, …. Nothing existed…only immobility…silence in the darkness, in the night, dark. Only the Creator, the Maker, Tepeu, Gucaumatz, the Forefathers, were in the water, emptiness, surrounded with light. They were hidden under green and blue feathers…they were great sages, same as wisdom, and thinkers. They are the ones who can conceive… In this manner the sky existed and, They planned the whole creation, arguing each point until their words and thoughts crystallized and became the same thing [Abraham 5:2-3]…Heart of Heaven, was there, …the name of God and thus he is called…and in the darkness the creation was planed. .

“In the darkness the creators waited, “Then came the word. Tepeu. [a fair haired God, Christ?] Gucumatz [Michael] came together in the darkness, emptiness, in the night…Tepeu…and Gucumatz talked together. They talked…discuss…deliberating; they agreed they united their words and their thoughts, the Creators were bent deep around in talks, …while they meditated,it became clear to them that when Dawn [the sun would come] would break, man must appear…they planned the creation…the growth of trees…thickets…how things would crawl and jump, the birth of life…the creation of man…Thus it was arranged in the darkness and in the night by the Heart of  Heaven …called Huracan. [Only the Standard works of the Mormon Church and the TC teach that there were several creators and beings who were engaged in the creation, one of the creators of the world was a pre-existent being called Michael, in the Popol Vuh he is called Guaumatz, the forefather, who then became the first born man on the world, [Abraham 1:3]  known by Mormons as Adam. Note that the plants come after the Dawn, or sun appears. These Popol Vuh parallels are extremely important.   

“Caculha Huracan…Chipi-Caculha…Rexa-Caclha…these three are the Heart of Heaven [Godhead]  Tepeu and Gucumatz came together [Christ and Michael] …conferred about life and light, what they would do so there could be light and dawn…who it would be who would provide food and sustenance. [they needed light before they could set up the food web, food followed light. TC] Thus let it be done! Let the emptiness be filled! Let the water recede and make a void, let the water weave its way downward so the earth can show its face,  let the earth appear and become solid. Let it be done. Thus they spoke. Let there be light [the sun] let there be dawn in the sky and on the earth, let the light break on the ridges, let the sky  fill up with the yellow light of dawn!  There shall be neither glory nor grandeur in our creation and formation until the human being is made, man is formed. So they Spoke…The earth was created by them…they created the earth…they said…it was made.” (Hunter pp. 92-93, Abraham Chap. 4)

The three Gods mentioned at the beginning of the above quote, are also translated more clearly and explained by Christenson as: “First is Thunderbolt Huracan, second is Small Thunderbolt, and third is Sudden Thunderbolt. These three together encompass Heart of Sky [Goodhead]…Together they conceived light and life.” (Christenson p. 42)  The first God is Juraqan, [Huracan] means “One Leg”…[meaning] “One of a Kind”…refers to his unique nature as the essential power of the sky…the divine axis around which time and all creation revolve in endless, repetitive cycles.” (Christenson p. 42)  “These three gods comprise the powers of the sky, symbolized by various aspects of the thunderbolt…the idea of a trinity in Maya cosmology may be very ancient...[the] primary focus of the creation is to form humanity.” (Christenson p. 42) The great ruins of Central America, when examined closely, have triadic temple groups. There is the El Tigre Group at Mirador, one of the very large ruins which have a triadic temple group atop its own terraced platform. The great ruin of Lamanai with its terraced platform rises more than 30 meters above the adjacent plaza, supports a triadic temple complex. (Henderson pp. 98-99) The triadic group of the North Acropolis at Tikal, which I and my two older sons had the pleasure of climbing, are triadic and were built at the beginning of the Christian era. (Henderson p. 102)  This was a ‘must see’ area when we visited this region. A careful examination of monuments as diverse at the Pyramids of Egypt which are triadic, the Borrow group of Mounds at Stonehenge, the Monk’s Mound group at Cahokia, and the features at the Newark earthworks, (Fagan pp. 162, 188, 207) indicate that that the triadic structures have gone mostly unnoticed. The implication is clear. The symbols of a trinity, or three in the Godhead exists in many of the great cultural areas. And all of them are related to the cosmic picture as each of the creators of the mounds and temples understood. Something had been going on anciently and all over the world. What did the ancients know that the Mormons now know and the rest of the religious world has forgotten or lost?   

“The Creators were struck by the beauty and exclaimed, it will be a creation that will mount the darkness! Then there is a long paragraph about the critters and creepy crawling things and all animals with designated homes where they would mate and reproduce, go to the wood to mate…make nests to mate…fill the air with your children, they spoke to each creature in turn, assigning each a place, and the birds and animals, snakes and jaguars, went look for their nests and homes. With their places established, the Forefathers asked them to speak, cry, warble, call.’” (Nelson pp. 35-30) There follows the penchant for the ancients to create a cause and explanation of anything and everything, even why the animals were to be eaten, and a failed attempt to create man and an effort to explain the origin of monkeys.

“Like the mist, like a cloud…a cloud of dust was the creation…the mountains appeared from the water…and grew…By a miracle…were the mountain and valleys formed…groves of cypresses and pines put forth shots together on the surface of the earth…Gucumatz was filled with Joy…your coming has been fruitful, Heart of Heaven…our work, our creation shall be finished.  First the earth was formed, the mountains…valleys…currents of water were divided…rivulets…running…between the hills…the water was separated when the high mountains appeared. Thus was the earth created…formed by the Heart of Heaven…as they are called who first made it fruitful, when the sky was in suspense and the earth was submerged in the water. So it was that they made perfect the work, when they did it after thinking and meditating upon it.” (Hunter pp. 91-93; Abraham Chap. 4; see also my CD, ADAM No. 21)

“Therefore the earth was created by them…their word brought about the creation of it’…Then they called forth the mountains from the water. Straightaway the great mountain came to be. It was merely their spirit essence, their miraculous power that brought about the creation of the mountains and the valleys. Straightaway were created cypress groves and pine forests to cover the face of the earth…The earth was firmly set in place in the midst of the waters. Thus was conceived the successful completion of the work as they thought and as they pondered it.” (Christenson  p. 43)  However, the third translation by Christenson, the more recent one, is annotated extensively and therefore more informative. It seems apparent that the Popol Vuh drew its original understanding from a much more complete source or account of the Genesis story than is found in modern bibles, or Moses, but the linkage between and to what is found in Abraham 4:3l & 5:2-3, is specific. In other words, Abraham’s understanding by vision or ancient records that he had, and of the Temple Ceremony and the source of the original information adapted into the versions of the Popol Vuh were the same or from a common source! “All the spirits that ever were or ever will be upon this earth were begotten by God. Man, as a spirit, was begotten and born of heavenly parents and reared to maturity in the eternal mansions of the ‘father, prior to coming…upon the earth…to undergo an experience in mortality…here because of our faithfulness in having kept our first estate. We are here because we are worthy to be here…placed…upon earth for their testing.” (Abraham 3:22-26; Madsen p. 14) The Brass Plates are represented as having a more complete account of the creation story than existing records, and certainly it was older and its account contained details that crop up in various accounts and traditions. It is very rewarding to ponder and dig deeply into the varied accounts because they have much to say to support the authenticity of the restoration that now constitutes the beliefs of the LDS Church..

ANOTHER TRADITION OF DAYS OF DARKNESS:

“When Quetzalcoatl died, for which reason they call him Lord of Dawn. They say that when he died dawn [the sun] did not appear for four days, because he had gone to dwell among the dead…The soul [at death] follows the same route: she descends from her celestial home and enters the darkness of matter, only to rise again, glorious.” (Sejourne pp. 58-59)  Several elements in this Quotation are unique to Mormon Doctrine.

ELEPHANTS- ETHER 9:19

Early in the Jaredite history there is mention of Elephants. Thus in 1829 a book is published that indicates that near the time of the Jaredites (before 2200 BC) man encountered elephants in Central or South America or both! For this the Book of Mormon was derided and a lot of dissenters got a big laugh out of this apparent error.

But an “extraordinary and momentous find in the Namangosa Valley was the recovery of a mastodon tooth…Mastodon bones have been recovered before in Ecuador-Nax Uhle in 1928 …excavated part of a mastodon skeleton in a cave…in the cordilleras…a carbon-14 date yielded a date of about 3530 B.C. …this explained the stone artifact of a carved elephantine creature…recovered from an ancient crevice burial in the Namangosa Valley…it explained carved elephantine heads on stone mortars recovered in adjacent areas. [elephant like animals seem then to have persisted down to the time of the main inhabitants of the valley]…The vividness with which an elephant like animal was rendered in the stone pieces discovered in the Namangosa valley strongly suggests that it had to be alive in Ecuador with the memory of the tribes that produced these artifact…In Central America the tradition for the elephant form can be clearly seen in Mayan art, both in stone and clay…during the last century  this has caused great controversy as to its interpretation.  Many authorities have postulated that the representation of the elephant in Mayan art is proof of Asian-American contact. However it can be shown that the tradition may have been carried north from the equatorial belt. Pottery vessels with the unmistakable deposition of the elephant or mastodon have been recovered from archaeological sites in Guatemala, Honduras, and the Yucatan. But without doubt the mastodon or elephant form played a significant role in the spiritual and religion beliefs of both South American and Mesoamerican cultures. Even today, around the campfire, jungle-dwelling Indians recount ancient legends of a huge creature with a serpent-like nose and wings for ears that once walked the land. According to their tales, it was so big and heavy that it trampled everything in its path, thereby helping the people to forge new trails through the dense forest.” (Turolla pp. 243-246) There are a number of pages of photos of remarkable stone carvings of elephants in this book. Turolla is not a Mormon.

HOPI FOOD STORAGE, WELFARE, AND ASSISTANCE TO THOSE IN NEED

During the time that John G. Bourke was granted a year’s leave in 1880-1881 for the purpose of recording the customs of the Indians, in particular the HOPI, (At that time he called them Moqui) he recorded some very interesting practices of the HOPI,  which included an ancient order of food storage, welfare for the community and especially assistance to those in need He also provided an account of the Snake Dance, (Bourke pp. 149-169) compare this with the account that I gave of the dance as I experienced it more than 65 years later. (Erickson pp 141-150) He also gives an account of a Mormon Church service among the HOPI that he attended. (Bourke pp. 358-364) Mormons had been active missionaries among the HOPI since before 1856. Had the Hopi adopted the system of food storage, welfare and assistance to those in need as practiced by the Mormons? Their traditions were being modified by the Mormon influence, but the HOPI had been practicing these aspects of social care for their own people for a traditionally long time, while certain aspects of these practices were not introduced into the Mormon Church until the 1930’s, some fifty years after Bourke’s first hand observations.

THE RETURN OF THE WHITE GOD

While the HOPI were expecting further word from their White God, the Aztec also had expectations. “In the language spoken by the Aztecs the word for God was teotl. The glyph they used to evoke this word was the picture of the Sun…when used alone, the word …had reference to the sun—who is thus dignified as ‘the god.’ In compounds the word teotle has secondary meanings of that which is difficult, vast, awesome, and dangerous …genuineness and rareness.” (Brundage p 50) As in so many ideas of the Aztecs, their symbols were only that, just representations of the underlying reality they sought to express. Note that the semantics of the meanings are most descriptive of God. In this case they refer to Quetzalcoatl, a distinctive being.  The chronicler, Dias del Castillo, for Cortes quoted in earlier Parts of this study, tells “the story of a soldier in possession of a helmet half-gilt….rusty…one of the Indian leaders…wished to see it…it was like one they possessed that had been left to them by their ancestors of the race from which they had sprung…it had been placed on the head of their god HICHILOBOS…their prince Montezuma would like to see this helmet…they thought the ships were floating temples….that the golden-haired …Alvarado was TONATIUYH, the Sun God (Sten p. 21)…[they] attempt to overcome strangeness with a comparison…the Florentine Codex, wheretheAztecsidentifiedtheSpaniardswithQuetzalcoatl, thenarrativeputsthecomparisonoftheSpaniardswithQuetzalcoatlinsidetheheadoftherulerMoctezuma:…Thus it was thought that this was Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl who had come to land. For in their hearts they knew that he would come…to land, just to find his mat, his seat, For he had traveled there (eastward) when he departed…The Aztec’s…hopes were influential in their interpretation of the encounter with the Spaniards…the Aztec ruler…[they] 1)…thought Cortes was…Quetzalcoatl who was  2) returning …to 3) restore his glorious kingdom…one of the key proofs…was directional…the new arrivals came from the east…Cortez’s Second Letter to [king] Carlos V…Moctezuma,…Cortes tells us,…welcomes the Spanish captain as a returning ancestor…destined to rule the land and now is to be obeyed…and because of what Cortes has said earlier about the Spanish king, Moctezuma states that they are ‘certain that he [the king] …is our natural Lord’….they are certain he is the natural Lord and that the Kingdom is now his. Moctezuma, sitting on a throne across from the one on which Cortez was sitting, speaks, for a long time we have known from the writing of our ancestors that neither I, nor any of those who dwell in this land, are native of it, but foreigners who came form very distant parts; and likewise we know that a chieftain, of whom they are all vassals brought our people to this region. And he returned to his native land…and after many years he came again…they would not …admit him as their chief;, and so he departed…you tell us of the great Lord or King, who sent you here…we believe and are certain he is our natural lord….especially, as you say….he had known of us for some time.”  (Carrasco p. 210-211)

This and more was written down in 1520. Another account in a another letter by Cortez deals with the shift of authority to the returning ancestor even though Moctezuma no longer welcomes Cortez, but tells his chiefs, that that “we have always expected him…according to the direction whence he says he comes…I am certain that this is the same lord whom we have been waiting…the tributes and services…you have rendered to me, render not to him.” (Carrasco p. 212) However, in the Spanish accounts there is some fiction researchers have been trying to sort it out. But it is certain that details of the account were not conjured up by any Spanish writer, there is ancient historical truths in the content and Book of Mormon parallels that would never occur to any Spanish writer then or now.

So, “A few years before the arrival of the Spaniards…the Aztec Emperor, Moctezuma 11, and Nezahualpili…ruler of Texcoco, played the [sacred] ballgame to test a grim prophecy. As a famous sage, Nezahualpili had interpreted the startling appearance of a comet in the east as a harbinger of destruction for the Triple Alliance. Moctezuma declined to accept the explanation and the ballgame was played to decide the validity of the revelation. As predicted, Moctezuma lost the game, and eventually his Empire [and his life]…It is interesting to note that two of the most powerful personages in pre-Columbian Mexico sought knowledge of an uncertain future in one of the most ancient and wide spread rituals of the Mesoamerican world…[by] playing tlachtli[a} prerogative of the elite…played by mortals…the outcome was thought to be controlled by the gods alone. By virtue of imitation it was a mode of communication with the supernatural originators of the game…it was considered a ritual reenactment first and game of divine chance second. Sacred for millennia…its roots…[are] sought eastward on the gulf coast… metropolitan center of …El Tajin.” (Scarborough p. 45) The region is that of the ancient Olmecs where the ballcourt has been found in most ruins. At El Tajin eleven ballcourts have been found so far, more no doubt exist in this ancient city. Moctezuma should have accepted the revelation given to Nezahuallpili, if he had history might have been entirely different than it became.

Because “…Early [in] the year 1519, at an anchorage…off the Tabasco coast, the first formal meetings between the ambassadors to Moctezuma II and…Hernando Cortes took place. ..1519 happened to be approximately the same as the year l Reed (Ce Acatl) in the Mexican calendar, a catastrophic interpretation was placed on this meeting by the contemporary peoples…the Aztecs in particular viewing it as ominous. Ce Acatl was the date-name of the God Quetzalcoatl…according to prophecy…also the year-date when that god would return from his exile in the east to reinstitute the glories of the Toltec empire.  Because of this calendrical coincidence Cortes was thought by Moctezuma to be the very person of Quetzalcoatl or, barring that, to be at last his lineal successor. The sacred was crowding closely in upon the Aztecs.” (Brundage p. 50-51)

The ambassadors had prepared the regalia of the four main aspects or characteristics expected of the returning God.  Their traditions had so modified their understanding that they created these regalia and prepared elaborate representatives of each to give to Cortes, hoping that he would choose one that represented which attribute of the god he was coming as. However, “the regalia of Quetzalcoatl was first offered directly to Cortes, [with the expectations that he would accept it, they would then recognize him in that capacity and they would know what to expect of him], while the rest of the items were deposited at his feet…it was simply a matter of fit; if the Aztecs should be mistaken and the god [Cortes]  was not Quetzalcoatl, he would be one of the other three and could easily select his proper regalia…The Aztecs appear to have been  a people compelled to insist on the visible presences of their gods.” (Brundage p. 51-56) To their horror, he accepted the regalia offered to him, without graciousness, and collected all of the others up without so much as a thank you. They knew then they were in deep trouble. Were the other three sets of regalia those of a named god, or “the essence of godhead, undifferentiated and numinous?” (Brundage p. 51) Cortes did not help them in their dilemma. “The Aztecs had a very concrete, hard-edged picture of each of their gods, who were in general anthropomorphically conceived…For the Aztecs the mask [regalia], by its power of definition and localization, was as impressively divine as the god himself.” (Brundage p. 52)  So they were thoroughly terrorized and could not get away from Cortez soon enough. This confrontation and mistaken identity led to the downfall of the Aztec nation and the conquest of New Spain by Cortez. But, the tradition of the return of a white God has been verified in many preserved traditions. His main coming, however, is still a future event.  Accepting the first coming of white man as this White God led to havoc in many areas of the Western Hemisphere.

CODEX VINDOBONENSIS MEXICANUS

This Codex is also called the Vienna Codex and it is 13.55 meters [40.65 feet] long and has 52 pages. It bears the name of the place where it is now to be found.” (Sten p. 31)  “The Mixtecs and Mexica….employed three methods in their writing systems and arrived at principles of syllabic writing. [Pictographic, idographic and phonetics].” (Sten p. 36) Extracts from the Vienna Codex hints at things that are very familiar: “Meeting between 9 Wind [Michael, Adam] and the Creator Gods, who endow him with emblems and divine attributes and instruct him as to his mission on earth. Descent of 9 Wind to earth, where he separates the sky and the waters from the surface of the earth…Birth of the sun and the beginning of the flow of time, [Times and Seasons Vol  5, p.757] [for the] Establishment of the ceremonies and rites of propitiation for the preservation of the earthly and cosmic order. ” (Florescano p. 112) See, in his book, a comparative Table (Table No. 2) relating the Origin of the Cosmos.

In the Vienna Codex  [one of the creator Gods called Nine Wind, [a name selected by the way his day of the year fell on the calendrical wheels, [he is Michael or Adam] he “Converses with the two [other] creator Gods, who instruct him…They grant him an ancient …weapon…also assign him four houses… called houses of prayer…the exceptional birth of Nine Wind [Abraham l:3] is associated with the beginning of cosmic order and time…[he is] the initiator of a new era of the world which according to the Vienna Codex occurs on the day 5 Flint of the year 5 Flint…after his meeting with the creator gods…he descends from the night sky to the earth.” (Florescano p. 25)  Compare this with what Mormons know about Adam. “In the spirit and again in the flesh, man was created by the Father.” (McConkie p.21; Abraham l:3)

However, Florescano summarizes this portion of the Vienna Codes with a new reading: “The meeting between the pair of creator gods and Nine Wind, who is instructed about his tasks and receives the attributes and the authority to realize them…[his] appearance on earth [Abraham l:3]…the revelation of the earthy region of the Mixtec region; the birth of the Mixtec gods…the assembly of the gods and goddesses…followed by the definition of his attributes and the implantation in the Mixtec pantheon; the revelation of the useful plants and their forms of growth and use, the appearance of the sun and the beginning of the incessant flux of time; and finally, the establishment of the rites and ceremonies [TC] necessary to ensure the conservation of the earthly and cosmic order. The lineage of humans begins and their governors begin with these foundations, which according to the Mixtec codices, is a genealogy descending from the creator gods.” (Florescano p. 32) Who ever taught that man was descended from the creator gods? Then what follows is heavily saturated with traditions and explanations added and embellished up to the time of the Spanish Conquest, resulting in the legends and the highly complex myth of Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl, “Which has generated a very mixed bag of interpretations” (Florescano p. 33) out of which we try to select limited parallels.

Certainly this account suggests a very close retelling of Michael or Adam and his change from a creator god to a human being to come on earth to start the human genealogy. The Vienna Codex was in place before the Spanish came, and it is highly unlikely that a Spanish priest would have conjured up a story like the above so akin to the Mormon understanding of the events in the history of the earth and the peopling of it. 

OMETEOTL THE DUAL GOD: MOTHER AND FATHER IN HEAVEN

Just as there are more than 100 names that refer to Christ in the Book of Mormon, so there are many names for the supreme god of the Aztecs. Each name describes some aspects or attribute of god as they understood him. A little digression into an example of this might help understand ancient Mayan and Aztec thought. The term te-youcoyani… means “theonewhomakesorcreatesmen.” The supreme god is also [called] Tezcatlanextia, [he who] “illumines things.” (Brundage pp. 87-88) But The Mormons believe that in the pre-earth life a heavenly mother nurtured and cared for us, her offspring, and that she is included in the GODHEAD.

In a study edited by Ernst Mengin, Historia Toltec-Chichimeca, on [page33] there is an “early poem, the oldest dealing with the theory of a duel entity…In the place of sovereignty…WE RULE…The god of duality is at work. Creator of men…the Chichimecs made allusion to their supreme being, the dual god…Ometeotl…He is teyocoyani…the one who makes or creates men…the supreme god is…Tezcatlanextia …which illumines things…this theological concept was so important that it became a significant part of Nahuatl birth ceremonies…a male has been born, sent here by our mother, our father, Lord of duality, Lady of duality…who dwells in the nine heavens…in the place of duality…he is tonan in Tota, our mother and father, and it is he who sends men forth into the world.” (Leon-Portilla pp. 84-89 see also my CD,  ANCIENT GODS AND DOCTRINES OF CENTRAL AMERICA  No. 16)

Juan de Torquemada in his study Los Veintiun Libros Ritualesn y Monarquia Indiana, 11, p. 37, stated that “These Indians wanted the Divine Nature shared by two gods, man and wife” …There can be no doubt that the Nahuas assigned a variety of names to Ometeotl, and the diversity of roles which Oemteotl performed corresponds to his variety of names: He is lord and Lady of duality (Ometicuhtli-Omecihuatl), he is Lord and Lady of our maintenance (Tonacatecuhtli-Tonacacihuatl), he is mother and father of the gods…he is our mother, our father (in Tonan, in Tota)…for a comprehensive vision of the dual and ubiquitous divinity.” (Leon-Portilla p. 90)  Certainly, the Central Americans could not have gotten this concept of a Mother and Father in the Godhead from any Spanish influence, or any where else for that matter, only if the Book of Mormon is authentic and reflects the anciently held beliefs of those people. Among the Mormons it is a sacred and respected concept, most often times expressed in song. (Cannon p. 43: also see my CD, the HEAVENLY MOTHER No. 23)    

THE SPIRIT WORLD: THE AFTER WORLD

“The American  conceptions of the NETHER WORLD is completely different from the  Christian view.” (Florescano pp. 55-57) We want to know if this view even comes close to the Mormon view?  Most of the Indian Tribes have very little say about the AFTER WORLD, the world after earthly life or the world after life, too often they confuse the world after death with a traditional explanation of some marvelous place one goes to when one dies, a place they call the NETHER WORLD.  The place where the spirit of man goes after death is most often in Central American accounts also called the OTHER WORLD.  It is difficult to find any tribe that has something specific that is real and not embellished with story and traditions. In some traditions, “they conceived of the OTHER WORLD as an aquatic reservoir…[symbolized] as an undulating line simulating the crests of water…the Mayan ball court was a symbolic expression of the geographical space of the netherworld.” (Florescano pp. 66-68) Most had little to say about life after death or the departure from this earthly life. The Aztec concept of the universe demonstrates “that the various cosmic beliefs of the Nahuas revolved around the [Sun, their symbol for God the] great solar myth which enthrones the Aztecs specifically as ‘the people of the Sun’…although myths and beliefs constitute the primary attempts to solve the mysteries of the universe, true philosophic development requires conscious and formal inquiry.” In other words, in most of the myths and stories conjured up to explain everything, there is more there than meets the eye.  Some Central American tribes believe  “The cyclical sacrifice of natural and human life took place at a SITE INSIDE THE EARTH….even before the time of the Olmecs…they identified the inside of the earth as the most surprising place of the cosmos, precisely because they saw in this region the meeting of the forces that devoured life and consumed light with the germinating powers that initiated the rebirth of plants and solar light and in turn provided nourishment for human life…the important gods of Mesoamerica were those of the netherworld…these powers managed the forces of destruction, decadence, and death as well as the miracles of regeneration.” (Florescano pp. 73-74)  But a closer look at the traditions show a deeper understanding of the after life that earlier students of the subject have recognized before.

The AFTER WORLD was sacred space, it “was a place of transformation. It symbolized the passage from one region of the cosmos to another: the transit from a natural state [life] to another, the change from one vital or astral cycle to another…the BALLGAME was a symbolic enactment of the battle between the power of day and night…[good and evil] the two teams appeared on either side of the ball court representing the forces of night and day: darkness and light. In the nocturnal version of this dramatic game, the forces of darkness combat the radiant sun, lead it slowly inside the earth, and sacrifice it when it enters into this region. In the daytime version, the forces of light and heat allied themselves to snatch the reborn sun from the maws of the earth monster and transport it triumphantly to the surface.” (Florescano p. 74) The “essence of the ball game seems to be a contest between opposing forces,” [2 Nephi 2:11,15]… implying the victory of one of the contenders and the necessary death of the other…[in the game] one of the contenders was decapitated within the [after world as depicted on the Ball Court walls of Chichen Itza] …one of the most common practices was the blood sacrifice of children or adults in the initial and terminal phases of the agricultural cycles. …the ballgame is associated with the movements of celestial bodies…related to fertility…and attribute it with the deepest meaning:  it is the place of primordial creation, the region where the present era of the world originates…the ball court is a representation of this sacred region, the site of which the “first True Mountain” [all Mayan Pyramids are considered mountains] arose and from whose fissure the corn plant sprouted…[it is] one of the most important regions…with other levels of the cosmos...communicated …through portals that would open up during execution of extraordinary acts…The Olmec monuments…show the [after world] is the place where the generation of life occurs and the site where the ancestors were transformed into gods…the [priests] and rulers maintain a direct connection to this environment…and to its relation with the ancestors…[the] right hand holds…and umbilical chord…[that] connects it with another feature engraved on the side of the monument who appears to be his ancestor or relative…the so called Princeton vase, a vase in Olmec style with Mayan silver…distinctly define the three levels of the vertical axis of the cosmos: the netherworld, the surface of the earth, and the celestial region…[in the After World, one can participate] in the Hun Nal Ye dance the dance that precedes his resurrection.” (Forescano pp. 74-90) The Olmecs were the Jaredites and the Mayans were the Nephites.

There are enough symbols and elements in the above accounts to cause the serious Mormon researcher to really want to dig deeper into the ancient traditions, as these elements are only understood by one well versed in Mormon doctrine. We will conclude our research on these interesting subjects in PART 6 of this series.  

BIBLIOGRAHY

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