Archive for category: Archaeology

–

INTRODUCTION

It may be helpful to read Introduction to scriptural archeology for an introduction to this article covering important background information on why archeological dating methods give screwed results and on the geographical alteration of the narrow neck of land.

(To clarify dates, throughout the rest of the text scriptural/historical dates are preceded by S/H; while archaeological dates, including carbon dates, are preceded by A/C. In printed versions, footnotes which reference scriptures are in red; footnotes which reference archaeological sources are in black).

Correlated timeline of archeological and scriptural dates

THE SCATTERING AT BABEL AND THE EARLY JAREDITE CULTURE. Archaeologists place the first modern humans in the Near East’s fertile crescent around 100,00 years ago ^[72], which, according to our calibrated timeline, is immediately after the Flood. From there man was “scattered . . . abroad . . . upon the face of all the earth . . .” (Genesis 11:8) ^[73]; scientists following the path of homo sapiens identify a major scattering between 40,000 and 70,000 years ago when modern man spread from the Near East to Europe, the Far East, Australia, and the Americas ^[74]. In America, studies of hereditary traits on the first group of PaleoIndians to reach America have concluded that they consisted of no more than a handful of families (S/H: around 2100 BC; A/C: around 40,000 years ago) ^[75]/ ^[76]. The two earliest major PaleoIndian cultures that developed from this handful of families, the Clovis Culture and the Folsom Culture , spread widely but sparsely from the Southwestern United States to cover most of the continental United States ^[77]/ ^[78].

OMER AND HIS HOUSEHOLD. As this early period in American Prehistory was coming to a close, a small group of families left the core area and settled “by the seashore” directly east of the hill Cumorah (Ether 9:1–13) ^[79]. The group of sites, in and around northeastern Massachusetts, are called the Bull Brook Complex by archaeologists ^[80]. Clovis points found at several of the sites tie it to the Southwest ^[81]. Building on excavations by D.S. Byers in the mid-50’s ^[82], archaeological societies in the Northeast have pieced together the history of the Bull Brook Complex ^[83]. Their findings and subsequent analysis have shown the interactions of a system of organized, interdependent groups with specialized work force networks ^[84]. It is recognized as containing the highest level of social structure in America at that time ^[85], which would be expected in a “refugee camp” of the royal household ^[86].

PRE-DEARTH JAREDITE CULTURE. . As Moroni attests, the next archaeological period saw the rise of a richer and more diversified culture ^[87]/ ^[88]. The Plano and Early Eastern Archaic Cultures fanned across the continent (S/H: around 1600-1200 BC; A/C: around 8500-6000 BC) ^[89]. Scientists have found the full spectrum of plants and animals corresponding to the days of Emer. According to Moroni, during the early Pre-Dearth Jaredite time period they had “all manner of cattle, of oxen, and cows, and of sheep, and of swine, and of goats, and also many other kinds of animals which were useful for the food of man.” ^[90]Archaeologists have found many species of American bison from this time period, which ruminants are classified by zoologists as wild cattle, oxen and cows (family Bovidae, genus Bos) ^[91]. Similarly, there are food remains of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain goats at many sites from this period ^[92]. Peccaries are animals from this period which are classified as swine and are in the same group as domestic pigs and hogs (sub-order Suina) ^[93]. The “many other kinds of animals” of Moroni’s list would include deer, elk, moose, caribou, and pronghorn ^[94]. Thanks to new site-investigation methods, scientists have found that fruits, grains and vegetables were part of the PaleoIndian diet ^[95]; the Darwinian view that the PaleoIndians were merely carnivorous stockers of megafauna is being abandoned. More careful analysis of early sites and artifacts is yielding increasing evidence of fine textiles ^[96], which means the people didn’t just wear rough animal hides. Moroni also mentions that horses, elephants, cureloms and cumoms were useful to man, and that elephants and cureloms and cumoms were “more especially” useful to man (Ether 9:19). Potential beasts of burden which have been found in association with PaleoIndians include horses, tapirs, mammoths, mastodons, giant bison, giant ground sloths, and camels ^[97]. Coincidentally, the horse and the tapir would not have been very useful as beasts of burden because the Ice Age variety existent at this time were only about the size of a dog ^[98]; hence, it was the elephants and cureloms and cumoms which were “more especially” useful to man.

THE GREAT DEARTH. Then the PaleoIndian culture was rocked. In the scriptures, we read of secret combinations infesting society, and then a chastening, in the form of a great dearth (Ether 9:30–35). Archaeologists attest that it was probably the worst famine in North American history. Mass extinction spread across America as the Ice Age came to a rapid and catastrophic close ^[99]. Excess hunting by starving people and severe environmental changes drove the megafauna to extinction ^[100]. Scientists have found that serpents were abundant at that time in the American Southwest (as they are today) and the closing of the Ice Age caused many varied migrations in snake species across North America ^[101]. The serpents and the drought divided the people in the north from the fauna, which escaped to the south ^[102]. When the climate finally recovered, the people instigated a revolution in agriculture ^[103]/ ^[104], since they had now lost their domesticated animals.

POST-DEARTH JAREDITE CULTURE. Moroni’s next exposition on culture comes in the days of Lib (Ether 10:18–28). My corresponding period is labeled by archaeologists as the Middle and Late Archaic. Often indistinguishable from one another, these two cultural periods represent a major advancement over the preceding culture ^[105]. Again the culture spread across North America from coast to coast ^[106]. There were villages, agriculture, and widespread trade networks ^[107]. South of the narrow neck, in the Mexican highland and beyond, the only inhabitants we find are organized hunting parties, which “coincidentally” brought spear points of North American manufacture and style ^[108]/ ^[109]. Scientists recognize metallurgy from this time period, and copper is the most common metal found ^[110]/ ^[111]. Many fine textiles have also survived from this period ^[112]/ ^[113]. Moroni says they made “all manner of tools to till the earth, both to plow and to sow, to reap and to hoe, and also to thrash” ^[114]. He also says they had, “all manner of tools with which they did work their beasts” (Ether 10:26–27). Most of the tools on this list have been found by archaeologists at sites dating to the Middle and Late Archaic ^[115]. New weapons were also invented and manufactured, although archaeologists currently view them only as hunting weapons ^[116]/ ^[117]. Another major industry of the Jaredites was wood exploitation ^[118]. A huge assortment of woodworking tools has been found at Archaic period sites across the Nation ^[119]. Truly this was a highly-developed culture—a time of great prosperity. How tragic that they lost it all because of secret combinations! ^[120]

THE DESOLATION OF THE JAREDITES. The desolation of the Jaredites began in the Southwest and climaxed in New York State ^[121]. It is witnessed archaeologically by a widespread “cremation” burial culture ^[122]. Continent-wide scientists find a change in burial customs from proper burials to cremation burials and “ceremonial” burning of homes and entire villages (Shiz and his army) ^[123]/ ^[124]. Archaeologists have also found evidence of large-scale “bundle burials,” which is the practice of bundling the disarticulated, defleshed bones of dead people in bags or cordages, and then either burying them or dumping them in the trash ^[125]. Surely it was a gruesome scene that the first Nephites to re-inhabit the desolate land northward were required to witness and clean up ^[126].

Correlated timeline of archeological and scriptural dates

THE ARRIVAL OF THE NEPHITES AND MULEKITES. The Jaredites were the sole inhabitants of America until two small groups of sea-going travelers crossed the Pacific (S/H: 600 BC; A/C: 3000 BC). As early as 1916 scholars had identified the general location of the two landing sites. G. Elliot Smith published an article with Science titled “The Origin of the Pre-Columbian Civilization of America” in which he detailed ethnological evidence of the landings and further showed how scholars of that day had attempted to cover up the findings because they lent support to the Bible and against Darwinism ^[127]. In his book, Articles of Faith, James E. Talmage describes the author’s findings: “Dr. Smith presents an impressive array of evidence pointing to the Old World and specifically to Egypt, as the source of many of the customs by which the American aborigines are distinguished. The article is accompanied by a map showing . . . two landing places on the west coast, one in Mexico and another near the boundary common to Peru and Chile, from which place the immigrants spread.” ^[128]Archaeological evidence has further refined these findings. Most archaeologists now agree to a South American landing, putting it a little further north, specifically in modern Ecuador ^[129](which “coincidentally” lies “a little south of the Isthmus of Darien” ^[130]). The location of the second landing spot is unknown; characteristic artifacts also point to the west coast of Mexico ^[131]— legend puts it at a place called “seven caverns” ^[132]. Both the Valdivia culture of Ecuador (the Lehites), and the Otomangue-speaking people of the Mexican highland (the Mulekites), brought the first true pottery to the Americas; in both cultures the pottery was already well-developed even at the earliest sites ^[133]. Both cultures are distinguished as being the first harvesters of cultigens (plants incapable of growing without human help), the most important cultigen being corn ^[134]. The architecture and burial customs of these two groups can easily be tied to the Old World. Square waddle and daub homes with storage pits in the floor dotted their lands ^[135]. Their temples and public buildings are extremely similar to those of Egypt and Israel. Subfloor burials and burial positions also match those of the Middle East ^[136].

EARLY MULEKITE CULTURE. The newly arrived Otomangue-speaking culture (Mulekites) began to spread across the Mexican highland (Zarahemla). Although they covered a large area, they lived in small scattered villages, and archaeologists recognize very little social structure among them ^{[137] [138]}.

EARLY LEHITE CULTURE. The Valdivia culture also fanned out over a large area, stylistic pottery has been traced from Ecuador up through Columbia and Panama into Coastal areas of Guatemala and Southern Chiapas {{139}}. When Nephi fled from his brothers {{140}}, it seems that he led his followers to the central depression of Chiapas and settled in the Grijalva river valley. The first cultural layers there are of a unique, tight-knit group (Zoque/early Nephite), centered around Chiapa de Corzo (the land of Nephi), which remained separate from the surrounding cultures that were developing (Maya/Lamanite) {{141}}/ {{142}}. The Nephite culture began the seeds of civilization which later influenced all of Mesoamerica, and eventually all of North America {{143}}. Some of the Lamanites appear to have followed Nephi’s party; a group associated with the early Maya (Lamanites) settled further up in the Grijalva river valley {{144}}. Other groups remained in South America which over time developed very independent cultures {{145}}; apparently not associated with the history outlined in the Book of Mormon.

EARLY LAMANITE CULTURE. The Lamanites (early Maya) digressed and became a very primitive people {{146}}/ {{147}}. Archaeologists label them as “hunters and gatherers,” because they stocked the forests for game, lived in tents and temporary shelters, and practiced limited agriculture {{148}}/ {{149}}. They did some fishing, and they had very limited agriculture (primarily limited to picking wild fruits and edible roots) {{150}}. Archaeologists think it was because they did not have the technology, the scriptures teach that it was because they were lazy.

Warfare is evident as archaeologists find a large assortment of weapons, far exceeding the needs of mere hunters {{151}}. The early Maya (Lamanites) set up chiefdoms in each local community; at this early date they do not appear to have been a cohesive unit, but rather groups of village communities, competing and perhaps fighting with each other for resources {{152}} — apparently united only in their hatred toward the Nephites {{153}}. Laman and Lemuel seem to have taught their children the pagan practices they had learned in Jerusalem. Archaeologists find cultic artifacts associated with the worship of a fertility goddess; they also worshipped Chac, who is the Maya equivalent of Baal from the Old World {{154}}. In this early period we also see the beginnings of the Jaguar cult. The Maya made costumes from the coats of beasts of prey and used these costumes in religious rituals {{155}}/ {{156}}. Early Mayan vices match those Enos and Jarom attributed to the Lamanites: pornography in the form of nude ceramic figurines, idleness, and drunkenness (typically chicha, an alcohol made from corn) {{157}}/ {{158}}.

The Formative

INTRODUCTION TO THE FORMATIVE. At the dawn of the formative period there were several major demographic shifts which set the stage for the developing cultures. First, King Mosiah I and his people left the Land of Nephi (Chiapa de Corzo) and traveled to Zarahemla (central Mexico) to join the Mulekites (S/H: around 200 BC; A/C: around 1400 BC) {{159}}. This is seen archaeologically as an influx of Mixe-zoquean culture brings new advances to central Mexico, and public buildings begin to appear in the larger villages {{160}}.

THE PEOPLE OF ZENIFF. Back in Chiapa de Corzo (the land of Nephi), the surrounding culture (Maya/Lamanites) destroyed all traces of the departing group (Nephites) {{161}}/ {{162}}. Shortly, however, high culture returned to the valley {{163}}as Zeniff and his people arrive and begin to build anew many public buildings and restore the land {{164}}/ {{165}}. The new inhabitants of Chiapa de Corzo (people of Zeniff) were an ethnically distinct group which did not mix with the surrounding Maya (Lamanites) {{166}}/ {{167}}. Initially their culture was very similar to that of central Mexico (from which they had come), but the similarities decreased as time went on and they (the people of Zeniff, now led by King Noah) became extravagant in their prosperity. Lavishness dominates the architecture and material culture of this period {{168}}/ {{169}}. Just before Chiapa de Corzo returned to Mayan Culture (Lamanites), the people of the Grijalva depression gave birth to one of the richest and most influential Mesoamerican cultures of the pre-Christian era—the Olmecs (Amulonites) {{170}}/ {{171}}.

THE AMULONITES AND THEIR INFLUENCE OVER THE LAMANITES. The Amulonite (Olmec) culture seems to have developed in the lowlands of Veracruz, Mexico. The simple farming village of San Lorenzo (probably Helam) {{172}}/ {{173}}suddenly began a massive public works effort using slave labor (probably the followers of Alma) {{174}}/ {{175}}. Soon a handful of great cities commenced, and Olmec influence spread to other lands {{176}}/ {{177}}. Olmec art and religious themes support an Amulonite correlation: powerful, dominating priests, were-jaguar babies, female dancers, and a plethora of demi-gods and idols {{178}}/ {{179}}. Throughout the Mayan lands, Olmec teachers began to train the Maya (Lamanites) in the language and learning of the Mexican highland people (the Nephites) {{180}}/ {{181}}. With this new education the Maya began to prosper and make many technological advances {{182}}/ {{183}}. New trade networks spread across southern Mexico, the Yucatan and Guatemala, and all roads passed through Olmec lands, which made them vastly rich and extremely influential {{184}}. Some archaeologists call the Olmecs the “mother culture” of Mesoamerica {{185}}.

THE FALL OF THE AMULONITES. As prophesied by Abinadi, the Amulonites (Olmecs) were soon devastated {{186}}/ {{187}}. Using a cesium magnetometer to detect buried basalt, Michael Coe, a professor of Anthropology at Yale University, and his group found mounds of monuments purposefully defaced, smashed and buried at San Lorenzo {{188}}. Other Olmec sites excavated in the area told the same story: seemingly the Maya (Lamanites) living among the Olmecs (Amulonites) in their gulf-coast empire revolted, defacing and smashing monuments, destroying buildings {{189}}/ {{190}}, and as the Book of Mormon teaches us, massacring the ruling class (the descendants of the priests of Noah) {{191}}. The great Olmecs suddenly disappeared, but their influence over the Maya was seen forever afterward. The sparsely-populated Mayan lands were soon covered with huge temples and city-centers with art and architecture reminiscent of the Olmec style {{192}}.

THE NEPHITES- ALMA THE ELDER AND KING MOSIAH II. Meanwhile, in central Mexico, Alma and his followers escaped to Zarahemla and established the church throughout the Mexican highland {{193}}, witnessed archaeologically by new temples and synagogues built throughout the land {{194}}. Then, several decades later, Mosiah II founded a new democratic government {{195}}, and each land began to build government buildings alongside the new temples (S/H: 91 BC; A/C: around 850 BC) {{196}}. Under the leadership of these inspired founders, the diverse societies of central Mexico integrated to become a very prosperous people {{197}}/ {{198}}. Unfortunately, in many communities this prosperity led to pride, social classes, and perversions, which are all quite visible in the material culture they left behind {{199}}/ {{200}}.

Pre-Classic

THE NEPHITES- CAPTAIN MORONI. These two great nations, the Nephites on the Mexican Plateau and the Lamanites (Maya) in Southern Mexico, Guatemala and Yucatan, began to experience greater conflicts {{201}}/ {{202}}. Foreseeing the coming challenges, Captain Moroni prepared his people and their lands {{203}}. First, the weak lands were fortified and the southern frontier was strengthened {{204}}/ {{205}}. Hilltop fortifications began to dot southern Mexico in Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Guerrero {{206}}/ {{207}}. Great urban fortresses were created {{208}}/ {{209}}. For example, at Monte Alban (Manti), researchers from the University of Michigan found that some leader (Moroni) inspired the people of the valley of Oaxaca to move to the top of a nearby hill in the former “no man’s land” between two warring nations, and there build a fortress with up to 10,000 inhabitants {{210}}. The site has natural cliffs surrounding the city, its temples and its public buildings on three sides; on the fourth side, excavators found a two-mile long wall of earth and stone which still stands almost 30 feet tall and 50-60 feet thick {{211}}/ {{212}}. No wonder Mormon venerated the leadership, courage and vision of Captain Moroni and the manner in which he prepared his people for war.

After Amalickiah’s first attack, a second phase of construction was begun in which fortified cities and hilltop fortresses were built throughout the land of Zarahemla {{213}}which appears to have stretched from Oaxaca to Jalisco and from southwestern Michoacan to northern Veracruz {{214}}. Also, the Book of Mormon records Moroni pushing the Lamanites out of the east wilderness and on the west, then building new cities in these areas in order to create a more defensible border {{215}}. Excavations in southern and western Oaxaca and Guerrero, as well as central Veracruz are now showing such movements of peoples and the construction of new large defensive cities and fortresses {{216}}.

During the time that fortifications were being built in the Mexican highland, a massive weapons production industry commenced throughout Mesoamerica, both in the Mexican Highland (Zarahemla) and in Maya (Lamanite) lands {{217}}/ {{218}}. To accommodate these war preparations, the peoples of the Mexican Highland (Nephites) made major breakthroughs in agriculture and built massive irrigation systems {{219}}. From that time forward, urbanization and trade specialization, with accompanying prosperity, enveloped the Nephite lands {{220}}/ {{221}}.

The great war of Moroni’s time, and the wars that followed, are seen archaeologically in demographic and cultural movements of this time period {{222}}, and in numerous monuments depicting warriors and captives in both Highland Mexico and Maya lands {{223}}. The Lamanites displaced and jumbled the Nephites numerous times {{224}}. There was also a great cultural mixing when groups of Lamanites converted to the Nephite religion and went to live among the Nephites {{225}}, and also when groups became captives {{226}}. Cities experienced occasional upheavals, but most of them changed hands without noticeable ruin {{227}}/ {{228}}.

THE NEPHITES- 57 BC TO AD 33. Time brought greater prosperity {{229}}, which led to ornamentation and extravagant housewares {{230}}. Robbers also infested the land during this period {{231}}—archaeologist have found that many of the graves of nobles and of wealthy people were broken into and the riches were stolen {{232}}. The Book of Mormon teaches that as wars continued numerous groups sought refuge and peace by migrating to far-away lands {{233}}. Archaeologists date the Adena people’s arrival in the Ohio River Valley at this time {{234}}. The Adena cleared the land of the carnage and waste the land’s former inhabitants (the Jaredites) had left {{235}}/ {{236}}, and they brought a new culture with the advancements and technologies of their Mexican homeland {{237}}. Others moved to the Southwestern United States, becoming the earliest Mogollon peoples {{238}}. Those who arrived in North America found a land covered with lakes and rivers—a much more lush environment than the one they had left {{239}}. The Southwest Cultures are famous for their dwellings of stone and cement; cultures of the East for tents; both cultures also built simple homes of scrawny wood poles and thatched walls and roof {{240}}. In a short time the continent was covered with hamlets and villages {{241}}/ {{242}}. The people soon turned to pagan and perverted practices, which spoiled their previously wholesome culture {{243}}/ {{244}}. There is evidence that the first Polynesians reached the Pacific Islands around this same time period {{245}}/ {{246}}.

–

THE NEPHITES- ZION. . The destruction at the time of Christ was discussed earlier. As the ash settled {{247}}/ {{248}}, a new culture spread across the land {{249}}/ {{250}}. In some ways, this new culture was more monolithic; in other ways it was more diverse. Throughout the Americas a new two-room temple replaced varying former styles {{251}}. A utopia of peace and prosperity is spoken of in legends {{252}}/ {{253}}. There is no evidence of weapons being used at this time {{254}}, and the murals, figurines, and architecture show designs of nature, lines of symmetry and harmony, and displays of pleasant animals and domestic life {{255}}. Gone are all signs of a military elite, governmental force, and coercion {{256}}. The Hopewell, the Anasazi, the Mogollon, Teotihuacan, the Maya—continent-wide, the traits are the same {{257}}. The great peace resulting “because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people” (4 Nephi 1:15).

The people were united in righteousness {{258}}, yet at the same time, the culture became more diverse, as the focus turned from making a profit to making quality products and upholding the ideals of family and community {{259}}. Local artisans replaced the mass-production and expansive trade networks of the preceding period {{260}}. Thus there was no need to travel extensively “on business,” so people could spend more time with their families. Family gardens replaced mass-produced food {{261}}. People ate a greater variety of food, but their food was of more local origin {{262}}. Analysis of skeletons shows that the people were healthier and enjoyed longer life spans than during the preceding period {{263}}. The arts flowered during this period {{264}}. The number and variety of musical instruments greatly increased {{265}}. Pottery and other goods became more useful and more beautiful, and less ornamental and extravagant {{266}}. A much greater variety of artifacts is found, but in much smaller quantities than before, and with much less waste {{267}}. The prosperity was great throughout all of the Americas and in all areas of human development, “because of their prosperity in Christ” (4 Nephi 1:23).

In the early classic period the church became very wealthy {{268}}. The people donated their time and skills to the creation and maintenance of beautiful temples and public centers {{269}}. The population exploded {{270}}, but at the same time, the cities became less dense as the communities were reorganized and the people spread out across the land {{271}}. Even the biggest “cities” were only lightly populated, yet they contained ceremonial centers and public buildings large enough to accommodate all the people of the surrounding villages {{272}}. Social classes disappeared, yet the standard of living increased everywhere {{273}}; And “they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God” (4 Nephi 1:17) {{274}}.
It was beautiful. Everything Mormon said was true. Then they lost it all. The line is not clear, but little by little it all slipped away. The late pre-classic ugliness returned, and this time it was even more vile.

THE NEPHITES- PRIDE. As the people became proud, they began to flaunt the wealth they had accumulated over many years of righteousness and prosperity {{275}}. In the archaeological record, we begin to find much larger houses than existed in the preceding period {{276}}, more decorated pottery {{277}}, personal ornamentation (including pearls and elaborate clothing) {{278}}/ {{279}}, extravagant burials of the dead {{280}}, and new long-distance trade networks {{281}}/ {{282}}. They painted murals showing images of power, with soldiers, weapons, kings, priests, slaves, and eventually human sacrifice {{283}}. They built new cities with defense in mind {{284}}, and the existing cities became more dense, decreasing in total area despite the fact that the population was still growing {{285}}/ {{286}}. We see evidence of the rise of social classes, with a new elite class and a definite peasant class {{287}}/ {{288}}. The social classes are most apparent in the big cities.

Political players began to build up monuments to themselves, often showing off their accomplishments {{289}}. We see a cultural split, as the people broke up into different groups {{290}}/ {{291}}. As displays of wealth and power emerged in society and later in government, the church was divided, as the people in every land sought to raise up their own version of Quetzalcoatl (Christ), and to join him with a new pantheon of gods and demigods {{292}}/ {{293}}. In the major ceremonial centers, a priestly class began to exercise power and influence {{294}}/ {{295}}. Temples and temple complexes became colossal and extravagant {{296}}, and often the priests raised themselves to the position of gods or claimed descent from the gods {{297}}. Priests and government leaders began to deform the skulls of their children, and to give themselves and their children tattoos and body paint, all in an effort to separate themselves and their children from the “commoners” {{298}}. Gated communities were developed to protect the elite from the lower class {{299}}.

On the eve of society’s collapse, the pride turned absolutely disgusting {{300}}. Most of the pottery and art became warped, lewd and pornographic {{301}}. Mass production fed trade networks which branched across the continent and resources were exploited on a massive scale {{302}}/ {{303}}. Food production became intense, and the general health of the people correspondingly deteriorated; the incidence of disease increased significantly and life expectancies dropped drastically {{304}}. Body piercing became the norm {{305}}, tobacco and drugs were used widely; smoking was done in smoke houses and in private homes, with cigarettes and with pipes {{306}}. Huge ball courts covered the land {{307}}, in some places ball players rose to the state of gods {{308}}. The ball games became very bloody {{309}}, and in many places they were accompanied with mass killing and human sacrificing of the winners or losers depending on the local religion {{310}}; in other areas the losers become the slaves of the winners’ rulers {{311}}. Many people wasted their income on various forms of gambling—they rooted on their favorite teams, or played games of chance with dice and bones {{312}}. In many areas the workmanship of the structures built during this period was poor, but it was covered with decorative plaster, and was elaborately finished {{313}}. Cultic symbols and status symbols are found everywhere {{314}}.

THE NEPHITES- DESTRUCTION. Truly this society was ripe for destruction {{315}}. The Book of Mormon tells us that the destruction took place quickly {{316}}. Archaeology tells us that it occurred on a massive scale {{317}}, larger than most probably ever imagined— although Mormon tried to help us understand {{318}}.

The great war appears to have been started in central Yucatan by a group which archaeologists call the Putun Maya {{319}}. As they gained power they continued west and north, and eventually attacked the Mexican highland {{320}}. Great murals tell the story of their advances; they were the eagle warriors of the jaguar cult (the Lamanites), and they sought to exterminate the cult of the feathered serpent named Quetzalcoatl (the Nephites) {{321}}. Eventually the great city of Zarahemla (Teotihuacan) was attacked, but the invaders were pushed back {{322}}/ {{323}}. Then, as Mormon relates, Zarahemla (Teotihuacan) was laid waste {{324}}. Archaeologists have uncovered the entire story: the great Teotihuacan was burned and looted, monuments were defaced, columns were toppled, temples were desecrated, and the luxurious palaces were left in ruin {{325}}.

The Lamanites’ pursuit of the Nephites can be followed from Teotihuacan to Western Mexico, to sites such as Alta Vista and Chalchihuites (perhaps Angola or the Land of David?) {{326}}/ {{327}}and then to the seashore, to Amapa and other sites in Nayarit and southern Sinaloa (probably the land of Joshua) {{328}}/ {{329}}, a land archaeologists have found was filled with robbers and Maya during this period {{330}}/ {{331}}. From there the Nephites continued their flight into the “land northward” {{332}}. It appears that the massacre stopped when the Nephites reached Chaco Canyon (Shem), in New Mexico and were able to fortify it {{333}}/ {{334}}. There the Nephites held back their pursuers and the bloodshed stopped for a season while God sent forth missionaries and prophets to give the people one last chance {{335}}. Archaeologists have found circular religious structures, called kivas, appearing throughout Anasazi lands during this period {{336}}, which perhaps shows that Mormon knew some success {{337}}, though his own testimony indicates that any success was short lived as the wickedness persisted {{338}}.

For ten years a peace treaty was in effect {{339}}; archaeology shows that the Maya (Lamanites) of Yucatan and Maya Chichimec of West Mexico came together and began building the great Toltec kingdom {{340}}. Toltec legend speaks of the war between Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, and Tezcatlipoca, the principal god of the Jaguar Cult {{341}}. The Toltecs boast Quetzalcoatl’s defeat and subsequent flight {{342}}. As the population of Tula was exploding {{343}}, archaeologists find an abandonment of Yucatan by that area’s elite {{344}}. Recruits by the thousands flooded out of Yucatan to their new blood-thirsty, warrior kingdom centered in the Mexican Highland {{345}}. Many were also moved to the battle line in Western Mexico, as archaeologists find a large influx of Toltec peoples with strong Maya ties building up fortresses and making war preparations {{346}}.

The kingdom of the Nephites centered in the Southwestern United States, and although they focused on defending the land for a short time {{347}}/ {{348}}, they soon turned their focus to the “god” of money {{349}}. Trade networks covered the Southwestern United States {{350}}, and turquoise, which was lusted after by the Toltecs, was mined on a huge scale to be traded for exotic Mesoamerican goods {{351}}. Ball courts, gated communities, lewd pottery and art, body painting, body piercing, gigantic cities, social classes—the signs of pride and wickedness—have been found by archaeologists throughout the Southwest United States and Northwest Mexico (the Nephite lands) {{352}}.

Then, at the end of this fragile moment of peace, destruction continued {{353}}. The blood-thirsty Lamanites (Toltecs) based in a city just south of our narrow neck of land (probably La Quemada) came up against the Nephite armies which were based in Desolation (Zape in northern Durango?) {{354}}/ {{355}}. The Lamanites were repulsed and counterattacked, but they soon swept Desolation and later Teancum (most likely Guasave on the Pacific Coast) {{356}}. From there the fleeing Nephites followed the turquoise trail to Boaz {{357}}, now known as Paquime or Casas Grandes in Chihuahua. Charles C. Di Peso, the first archaeologists to conduct large-scale excavations at the site, found signs of a great slaughter at Paquime {{358}}. Unburied dead bodies were strewn across the site, some had been shoved into the ducts of the water system, others sacrificed to pagan gods, but the majority were just left to rot and be preyed upon by wolves and vultures {{359}}. Mormon painfully records these same events, as he stood back, watching: “And (the Nephites) fled again from before (the Lamanites), and they came to the city Boaz; and there . . . the Nephites were driven and slaughtered with an exceedingly great slaughter; {{and}}their women and their children were again sacrificed unto idols” (Mormon 4:20–21).

The slaughter spread across the entire Southwestern United States {{360}}. Thousands of sites from this period have been found in which the site was either abandoned or burned or the people were slaughtered {{361}}/ {{362}}. In many places the people abandoned their scattered farms and gathered together to build great fortified cities to defend themselves, only to be massacred {{363}}/ {{364}}. But this was not a peaceful, righteous people being victimized. There is evidence of cannibalism among the Anasazi and other Southwestern Cultures (the Nephites) {{365}}/ {{366}}.

Archaeologists have found human bones in cooking vessels, necklaces made of human skin or bones, and mobiles made of human bones and skulls which seem to have been used as trophies—signs of status and prestige {{367}}. They have found apparent ceremonial assemblages of skulls which were presented to false gods {{368}}. At Salmon Ruin, New Mexico (possibly the tower of Sherrizah) {{369}} women and children were abandoned by their covenant protectors, and the children were burned alive, caught in the top of the tower {{370}}. There are countless archaeological and scriptural evidences of the deplorable state of the Anasazi/Nephites; their brutal mutilation and total annihilation are painful to read about.

The destruction in the Southwest climaxed at a line of sites from Mesa Verde, Colorado (probably Jordan {{371}}) to Albuquerque, New Mexico {{372}}. The entire Southwestern United States and Northwest Mexico was left desolate, except for a few small scattered groups of refugees who hid in caves {{373}}/ {{374}}. But the destruction continued.

The line of sites mentioned above was actually a line of defense built to protect the great expanse of the American Midwest {{375}}. The Nephites who covered the Midwest are called Mississippians by archaeologists. Highly influenced by Mesoamerica and the Southwest {{376}}, their culture had also passed through the cycle of simple and peaceful {{377}}to ugly and proud {{378}}. Their artwork from this period glorifies death and perversion {{379}}. There are carvings of goules, war dances, and the murdering of captives, and these are found alongside symbols of Christ (hands with marks appearing to symbolize the crucifixion) and symbols of Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, displaying decapitated heads as a symbol of his power {{380}}. These were not ignorant people suffering for the sins of their parents; they were in open rebellion against God {{381}}. They refused to repent and trust in God, but rather put their trust in the arm of flesh thinking that could protect their lives. It would not be and never has been {{382}}.

Soon after the cultures of the American Southwest were slaughtered, the Mississippian culture disappeared {{383}}. Huge ceremonial centers, like Cahokia in southern Illinois, built in the styles of the Mexican Highland, were suddenly depopulated without evidence of struggle or warfare—sites are not burned as in the Southwest, nor are the dead strewn across the landscape {{384}}. Because of the late carbon dates obtained from these sites some archaeologist have attempted to show that the people just redistributed themselves around the local area {{385}}. However, the Book of Mormon as well as the immense collections of arrowheads dating all the way back to the archaic found canvassing parts of New York State and the entire New England area speaks of a great desolation (The Book of Mormon states the final battles occurred in the “land of Comorah”, which likely encompasses a large portion of New England; not just around the current Hill Comorah as many have supposed) {{386}}/ {{387}}.

Truly God is unveiling his truth in the eyes of all the world. It remains for us to read with faith, work with strength, and repent of our pride. We must go forward in a definite way and bring to pass the covenants of the Father and build up the kingdom of God upon the earth; both in small and simple ways and by making preparations for works of greatness.

OLD WORLD (BIBLICAL) ARCHEOLOGY
After I had found many evidences of events in the Book of Mormon, and had developed a revised timeline for archaeology, I became curious as to whether my timeline would also work if I used it on Old World archaeology. I found many interesting “coincidences”. Following is a very brief account of a few of my findings. An entire paper on the subject will be forthcoming.

Evidence of pre-flood cultures appear to be entirely missing from the archaeological record. It is as if Earth’s baptism literally washed her clean. She contained no trace of the former sins of her inhabitants. Most of the early homo sapiens cultures that I would label Post-Flood are in the fertile crescent, and usually at a depth of between 30 and 50 feet below the surface {{388}}.

Early Egypt was below water as Abraham attests {{389}}/ {{390}}, and the earth was sparsely populated {{391}}. The climate during this period soon after the Flood was much milder and cooler than it is today, and the plants and animals from this period match those described in the Bible {{392}}. The desert climate would not come for many generations (after many droughts and curses). When we consider the depth at which these early cities are found, we realize that the only reason these sites have been found is that either the sites were continually inhabited until modern times, or the archaeologists were extremely lucky. Many early cities exist which have not yet been found as attested as by new sites which are continually popping up.

History really starts to take place after the Exodus. Let us consider Jericho. Using the “corrected” timeline we established by studying the Book of Mormon, and extrapolating our dates backward, we find that the Jericho of the Bible must be dated at around 7000-8000 BC. During this time period there was a Neolithic city at Jericho, surrounded with a great wall, and with a massive tower built right into the wall (possibly the house of Rahab/Pre-Pottery Neolithic A) {{393}}/ {{394}}. There is evidence that the people of the city were pagans, and that they were rich and proud {{395}}. The early city’s culture ends with the walls falling down and a new culture replacing Pre-Pottery Neolithic A, they are labeled Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (Sci- 6500 B.C.; Scr- 1450 B.C.) {{396}}/ {{397}}. Interestingly, the tower that was built into the wall survived to its full height into the next period (Rahab and her family were protected) {{398}}.
This new nation had simple beginnings; archaeologists call it a retrogression because of the decrease in riches and more simplified art. However, there were many advances: they had a united nation seen in the form of a new wide-spread monolithic culture, they began inhabiting many new lands and developing the land, they respected their dead ancestors, they had domesticated animals, and they built nice square plaster-floored homes {{399}}, which, “coincidentally,” were similar to the homes of the early Lehites and Mulekites {{400}}. After many years the nation became very wealthy (Pottery Neolithic A&B) {{401}}, and then, as we can tell by studying cultural artifacts, the nation was divided {{402}}. One group inhabited the north, and the other group lived in the south (Chalcolithic Period) {{403}}/ {{404}}.

The nation of Israel prospered during the entire period from the time it entered the Land of Canaan until the end of the Chalcolithic Period. Then suddenly the Kingdom of Israel in the north (the Ghassulian culture) was displaced, and new people from Syria and Southern Mesopotamia, labeled Proto-Urban A, were ushered into the region (Early Bronze Age) {{405}}/ {{406}}.

The Kingdom of Judah in the south continued to prosper {{407}}. However, she did not learn from watching Israel fall (she did not repent), and little over a century later, she was also destroyed {{408}}. At the end of the Early Bronze Age every major city in the south was destroyed and depopulated—some incredibly violently {{409}}. The Bible clearly teaches that this was done by the hand of God—his tool being a new empire he had risen up in southern Mesopotamia—the Kingdom of Babylon {{410}}. Archaeologists also find this new kingdom in Mesopotamia but they have called it the kingdom of Akkad {{411}}. Judah was left desolate. Only small scattered villages and groups of wandering nomads remained (Intermediate Bronze Age) {{412}}/ {{413}}.

When the Kingdom of Akkad (Babylon) fell {{414}}, Judah was repopulated by a vigorous new group of people which began to rebuild the land (Middle Bronze Age) {{415}}/ {{416}}. The people prospered and the entire region flowered {{417}}. The succeeding period also saw a continued prosperity, but under Indo-Aryan influence (Alexander the Great) {{418}}, followed by strong Egyptian (Ptolemaic) control (Late Bronze Age) {{419}}.

As the period continued, Egyptian power weakened {{420}}and a group of “adventurers” are noted as coming down from Syria and establishing an Amorite kingdom (Seleucids) {{421}}. Archaeologists then find evidence of an internal revolt that occurs, led by the ‘Apiru (Hasidim under Maccabeans), in which a war commences by a guerrilla-type group of warriors that rally the principally Hebrew (Jewish) community to rise up against the Amorites (Seleucids) {{422}}. Many wars follow with great destructions but the nation that remains in the end is obviously Israel. The carbon dates for these events (about 1300-1200 B.C.) lead scholars to believe this may be the time of the exodus and subsequent conquest of Palestine. Little or no archaeological evidence of Joshua or the exodus exists at this time, however, and the carbon dates assigned to the various cities’ destructions do not match the Bible which declares the conquest to have occurred around 1400 B.C. {{423}}These discrepancies have led many biblical scholars to abandon the literal interpretation of the Bible and create many diluted theories that minimalize the book {{424}}. Interpreting the archaeology as evidence of the Maccabean revolt on the other hand, as we are proposing, matches almost exactly {{425}}.

Next, archaeology shows the arrival of a new group of people called the “Sea People”. They ruled every land that touched the Mediterranean Sea {{426}}, and though their origin continues to evade scholars they know it was somewhere in the area of Sicily, Italy, or Greece (Rome) {{427}}. The people conquer lands matching Rome’s accomplishment in Greece, Turkey, Egypt and Palestine {{428}}.

Conclusions & Significance
Archaeologists and biblical scholars have long been at odds. As archaeology began to mount a horrendous amount of research, all placed by carbon dating, many biblical scholars began doubting the Bible. Scientific dates were given supremacy and new biblical scholars decided that the Bible was not completely accurate. They began trying to fit whatever they could into the archaeologists’ framework and discarded the rest as fable. The result was a great archaeological mess and a complete abandonment of the scriptures as the “Word of God” and absolute truth. Following the history of science and seeing societies turning away from God is very sad to read.

Now, our research seems to have discovered that the archaeologists are actually proving the Bible to be true and they don’t even know it because of the dating problem. So now, with the correlated time line created studying the Book of Mormon, we see the Book of Mormon proving the Bible to be true, which we are taught is one of its purposes (Mormon 7:8–9; 1 Nephi 13:38–41).

A future paper on Bible lands will show most all the fabulous stories of the Bible laid out in the dirt, just as the prophets said they happened, and just where the prophets said they happened. We will see that these wonderful stories which are disbelieved by most archaeologists, have actually been found by archaeologists!

These findings are of great importance. Our society has abandoned the scriptures. We have replaced the eighth article of faith with a new one that says: “We believe the scriptures to be the Word of God as far as they correspond with science; we believe science to be supreme truth on all subjects it chooses to address.” This cannot be. Geology, biology and archaeology cannot be allowed to replace the sure testimony we have of the creation. Psychology cannot be allowed to replace the reality of Christ as our healer. Any doctrine or teaching which denies Christ is not of God. Omitting God is denying God because God has clearly stated that he is the creator and he is the truth, the way, and the light so leaving him out is going against his word.

We need to see the scriptures for what they are—they are not exaggerated stories, and they are notjust stories told by old men who meant well but who were off on the details because they were limited to the scope of the learning of their own cultures. The scriptures are the word of God, told in truth by men who literally talked with him! They were written to warn the nations of the world to believe God and to fear God and to worship only him. The scriptural events happened just as we were taught when we were children. Moses was not just a Hebrew slave born in Egypt who had a limited understanding of time and a limited understanding of the size of the Earth, and of how the history of his people fit into the grand history of the earth. He had a deep understanding of these things because he learned them directly from God! When we realized that everything in the scriptures is literal, then suddenly we realize that we, as part of this great latter-day nation, must repent, or the destruction that has been prophesied will occur. We know that the proud and the learned who will not hearken to their Creator will be cast off forever. We must beware of those who perpetuate the Theology of Science and say there is no God because they have not seen him. These people deliberately discourage others from believing in God, and they do it using every imaginable discipline—history, archaeology, biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, and many other subjects. We must not allow people who live in sin, and therefore have not eyes to see, to lead us, for they will then be “blind leaders of the blind.” We must beware of the fanciful doctrines of Satan—precepts of men so wonderfully mingled with scripture that they appear to be true. We must beware of those who look beyond the mark. They despise plainness, and they “kill” the prophets with their words and their doctrines. God has taken his plainness away from them and has given them many things which they cannot understand, because they desired it.

A new generation is being raised up, and to them God will prove all his words, because they believe. God will show them how he changed the times and seasons in order to blind the minds of the proud and the learned, that they would not understand his marvelous workings. (D&C 121: 12) This generation will prove the scriptures to be true, every whit. Fools have mocked the words of Moses and Mormon and Moroni, but they shall mourn. God’s great work will go forth!

I would plead with everyone to make the scriptures a more integral part of your education. I would encourage anyone with problems to seek from the Word of God first and only believe other teachings as they compliment the teachings of the prophets. I would encourage students to first read God’s take on every issue before diving into your studies so that you can have the spirit of prophecy and discern between truth and the speculations of man. Science is wonderful, it is the process of seeking truth in the world around us, but it is not absolute truth, it is not infallible, and it is not the word of God. Search the scriptures specifically on the subjects you are studying and you will be overwhelmingly amazed at the wealth of information.

Selected Bibliography can be found here

Zapotec pg. 92: “Finally, we are struck by our current lack of evidence for similar public buildings on the Gulf Coast of southern Veracruz and Tabasco. Thirty years ago that coastal plain, sometimes referred to as the Olmec region, was labeled “precocious” in its social evolution. The last two decades have shown that view to be partly true, partly hyperbole, and partly the result of our previous ignorance of Chiapas and Oaxaca. There were indeed villages in the Olmec region between 1400 and 1200 BC, but their pottery has recently been described as a “country-cousin version” of the more sophisticated ceramics at contemporary sites on the Chiapas Coast.”
Mexico pg. 62: “In contradiction to this hypothesis, some compelling evidence has been advanced by the linguists Lyle Campbell and Terence Kaufman strongly suggesting that the Olmecs spoke an ancestral form of Mixe-Zoquean. There are a large number of Mixe-Zoquean loan words, such as pom (‘copan incense’), associated with high-status activities and ritual typical of early civilization. Although the dominant language of the Olmec area was until recently a form of Nahua, this is generally believed to be a relatively late arrival; on the other hand, Popoloca, a member of the Mixe-Zoquean family, is still spoken along the eastern slopes of the Tuxtla Mountains, in the very region from which the Olmec obtained the basalt for their monuments. Since the Olmec wer the great, early, culture-bearing force in Mesoamerica, the case for Mixe-Zoquean is very strong.”
Maya pg. 63: “Who might have they been? It will be remembered from Chapter 1 that the most likely candidate for the language of the Olmecs was an early form of Mixe-Zoquean; languages belonging to this group are still spoken on the Isthmus of Tehuantapec and in western Chiapas. Many scholars are now willing to ascribe the earliest Long Count monumnets outside the Maya area prope to Mixe-Zoquean as well, adn a recent dicovery in southern Veracruz may provide confirmation. This is Stela I from La Majarra, a magnificent monumnet inscribed with two Bak’tun 8 dates corresponding repectively to AD 143 and 156. These are accompanied by a text of about 400 signs, in a script which is now called “Isthmian.” [[171]] [[172]] Mosiah 23:1–20 [[172]] [[173]] Grolier, San Lorenzo; Zapotec pg. 92, 118
Mexico pg. 66-70: “San Lorenzo had first been settled about 1700 BC, perhaps by Mixe-Zoqueans from Soconusco, but by 1500 BC had become thoroughly Olmec. At its height, some of the most magnificent and awe-inspiring sculptures ever discovered in Mexico were fashioned without the benefit of metal tools.
In his work at San Lorenzo, Stirling had encoutered trough-shaped basalt stones which he hypothesized were fitted end-to-end to form a kind of aqueduct. In 1997, we acutally came across and excavated such a system in situ. This deeply buried drain line was in the southwestern portion of the site, and consisted of 560 ft of laboriously pecked-out stone troughs fitted with basalt covers; three subsidiary lines met it from above at intervals. We have reason to believe that a drain system symmetrical to this exists on the southeastern side of San Lorenzo, and that both served periodically to remove the water from cermonial pools on the surface of the plateau. Evidence fro drains has been found at other Olmec centers, such as La Venta and Laguna de los Cerros, and must have been a feature of Olmec ritual life.”

Zapotec pg. 119: “In each case a small hamlet, unprepossessing at its founding, underwent a period of rapid and spectacular growth, becoming the demographic center of gravity for a network of smaller sites. Each emerging center- San Jose Mogote, Chalcatzingo, and San Lorenzo- not only dwarfed the other sites in its region but seems to have exerted a centripetal pull on its entire hinterland. All grew so fast that they must have encouraged immigration, not just normal growth; all emptied the surrounding region of artisans and concentrated them in the paramount chief village. All were aware of each other and perhaps even competitive; some clearly suffered occasional attacks that left their monuments defaced or their public buildings burned. ”
Mexico pg. 69-70, 74: “Like the earlier San Lorenzo, La Venta was deliberately destroyed in ancient times. Its fall was certanily violent, as twenty-four out of forty sculptured monuments were intentionally mutilated. This probably occured at the end of Middle Preclassic times, around 400-300 BC, for subseuently, following its abandonment as a center, offerings were made with pottery of Late Preclassic cast. As a matter of fact, La Venta may never have lost its signicance as a cult center, for among the very latest caches found was a Spanish olive jar of the early Colonial period, and Professor Heizer suspected that offerings may have been made in modern times as well.”
(SAME AS NOTE 187 ABOVE)
[[190]] [[191]] Alma 25:1–12 [[191]] [[192]] Mexico pg. 69-70, 74, 86-87
“The waterlogging has resulted in extraordinary preservation of otherwise perishable Olmec materials, all belonging to the fianl stages of the San Lorenzo phase, about 1200 BC. In 1988 and 1989, and archaeological team directed by Ponciano Ortiz of the University of Veracruz was able to study and conserve ten wooden figures, all ‘baby-faced’ just like Olmec hollow clay figurines, and each just under 20 inches high; all were little more than libless torsos, and most had been carefully wrapped in mats and tied up, before being placed with heads pointing in the direction of the hill’s summit. Other objects included polished stone axes, jade and serpentine beads, a wooden staff with a bird’s head on one end and a shark’s tooth (surely a bloodletter) on the other, and an obsidian knife with an asphalt handle. Most surprisingly, the archaeologists turned up a cache of three rubber balls; measuring from 3 to 5 inches in diameter, these are the only examples to have survived from the pre-Conquest Mesoamerica of what must have been a very common artifact. They confirm that the ball game is a least as old as the Olmec civilization.”
Maya pg. 50-55; 63-66; 78-79: “The lowland Maya almost always built their temples over older ones, so that in the course of centuries the earliest constructions would eventually come to be deeply buried within the towering accrections of Classic period rubble and plaster. Consequently, to prospect for Mamom temples in one of the larger sites would be extremely costly in time and labor.
But towards the close of the Late Preclassic, writing had begun to appear sporadically, and it deinitely celebrated the doings of great personages. A good example of this would be the greenstone pectoral at Dumbarton Oaks, said to be from Quintana Roo. A were-jaguar face on one side indicates that the object was orginally Olmec.” [[192]] [[193]] Mosiah 25:14–24 [[193]] [[194]] Mexico pg. 52-55
“The most notable advance in the Late Preclassic of central Mexico was the appearance of the temple-pyramid. The earliest temples of the highlands were thatch-roof, perishable structures not unlike the houses of the common people, erected within the community on low earthen platforms face with sun-hardened clay. There are a few slight indications that some such platforms once existed at Tlatilco. By the Late Preclassic, however, they had become almost universal, as the nuclei of enlarged villages and even towns. Towards the end of the period, clay facings for the platforms were occasionally replaced by retaining-walls of undressed stones coated with a thick layer of stucco, and the substructures themselves had become greatly enlarged, sometimes rising in several stages or tiers. Here we have, then, a definite progression from small villages of farmers with but household figurine cults, to hierarchical societies with rulers who coulo call the populace to build and maintain sizeable religious establishments.”
Zapotec pg. 108-110 (93-110): “Structures 1 and 2 were two of the most impressive buildings of the San Jose phase. Each appears to be the pyramidal platform for a wattle-and-daub public building, and their construction involved the first use of an adobe brick so far known for Oaxaca. Used mainly for small retaining walls within the earthen fill, these early adobes were circular in plan and plano-convex, or “bun-shaped,” in section.
Structure 2 was 1 m high and at least 18 m wide. Its sloping face had been built with boulders, some obtained locally and some brought in from at least 5 km away. Some of the latter were of limestone from west of the Atoyac River, while others were of travertine from east of the river. Two carved stones, one depicting a feline and one a raptorial bird, had fallen from a collapsed section of wall. The east face of the platform included two stone stairways which although narrow, are the earliest of their kind for the region.
Structure 1, above and to the west, rose in several stages that may have reached 2.5 m in height. Its facing was of smaller stones set in clay, somewhat rough-and-ready, but clearly masonry- the first stage in an architectural tradition brillinantly developed by the Zapotec.”
People pg. 485-486: “The diffusion of common art styles throughout Mesoamerica may have resulted both from an increased need for religious rituals to bring the various elements of society together and because [[194]] [[195]] Mosiah 29:37–47 [[195]] [[196]] Zapotec pg. 111-120
“The rival center of Huitzo built comparable structures during the Guadalupe phase. The earliest of these was Structure 4, a pyramidal platform 2 m high and more than 15 m wide, built of earth and faced with stones in the manner of Structure 8 at San Jose Mogote. Atop this platform, the architects of Huitzo built a series of buildings that may have been one-room temples. The best preserved of these was Structure 3, a large wattle-and-daub building on an adobe platform with a stairway. Built of bun-shaped adobes and fill, the platform was 1.3 m high and 11.5 m long. There were three steps to its wide stairway, each inset into the platform to strengthen it. The entire structure had been coated with lime plaster. In spite of all the small size of the Huitzo community relative to San Jose Mogote, its public architecture was as impressive as anything built at the latter site during the Guadalupe phase.”
Mexico pg. 52-55: “How grandiose some of these substructures were can be seen at Cuicuilco, located to the south of Mexico City near the National University, in an area covered by the Pedregal – a grim landscape of broken, soot-black lava witha sparce flora eking out its existence in rocky crevices. The principal feature of Cuicuilco is a round platform, 387 ft. in diameter and rising in four inwardly sloping tiers to a present height of 75 ft. Two ramps placed on either side of the platform provide access to the summit, which was crowned at one time by a cone-like contruction which brought the total height to about 90 ft. Faced with volcanic rocks, the interior of the surviving structure is filled with sand and rubble, with a total volume of 60,000 cubic meters.”
People pg. 485-486: “Monte Alban went on to develop into a vast ceremonial center with splendid public architecture; its settlement area included public buildings, terraces, and housing zones that extended over approximately 15 square miles. More than 2000 terraces all held one or two houses, and small ravines were dammed to pond valuable water supplies. Blanton suggests that between 30,000 and 50,000 people lived at Monte Alban between AD 200 and 700. Many very large villages and smaller hamlets lay within easy distance of the city. The enormous platforms on the ridge of Monte Alban supported complex layouts of temples and pyramid-temples, palaces, patios, and tombs. A hereditary elite seems to have ruled Monte Alban, the leaders of a state that had emerged in the Valley of Oaxaca by AD 200.” [[196]] [[197]] Mosiah 27:6–7 [[197]] [[198]] Zapotec chap 8-10; Tula pg. 23
Mexico pg. 46-58: “A word of caution, however- because of our first knowladge of these sites, the impression has been given that the Valley had more acnient Preclassic beginnings than elsewhere. On the contrary, that isolated basin was probably a laggard in cultural development until the Classic period, when it became and stayed the flower of Mexican cuivilization. Notwithstanding its later glory, the Valley was then a prosperous but provincial backwater, which occasionally received new items developed elsewhere.”
People pg. 485-486: “The evolution of larger settlements in Oaxaca and elsewhere was closely connected with the developlment of long-distance trade in obsedian and other luxuries such as seashells and stingray spines from the Gulf of Mexico. The simple barter networks for obsidian of earlier times evolved into sophisticated regional trading organizations in which village leaders controlled monopolies over sources of obsidian and its distribution. Magnetite mirrors, seashells, feathers, and ceramics were all traded on the highlands, and from the highlands ot the lowlands as well. Olmec pottery and other ritual objects began to appear in highland settlements between 1150 and 650 BC, many of them bearing the distinctive were-jaguar motif of the lowlands, which had an important place in Olmec comology.” [[198]] [[199]] Alma 1-4 [[199]] [[200]] Zapotec chap. 8-10
Mexico pg. 46-58: “At these two sites and elsewhere in the Valley the midden deposits are literally stuffed with thousands of fragments of clay figurines, all female, providing a lively view of the costume of the day, or its lack. Although nudity was apparently the rule, these little ladies have elaborate face and body painting in black, white, and red; headdresses and coiffures as shown were very fancy, wraparound turbans being most common. The technique of manufacture was about like that with which gingerbread men are made, features being indicated by a combination of punching and filleting. Significantly, no recognizable depictions of gods or goddesses have ever been identified in these villages, suggesting the possibility that the only cult was that of the figurines, which may have been objects of household devotion like the Roman lares, perhaps concerned with the fertility of the crops.”
People pg. 485-486: “There were marine fish spines, too, probably used in personal bloodletting ceremonies that were still practiced even in Aztec times. The Spanish described how Aztec nobles would gash themselves with knives or with the spines of fish or stingray in acts of mutilation before the gods, penances required of the devout. [[200]] [[201]] Alma 2:1–4:3; 16:1-11; 28:1-12; 43-60; battles increase in size, severity and frequency. [[201]] [[202]] Mexico pg. 77, 82-83, 86-87
“Most of the constructions that meet the eye at Monte Alban are of the Classic period. However, in the southwestern corner of the site, which is laid on a north-south axis, excavations have diclosed the Temple of the Danzantes, a stone-faced platform contemporary with the first occupation of the site, Monte Alban I. The so-called Danzantes (i.e. ‘dancers’) are basrelief figures on large stone slabs set into the outside of the platform. Nude men with slightly Olmecoid features (i.e. the down-turned mouth), the Danzantes are shown in strange, rubbery postures as though they were swimming or dancing in viscous fluid. Some are represented as old, bearded individuals with toothless gums or with only a single protuberant incisor. About 150 of these strange yet powerful figures are known as Monte Alban, and it might be reasonably asked exactly what their function was, or what they depict. The disorted pose of the limbs, the open mouth and closed eyes indicate that these are corpses, undoubltedly cheifs or kings slain by the earliest rulers of Monte Alban. In many individuals the genitals are clearly delineated, usually the stigma laid on captives in Mesoamerica where nudity was considered scandalous. Furthermore, there are cases of sexual mutilation depicted on some Danzantes, blood streaming in flowery patterns from the severed part. Evidence to corroborate such violence comes from one Danzante, which is nothing more than a severed head.”
Zapotec pg. 121-171:”Warfare, as the lines at the start of this chapter say, can “powerfully shape” chiefdoms. While Carnerio’s conlusions were based on Colombia’s Cauca Valley, what he says is equally true of the Valley of Oaxaca. Several lines of evidence indicate that warefare had begun to affect Roario society.
Chiefly warfare usually results from competition between paramounts, or between a paramount and his ambitious subcheifs. Paramounts try to aggrandize themselves by taking followers away from their rivals. Ambitious subchiefs try to replace the paramount at the top of the hierarhcy.”
Maya pg. 63, 75: “Some of the Late Preclassic tombs at Tik’al prove that the Chikanel elite did not lag behind the nobles of Miraflores in wealth and honor. Burial 85, for instance, like all the others enclosed by platform substructures and covered by a primative corbel vault, contained a single skeleton. Suprisingly, this individual lacked head and thigh bones, but from the richness of the goods placed with him it may be guessed that he must have perished in battle and been depoiled by his enemies, his mutilated body being later recovered by his subjects.” [[202]] [[203]] Alma 48:8–10; 49:13; 52:6 [[203]] [[204]] Alma 48:8–10 [[204]] [[205]] [[205]] [[206]] Alma 48:8–10; 49:13; 52:6 [[206]] [[207]] Zapotec chap. 10-11; see note on endnote 203
“The founding of Monte Alban also changed the demography of the central Valley of Oaxaca, including the 80-km area that had been no-man’s-land during the Rosario phase. The central valley had only five small Rosario villages. By Monte Alban Ia, that figure had risen to 38 villages, and by Monte Alban Ic it had exploded to 155 villages and small towns. In effect, the entire demographic center of gravity of the valley had shifted from Elta to the region surrounding the Monte Alban.
Settlement Pattern Project estimates it at 50,000. One-third of that poplulation lived at Monte Alban; in addition, three-quaters of the population increase between Monte Alban Ia and Ic had taken place within 20 km of the city. Below Monte Alban were 744 communities. A few villages with populations estimated at less than 150.” [[207]] [[208]] Alma 48:8–10; 49; 50:1-16 [[208]] [[209]] [[209]] [[210]] Zapotec Figure 128, 157, pg. 142-154
“During the Monte Alban Ia- which probably began by 500 BC and ended by 300 BC- there were 261 sites in the Valley of Oaxaca. Some 192 of these, including Monte Alban itself, were brand new settlements. Despite this unprecedented redistribution of the valley’s population, strong continuities in ceramics and architecture from Rosario to Monte Alban Ia indicate that we are dealing with villages of fewer than 100 persons. In contrast, Monte Alban’s estimated population exceeded 5000. This was a very high percentage of the valley’s population, which we estimate to be between 8000 and 10,000.
The founding of Monte Alban also changed the demography of the central Valley of Oaxaca, including the 80-km area that had been a no-man’s-land during the Rosario phase. The central valley had only five small Rosario villages. By Monte Alban Ia, that figure had risen to 38 villages, and by Monte Alban Ic it had exploded to 155 villages and small towns. In effect, the entire demographic center of gravity of the valley had shifted from Etla to the region surrounding Monte Alban.” [[210]] [[211]] Alma 50:7–11; 58:1-30 [[211]] [[212]] Zapotec pg. 150-151 [[212]] [[213]] Alma 50:1–24 [[213]] [[214]] [[214]] [[215]] Alma 50:7–16 [[215]] [[216]] [[216]] [[217]] Alma 43:16–21; 50:1-6 (Alma 43-62) [[217]] [[218]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 194-195
Mexico pg. 58, 69: “An earlier school of thought held that this shaft-tomb sculpture was little more than a kind of genre art: realistic, anecdotal, and with no more reigious meaning than a Dutch interior. This view has been vigorously challenged by the ethnologist Peter Furst, who has worked closely with the contemporary Huichol Indians of Nayarit, almost certainly the descendants of the people who made the tomb figures. Among the Huichol and their close relatives, the Cora, religious practitioners are always shamans, powerful specialists who effect cures and maintain the well-being of their people by battling against demons and evil shamans. Professor Furst noted that the warriors with clubs from Nayarit and Jalisco tombs are down on one knee, the typical fighting stance of the shaman. The Nayarit house models are interpreted by him not just as two-storey village dwellings, but as chthonic dwellings of the dead: above would be the house of the living, below is the house of the dead. Such a belief is consonant not only with Huichol ideas about death and the soul, but also with the supernatural concepts of Southwestern Indians like the Hopi.” [[218]] [[219]] Zapotec pg. 135-138, 146-150, 169-170
“The southern Tehuacan Valley is a hot, dry area where the probability of insufficient rainfall for most kinds of farming is 80 percent. It does, however, have the protential for irragation. That potential is perhaps best exemplified by the Arroyo Lencho Diego, a steep-sided canyon investigated by Richard S. MacNeish, Richard Woodbury, James A. Neely, and Charles Spencer.
Canal irrigation has a long history in the Valley of Oaxaca, but its use increased dramatically in Monte Alban Ic. Almost cerainly that escalation resulted from the need to provision the city of Monte Alban. It is not so much the Atoyac River that was used for canal irrigation in ancient Oxaca, but its smaller tributaries in the piedmont. Many of those streams can, with a relatively low espenditure of manpower, have part of their water diverted into small canals by the use of brush-and-boulder dams. All such systems are small, usually serving the lands of one or two communities. The Valley of Oxaca is therefore a region of numerous small canal systems, rather than one large system. In contrast to regions like southern Mesopotamia, the north coast of Peru, or even the nearby Tehuacan Valley, central Oaxaca is not an area conducive to models of “dospotic control” of downsteam polities by upstream polities. The Atoyac River, the larges watercourse in the valley, creates a strip of periodically flooded yuh kohp in which canal irrirgation is usually unnecessary.”
Mexico pg. 81: “Toward the close of the Middle Preclassic, the Zapotec of the Valley were practicing several forms of irrigation. At Hierve el Agua, in the mountains east of the Valley, there has been found an artificially terraced hillside, irrigated by canals coming from permanent sprigns charged with calcareous waters that have in effect created a fossilized record from their deposits.” [[219]] [[220]] Alma 50:17–24; 62:46-52; Helaman 6:6–13, 16–17; 11:20; 3 Nephi 6:4 [[220]] [[221]] Chiapas Burials pg. 71-72; Chiapas Artifacts pg. 194-196
Zapotec chap. 11-12: “One unintended consequence of bringing together thousands of people in a new city can be an explosion of arts and crafts, especially if many of those people are forced to abandon agriculture. Several urban relocations in archaic Greece “created enviroments in which intellectual life flourished. Early Monte Alban was such an enviroment, and its sponsorship of craftspeople penetrated even to the towns in its hinterland. What emerged during Monte Alban I was an art style distinct from that of any region, a style so closely associated with the Valley of Oaxaca that it is generally referred to as Zapotec.
In Monte Alban Ia, there were 261 communities in the valley; 192 of these, like Monte Alban itself, were newly founded. Monte Alban, with 365 ha of Early Period I sherds and an estimated population in excess of 5000, was the only community in Tier I. Many formely large communities of the Etla region, including San Jose Mogote, had been drained of population during the Monte Alban synoikism.” [[221]] [[222]] Mexico pg. 77-81
“Yet whatever we call it, it can hardly be denied that during the Early and Middle Preclassic, there was a powerful, unitary religion which had manifested itself in an all-pervading art style; and that this was the offical ideology of the first complex society or societies to be seen in this part of the New World. Its rapid spread has been variously linkened to that of Christianity under the Roman Empire, or to that of westernization (or ‘modernization’) in toady’s world. Wherever Olmec influence or the Olmecs themselves went, so did civilized life.” [[222]] [[223]] Mexico pg. 77-88
“By that time, it had full-fledged masonary buildings of a public nature; in a corridor connecting two of these, Kent Flannery and Joyce Marcus found a bas-relief threshold stone showing a dead captive with stylized blood flowing from his chest, so placed that anyone entering or leaving the corridor would have to tread on him. Between his legs is a glyphic group possibly representing his name, ‘I Earthquake’ in the 260-day ritual calendar.”
(SAME AS NOTE 202 ABOVE)
Maya pg. 63-79: “The Izapan art style consists in the main of large, ambitiously conceived but somewhat cluttered scenes carried out in bas-relief. Many of the activities shown are profane, such as richly attired person decapitaing a vanquished foe, but there are deities as well.”
Zapotec chap 10-12:”Sixteenth-century documents tell us that when later Mesoamerican societies raided one another, a main objective was to burn their enemies’ temple. So common was this practice that a picture of a burning temple became an iconographic convention for raiding among Aztec.
Monument 3 makes possible the following inferences about the Rosario pahse. (1) The 260-day calendar clearly existed by this time. (2) The use of Xoo, a known Zapotec day-name, relates the hieroglyphis to an archaic form of the Zapotec language. (3) The carving makes it clear that Rosario phase sacrifice was not limited to drawing one’s own blood with stingray spines; it now included human sacrifice by heart removal. (4) Since I Earthquake is shown naked, even stripped of whatever ornaments he might have worn, he fits our sixteenth-century discriptions of prisoners taken in battle. This carving of a prisoner, combined with the burning of the temple, suggests that by 600 BC the well-known Zapotec pattern of raiding, temple burning, the capture of enemies for sacrifice had begun. (5) Many later Mesoamerican peoples, including the Maya, set carvings of their enemies where they could be literally and metaphorically “trod upon.” The horizontal placement of Monument 3 suggests that it, too, was designed for that visual metaphor.”
[[223]] [[224]] Alma 51:22–28; 56:13-15; Alma 62:38; Helaman 1:14–34; 4:1-18; 3:12-4:1 [[224]] [[225]] Alma 27:13–27; Helaman 5:13–20, 49–52; 6:1-7 [[225]] [[226]] Alma 62:26–29 [[226]] [[227]] Alma 48-62 [[227]] [[228]] Zapotec chap 10-12; defensive sites and evidences of warfare are numerous but the only destructions seem to be the occasional burning of a wood building, most stone structures seem to have been unharmed by the wars which is consistent with the Book of Mormon.
Mexico pg. 82: “Monte Alban is the greatest of all Zapotec sites, and was constructed on a series of eminences about 1,300 ft above the Valley floor, at the close of the Middle Preclassic, about 500-450 BC, when San Jose Mogote’s fortunes waned. Probably the main reason for its preeminence is its strategic hilltop location near the juncture of the Valley’s three arms. It lies in the heart of the region still occupied by the Zapotec peoples; since there is no evidence for any major disruption in central Oaxaca until the beginning of the Post-Classic, about AD 900, archaeologists feel reasonably certain that the inhabitants of that language.” [[228]] [[229]] Alma 62:46–52; Helaman 6:6–13, 16–17; 11:20; 3 Nephi 6:4 [[229]] [[230]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 194-196
Zapotec pg. 155-171: “There are several elite houses at Monte Negro. Like the Rosario phase elite residences at San Jose Mogote, each consisted of an open patio surrounded by three or four rooms with adobe walls. The Monte Negro houses, however, had stone foundations two courses high, and each room had at least two columns supporting its roof. The courtyards were paved with flagstones, and there were drains below some buildings.
Monte Negro’s elite households have been compared to the Roman inpluvium residence, in which an inner paved court trapped rain runoff and channeled it to subterranean reservoirs. While more elegant than those of the Rosario phase, the Monte Negro houses fall short of the later palaces at Monte Alban. Like so much in Late Monte Alban I, they seem transitional between the house of a chief and the palace of a king.
While the largest of the elite residences at Monte Negro lies along the east-west street, several others are connected to temples by secret passageways or roofed corridors. These corridors- which made it possible for members of important families to enter and leave the temple without being seen by lower-staus persons- appear to be forerunners of the Monte Alban II passageways, tunnels, and roofed stairways of Monte Alban and San Jose Mogote. The implications of such special entrances for the elite are twofold. First, they indicate that rank differences were still associated with differential access to the supernatural. Second, they suggest an escalation in rank to the point where chiefly individuals did not have to use the same stairways and entrances as more lowly individuals.”
Mexico pg. 83-88: “The development from the first phase of the site to Monte Alban II, which is terminal Preclassic and therefore dates from about 200 BC to AD 150, was peaceful and gradual. In the southernmost plaza of the site was erected Building J, a stone-faced contruction in the form of a great arrowhead pointing southwest. The peculiar orintation of this building has been examined by the asronomer Anthony Aveni and the architect Horst Hartung, who have pointed out important alignments with the bright star Capella. Withing Building J is a complex of dark, narrow chambers which have been roofed over by leaning stone slabs to meet at the apex. The exterior of the building is set with a great many inscribed stone slabs all bearing a very similar text. These Monte Alban II inscriptions generally consist of an upside-down head with closed eyes and elaborate headdress, below a stepped glyph for ‘mountain’ or ‘town’; over this is the same of the place, seemingly given phonetically in rebus fasion. In its most complete form, the text is accompanied by the symbols for year, month, and day. There are also various yet-untranslated glyphs. Such inscriptions were correctly interpreted by Alfonso Caso as records of town conquests, the inverted heads being the defeated kings. It is certain that all are in the Zapotec langauage.”
Maya pg. 63-79: “In lieu of easily worked building stone, which was unavailable in the vicinity, these platforms were built from ordinary clay and basketloads of earth and household rubbish. Almost certainly the temples themselves were thatched-roof affairs supported by upright timbers. Apparently each successive building operation took place to house the remains of an exalted person, whose tomb was cut down from the top in a series of stepped rectangles of decreasing size into the earlier temple platform, and then covered over with a new floor of clay. The function of Maya pyramids as funerary monuments thus harks back to Preclassic times.”
[[230]] [[231]] Helaman 1:7–12; 2:2-13; 6:15-41; 7:1-6; 8:1, 26-28; 3 Nephi 1:27–30; 2:11-4:33 [[231]] [[232]] Chiapas Burials pg. 73
Maya pg. 70: “The corpse was wrapped in finery and covered from head to toe with cinnabar pigment, then laid on a wooden litter and lowered into the tomb. Both sacrificed adults and children accompanied the illustrious dead, together with offerings of an astonished richness and profusion. In one tomb, over 300 objects of the most beautiful workmanship were placed with the body or above the timber roof, but ancient grave-robbers, probably acting after noticing the slump in the temple floor caused by the collapse of the underlying tomb, had filched from the corpse the jades that which once covered the chest and head. Among the finery recovered were the remains of a mask or headdress of jade plaques perhaps once fixed to a background of wood, jade flares which once adorned the ear lobes of the honored dead, bowls carved from chlorite-schist engraved with Miraflores scroll designs, and little carved bottles fo soapstone and fuchsite.” [[232]] [[233]] Alma 63:4–9; Helaman 3:3–14 [[233]] [[234]] Prehistory pg. 230-235
“The Hopewell culture is one of the many called Middle Woodland. It seems to have appeared in Illinois by about 2300 B.P. The southern manifestations lasted until 400 A.D. and later. The Ohio Hopewell probably grew out of the strong local Adena pattern, so the elaborate mortuary complex called Classic Hopewell actually developed in Ohio. That complex of traits and its associated relationships has been called the Hopewell Interaction Sphere, a phase that takes account of a cluster of traits, artifacts, burial mounds- a mortuary cult or religion rooted in veneration of the dead- that can be recognized almost everywhere east of the Mississippi.” [[234]] [[235]] Omni 1:20–22; Mosiah 8:7–11; 21:25-27; Alma 22:29–31; Helaman 3:6 [[235]] [[236]] Prehistory pg. 141, 143, 173, 340
“In western California, there was evidently a much greater concern with the dead. Many were buried in mounds, others in extensive cemeteries. An analysis of the grave goods of these many cemeteries has led some scholars to suggest that there was in California a social complexity quite unlike the simple egalitarian societies usually posited for most of the western Arachaic and quite at variance with the simple and relatively stable technology the archaeology reveals.
Burial, Bundle: Reburial of defleshed and disarticulated bones tied or wrapped together in a bundle.” [[236]] [[237]] Prehistory pg. 223-235
“The Hopewell culture is one of the many called Middle Woodland. It seems to have appeared in Illinois by about 2300 B.P. The southern manifestations lasted until 400 A.D. and later. The Ohio Hopewell probably grew out of the strong local Adena pattern, so the elaborate mortuary complex called Classic Hopewell actually developed in Ohio. That complex of traits and its associated relationships has been called the Hopewell Interaction Sphere, a phase that takes account of a cluster of traits, artifacts, burial mounds- a mortuary cult or religion rooted in veneration of the dead- that can be recognized almost everywhere east of the Mississippi.”
“note21”> [[237]] [[238]] SW Indians pg. 46-52; Warfare pg. 119-121
Prehistory pg. 299-303: “First defined in 1936 the Mogollon tradition possibly developed out of the Chiricahua and San Pedro Archaic. It seems to have acquired maize before 1 A.D., but pottery came considerably later at about 300 A.D. Once erroneously believed to have had maize by 4000 B.P. and ceramics by 2300 B.P, the Mongollon time span has been reduced by the later research to less that half of those figures.
Usually the Mogollon is divided into four or five periods. The Pine Lawn-Georgetown begins about 300 A.D. and lasts until about 650 A.D., to be followed by San Francisco, Three Circle, and Reserve, which ends at 1100 A.D. With the end of the Reserve phase, the simplicity of the Mogollon is lost and heavy increments of Anasazi concepts-aboveground masonry dwellings, black-on-white pottery, some religious ideas, and increasing village size- essentially change the Mogollon into what is today called the Western Pueblo Tradition.” [[238]] [[239]] Mosiah 8:8; Alma 50:29; Helaman 3:3–6; Mormon 6:4 [[239]] [[240]] Prehistory chap 5-6 early dates; SW Indians pg. 46-58 [[240]] [[241]] Helaman 3:3–14 [[241]] [[242]] Prehistory chap 5-6 early dates; SW Indians pg. 46-58 [[242]] [[243]] Helaman 3:3–14; 6:6; 7:1-3 [[243]] [[244]] Warfare chapter 4; SW Indians pg. 46-52
Prehistory pg. 230-235: “Many were destroyed by fire; the outlines formed by postholes are frequently encountered under the mounds, as if the burning of a house was the first step in construction of a burial mound. It has been suggested that the Adena “houses” were actually mortuary structures called charnel houses were bodies were defleshed and stored until the major ceremony: the burning of the house, placement of bodies in the crypts, and the building of the initial mounds.
A few examples of an unusual artifact have been reported. It’s the upper jaw of a wolf, cut so that the incisors and canines are intact on a kind of handle made by carving the palate to a spatulate form. It probably was part of an animal mask; the user would have had his upper incisors removed, putting the spatula in his mouth through the opening thus created. Human skulls thus mutilated have also been found, lending some credence to the idea.” [[244]] [[245]] Alma 63:5–8 [[245]] [[246]] Grolier, Fiji; Grolier, Western Samoa; Grolier, Easter Island; Grolier, French Polynesia [[246]] [[247]] 3 Nephi 8:19–23 [[247]] [[248]] Ancient Maya pg. 51 [[248]] [[249]] 4 Nephi 1:1–18 [[249]] [[250]] Ancient Kingdoms pg. 85-91; Atlas pg. 104-105 [[250]] [[251]] Chiapas #9 pg. 8
Zapotec pg. 193-194: “Between the next two building stages, a second room was built in front of the previously existing one. The back walls of this outer chamber, which was 27 m in extent, abutted the sides of the inner room. That inner room was now given two doorways on either side, one of which led to a stairway. By stage G2- perhaps 150-100 BC- the floor of the inner room had been raised 15 cm above the floor of the outer room.” [[251]] [[252]] 4 Nephi 1:2–18 [[252]] [[253]] Mexican History pg. 16-18; BofM Evidence pg. 95-99; Atlas pg. 104-105 [[253]] [[254]] Mexican History pg. 16-18 [[254]] [[255]] Ancient Kingdoms pg. 95; Mexican History pg. 16-18; Prehistory pg. 240-242; Chiapas Artifacts pg. 196-198; Atlas pg. 104-105 [[255]] [[256]] Ancient Kingdoms pg. 95; Mexican History pg. 16-18; Chiapas Artifacts pg. 196-198 [[256]] [[257]] Ancient Kingdoms pg. 85-91; Atlas pg. 104-105 [[257]] [[258]] 4 Nephi 1:1–18 [[258]] [[259]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 196-198
Prehistory pg. 238-245: “The presence of skillfully manufactured objects seems to point to an artisan class. The finely wrought objects not only were beautiful, but also may have had extra value because of their cost in effort both to import and to manufacture. Their mere possession would no doubt give the owners prestige, and their innate properties may have included sacred or symbolic values beyond whatever other values they may have had. The splendor of the Ohio center was never equaled elsewhere, but a few specific Ohio artifact types are found all over the interaction sphere. They are the single and double cymbal ear spools of copper, they Busycon shell bowls, copper panpies, and mica mirrors; those are only items found in graves in all of the eight traditions. But some uniformly styled pottery types were common in all areas.” [[259]] [[260]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 196-198; Prehistory pg. 243; Chiapas Burials pg. 73-74 [[260]] [[261]] Mexican History pg. 16
Prehistory pg. 293: “The Hohokam were generally restricted to deserts of the southern Basin and Range province along the lower Salt and middle Gila rivers and used these waters for large-scale irrigation. The modern city of Phoenix, Arizona, is built upon the ruins of many Hohokam settlements and complex system of irrigation ditches that made life possible. The major canals of the Hohokam system underwent constant repair and modification. The biotic recourses in these valleys were undoubtedly much restricted, as they are today. The summer heat is intense. Faunal resources are scarce, but many edible plant species occur, including fruits of several cacti and beans from tree legumes such as acacia and mesquite. Rainfall is low except to the east, and of the three traditions the Hohokam were probably the most dependent on their fields for food.
As described above, the southwestern cultures represent a complex subsistence pattern of balanced gardening and gathering in a land where farming is difficult, if not impossible. The environmental settings of the three traditions range from Colorado’s green mesas to the sere wastes of Arizona’s deserts. All depended on the careful use of limited water. There has long been general consensus that all three traditions evolved from the local Archaic cultures after stimulus from an unspecified Mexican source.” [[261]] [[262]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 198 [[262]] [[263]] Chiapas Burials pg. 74 [[263]] [[264]] Mexico pg. 89-91; Maya pg. 81
“On the basis of a technology that was essentially Neolithic- for metals were unknown until after AD 900- the Mexicans raised fantastic numbers of buildings, deocrated them with beautiful polychrome murals, produced pottery and figurines in unbelieveable quantitiy, and covered everything with sculptures. Even mass production was introduced, with the inovation (or importation from South America) of the clay mold for making figurines and incense burners.” [[264]] [[265]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 197-198 [[265]] [[266]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 196-198; Prehistory pg. 279, 299; Chiapas Burials pg. 73-74
Zapotec pg. 172: “Monte Alban II had the most colorful and distinctive pottery seen in Oaxaca since the San Jose phase. Burnished gray ware remained popular, but it was joined by waxy red, red-on-orange, red-on-cream, black, and white-rimmed black vessels, many of whose shapes and colors reflect an exchange of ideas with neighboring Chiapas. The distinctiveness of this pottery makes it relatively easy to identify on the surface of the ground, and some 518 communities of this period have been identified in the Valley of Oaxaca.” [[266]] [[267]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 196-198
Prehistory pg. 245: “The grave goods were numerous but not particularly flamboyant. There were pottery vessels, many turtle carapace dishes, several busycon shell bowls, awls, projectile points, scraps of mica, mussel shell spoons, numerous lumps of much oxidized pyrite, eagle and falcon jaws, beaver incisors, bone and antler scrap, and some cobble hammers or anvil stones. An interesting note was that many of the crania had perforated left parietal bones. The excavators speculate that these individuals may have been sacrificed as part of the burial ceremony. The pottery particularly shows marked similarity to the Illinois Hopewell variant, leading the assignment of the Norton group to an Illinois expansion, rather than to the nearer Ohio Hopewell climax.” [[267]] [[268]] Ancient Kingdoms pg. 98-99; Prehistory pg. 243; Mexican History pg. 20-21; Atlas pg. 104-105 [[268]] [[269]] Teotihuacan pg. 1-2; Mexican History pg. 16-17; Atlas pg. 105 [[269]] [[270]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 197 [[270]] [[271]] Morelos pg. 135-150; Teotihuacan pg. 2; Mexican History pg. 16-17; Chiapas Artifacts pg. 1997
Zapotec pg. 172-175: “For one thing, the ring of 155 settlements that had surronded Monte Alban during Late Period I was now gone. The central region of the Valley of Oaxaca, once densely populated, was now reduced to 23 communities. This suggests that Monte Alban no longer needed to concentrate farmers, warriors, and laborers within 15 km of the city, because its rulers could now count on the support of the entire valley.
In addition, there no longer seems to be any ambiguity about a four-tiered hierarchy of communities in the valley. Monet Alban, now covering 416 ha, was the only “city,” or occupant of Tier I; its population is estimated at 14,500.”
Mexico pg. 91: “Very clearly, the Classic florescence saw the intensification of sharp social cleavages thoughout Mexico, and the consolidation of elite classes. It has long been assumed on a priori grounds that the mode of government was theocratic, with a priestly group exercising temporal power. In lieu of actual documents from the period, there is little for or against this idea to be gained from archaeoligical record. At any rate, below the intellecutal group which held the political reins was a peasantry which had hardly changed an iota from Preclassic times. Apart from the post-Conquest introduction of animal husbandry and steel tools, and old village-farming way of life has hardly been altered until today.”
[[271]] [[272]] Mexican History pg. 16; Mayas pg. 1, 3
Zapotec pg. 172-175: “Two other settlements, classified as Tier 2 centers on the basis of size, do not seem to have been surrounded by comparable cells of large villages. Magdelena Apasco seems to have been a town in the San Jose Mogote cell. Scuhilquitongo, a hilltop center near the upper Atoyac River, may have served to defend the northern entrance to the valley. (A smaller mountaintop center, El Choco, may have defended the pass where the Atoyac River exits the valley on its way south.)” [[272]] [[273]] Atlas pg. 105; Chiapas Artifacts pg. 198 [[273]] [[274]] 4 Nephi 1:2–3, 15–17 [[274]] [[275]] 4 Nephi 1:23–24 [[275]] [[276]] Prehistory pg. 282, 294
“The Monroe phase was characterized by distinctive rectangular houses with vertical wall posts in a straight line, three center supports (for gabled roofs, as sometimes in the Mississippian), and a fireplace toward the narrow entry ramp. The entry ramp sloped down to meet the sunken floor of the lodge. A striking fact about the Monroe villages was their compactness, in contrast to the randomness of earlier settlements. The houses were located uniformly with the long axis oriented southwest-northeast and with the entryway toward the southwest.
The village is large. House lodges even now number more than one hundred; the erosion of the Missouri has destroyed an unknown number. The dominant house type was a rectangular structure built of vertical posts or poles with an entryway opening to the west. Houses were large, averaging 30 by 33 feet. The roof was supported by central posts or pillars arranged down the midline of the house. The covering for the houses is not definitely known, but they are believed to have been roofed with sod. The vertical walls were of wattle and daub. A most impressive component of the village was the encircling fortification, an earthen embankment behind which small posts set about 12 inches apart formed a palisade. Ten projecting bastions were equally spaced along its sides and at the two western shores.”
Zapotec pg. 208-209: “The Zapotec cocui, or hereditary lord, and his xonaxi, or royal wife, lived in residential palaces fitting the historic description of the yoho quehui, or “royal house.” Many of these were residents 20-25 m on one side, divided into 10-12 rooms arranged around an interior patio. Typical features were L-shaped corner rooms, some with apparent sleeping benches. Privacy was provided by a “curtian wall” just inside the main doorway, which screened the interior of the palace from view. Doors were probably closed with elegant weavings, or even brightly colored feather curtians. In some Zapotec palaces, no two rooms have their floors at exactly the same level. This might have been a way of ensuring that the coqui’s head was higher than anyone else’s, even when he was asleep.”
[[276]] [[277]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 199; Chiapas Burials pg. 74-75; Mexican History pg. 43-48
Prehistory pg. 247, 271-272, 294: “The objects are an exquisite expression of artistry combined with skilled craftsmanship. The artifacts were created in every medium: wood, shell, clay, stone, and hammered copper. The art is concerned with depicting animals, humans, mythical creatures, tools, and weapons, using a dozens of themes and scores of motifs. The artifacts are not utilitarian but ornamental and are undoubtedly rich in conventional and symbolic meaning. As a subject for study they have attracted attention for a century. Much speculation has attended that study; the complex artifacts is said to have been a death cult because of the skull, hand-eye, and other motifs”
Zapotec pg. 208-209: “As for the rulers themselves, they are often depicted in ceramic sculpture- seated on thrones or crosslegged on royal mats, weighed down with jewelry and immense feather headdresses. Rulers evidently had a variety of masks, so many that one wonders if their faces were ever seen by commoners. Rulers in many cultures have disguised themselves to maintain the myth that they were not mere mortals, and Zapotec kings seem to have had numerous costumes depending on the occasion. Their ties to Lightning were reinforced by jade or wooden masks depicting the powerful face of Cociyo; their roles as warriors were reinforced by wearing a mask made from the facial skin of a flayed captive.
A magnificent example of the latter can be seen in the funerary urn from Tomb 103, a royal burial beneath a palace at Monte Alban. The Zapotec ruler sits on his throne in the guise of a warrior, holding a staff or war club in his right hand. In his left he grasps the hair of an enemy’s severed head, as he peers through the dried skin of a flayed enemy’s face. His headdress, featuring the plumes of birds from distant cloud forests, covers not only his head but also the back of his throne. Jade spools in his earlobes, a massive jade necklace, and a kilt covered with tubular sea shells add to his elegance. Note that, in the tradition of the figurines of 850-700 BC, the sculptor has paid great attention to every detail of the lord’s sandals, right down to the tying of the laces.” [[277]] [[278]] 4 Nephi 1:24 [[278]] [[279]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 199
Prehistory pg. 238, 249, 262-263, 294-297, 299, 308, 319-320: “In the mounds were rich caches of goods, not always with the burials. The cached objects were created from exotic materials, both local Ohio items and imported ones. Mica, in sheets or cutout geometric or animal forms, was a commonly used mineral. Copper, recovered in free sheets and nuggets from the Lake Superior sources, was used for ear spools, headdresses, masks, bracelets, beads, chest ornaments, celts, and panpies. Pearls were used as beads for anklets and armlets and were sewn on garments.
The potters were only one of the artisan groups. Shellworkers engraved and carved Busycon shell with the columella removed for ornaments and pendants, and used the columella to make knobbed hairpins; tubular disc-shaped, and globular beads; and other ornaments as well. Other skilled craftsmen made bracelets, beads, headdresses, and a few hairpins for the copper produced locally in Tennessee and northern Georgia, and decorated thin sheets of hammered copper with a repousse technique.”
Zapotec pg. 208-209: “As for the rulers themselves, they are often depicted in ceramic sculpture- seated on thrones or crosslegged on royal mats, weighed down with jewelry and immense feather headdresses. Rulers evidently had a variety of masks, so many that one wonders if their faces were ever seen by commoners. Rulers in many cultures have disguised themselves to maintain the myth that they were not mere mortals, and Zapotec kings seem to have had numerous costumes depending on the occasion. Their ties to Lightning were reinforced by jade or wooden masks depicting the powerful face of Cociyo; their roles as warriors were reinforced by wearing a mask made from the facial skin of a flayed captive.
A magnificent example of the latter can be seen in the funerary urn from Tomb 103, a royal burial beneath a palace at Monte Alban. The Zapotec ruler sits on his throne in the guise of a warrior, holding a staff or war club in his right hand. In his left he grasps the hair of an enemy’s severed head, as he peers through the dried skin of a flayed enemy’s face. His headdress, featuring the plumes of birds from distant cloud forests, covers not only his head but also the back of his throne. Jade spools in his earlobes, a massive jade necklace, and a kilt covered with tubular sea shells add to his elegance. Note that, in the tradition of the figurines of 850-700 BC, the sculptor has paid great attention to every detail of the lord’s sandals, right down to the tying of the laces.” [[279]] [[280]] Prehistory pg. 262, 271-272
“In western California, there was evidentily a much greater concern with the dead. Many were buried in mounds, others in extensive cemeteries. An analysis of the grave goods of these many cemeteries has led some scholars to suggest that there was in California a social complexity quite at variance with the simple and relatively stable technology the archaeology reveals.”
Zapotec pg. 185-188, 209-216; Zapotec pg. 210-216: “One of the most famous Zapotec royal burials is Monte Alban’s Tomb 104, believed to date to the middle of Period III. Its elaborate facade includes a niche with a large funerary sculpture. The latter has a headdress containing two jaguar or puma heads, huge ear ornaments, a large pectoral with marine shells, and a bag of incense in one hand.
Inside the main chamber of the tomb was a single skeleton, fully extended face up. At its feet was the funerary urn, flanked by four accompanists or “companion figures.” The chamber had been equipped with five wall niches, many of which were filled with pottery; dozens of additional vessels were stacked on the floor. The pottery was extremely varied in form and function- in effect, a couple “table setting” for a Zapotec lord or lady. Included were bowls and vases, bridgespout jars, ladles, “sause boats,” and a stone mortar of the type now used for making guacamole or chili sause. There were also figures of humans.
Running the wall of the chamber was a mural. At the left (the south wall of the chamber) we see a male figure holding an incense bag in one hand. Next comes a niche in the wall with an “offering box” and a parrot painted above it. Then come two hieroglyphic compounds, 2 Serpent and 5 Serpent; below them is another “offering box.” On the back wall of the tomb (the west side) are three niches and a complex painting that features a human face (probably and ancestor) below the “Jaws of the Sky.” The date (or day-name) 5 Turquoise appears to the left of the jaws.
At the far right (north wall of the tomb) we see another male figure with an incense bag. Above a niche in this wall we see the “heart as sacrifice” and above that the glyphs for I Lightning, and to the left we see the dates or day-names 5 Owl and 5 Lightning. A feathered speech scroll is associated with 5 Owl. All these names probably refer to important royal ancestors of the individual in the tomb.
Finally, the door of the main chamber was closed by a large stone, carved on both sides. We see the hieroglyphic inscription of the inner surface of the door. The inscription shares several day-names with the mural inside the chamber. On the right side appear the glyphs 6 Turquoise, a glyph designated “Glyph I” by Alfonso Caso, and a human figurine showing the same stiff posture seen in the jade statues beneath an earlier temple at San Jose Mogote. On the left side appears the large glyph 7 Deer, flanked by smaller glyphs for 6 Serpent, 7 “Glyph I,” and four small cartouches accompanied by the number 15. In the center of the stone we have an abbreviated “Jaws of the Sky” and the glyph 5 Turquoise. Below this we find a buccal mask in profile, and the same glyph for I Lightning seen on the north-wall mural of the tomb chamber.
The repetition of the names 5 Turquoise and I Lightning on the mural and door stone suggests that these individuals were very important. Together with the funerary urns, the scores of ceramic offerings, and the elaborate construction of the tomb, these references to ancestors were an integral part of royal burial ritual.” [[280]] [[281]] 4 Nephi 1:46 [[281]] [[282]] Zapotec pg. 224-225
“Period IIIa, because of its distinctively decorated pottery, shows up strongly on surface survey. This is fortunate, since it makes it easier to show the significant changes in settlment pattern that took place between Monte Alban II and IIIa. Those changes included substantial increases in population, great shifts in the demographic center of gravity of the Valley of Oaxaca, and increased use of defensible localities.” [[282]] [[283]] Mexican History pg. 17-18, 36-39;
Zapotec pg. 208-221: “Also set in the walls of the South Platform are six stelae showing prionsers with arms tied behind their backs. While some are dressed in little more than a breech-clout, others wear the kind of full animal costume given to warriors who had distinguished themselves in battle. Each captive stands on a place glyph naming the region from which he came; unforunately, the regions have not as yet been securely identified. If the destiny of Early Period III sites on densible hilltops can be used as a guide, we suspect that regions south and east of the Valley of Oaxaca were the scene of considerable warfare during Early Period III.”
Mexico pg. 129: “Following in the wake of the disturbances and intrusions of alien peoples which brought to a close the civilizations of the Classic during the ninth century AD was a seemingly new mode of organized life. Although there is ample evidence for warfare in such Classic cultures as Teotihuacan and Monte Alban, the Post-Classic saw a greatly heightend emphasis on militarism, in fact, a glorification of war in all its aspects. There was now an upstart class of tough professional warriors, grouped into military orders which took theri names from the animals from which they may have claimed a kind of totemic descent: coyote, jaguar, and eagle. Wars were the rule of the day, those unfrotunate enough to be captured destined for sacrifice to the gods. Human sacrifice can hardly be considered a new element in Mesoamerican life, but for the first time we have widespread evidence for the tzompantli, the skull rack on which heads were skewered for public display. As a result of these marital activities, there was extensive contruction of strongpoints and the fortification of towns.” [[283]] [[284]] Mexican History pg. 17-18
Zapotec pg. 216-221, 224: “The hidden scenes of Teotihuacan visitors were placed at the four corners of the South Platform. Under three of those, the builders of the platform placed offering boxes with standardized dedicatory caches. These cashes show that the carved stones were part of the Early Monte Alban III platform, sicne the boxes contain offerings of that period. No offering was placed under the south-east corner, apparently because bedrock was deeper there and more construction fill was required.”
Mexico pg. 129: “Throughout Mexico, this was a time which saw a great deal of confusion and movement of peoples, amalgamating to form small, aggressive, conquest states, and splitting up with as much speed as they had risen. Even tribes of distinctly different speech sometimes came together to form a single state- as we know from their annals, for we have entered the realm of history. Naturally, such new conditions are mirrored in Post-Classic art styles, which are thoroughly saturated with the martial psychology of the age. In general they are harder, far more abstract, and less exuberant than those of the Classic period. It is the kind of strong, static art produced by artisans guided by Spartan, not Athenian, ideals.” [[284]] [[285]] Mormon 1:6–7 [[285]] [[286]] Teotihuacan pg. 2-3; Morelos pg. 135-150; Prehistory pg. 254-256; Ancient Kingdoms pg. 100-101
Zapotec pg. 224: “The population of the Valley of Oaxaca rose to an estimated 115,000 persons during Monte Alban IIIa. This growth was accompanied by tumultuous changes in the distribution of population throughout the valley. Of the 1075 known communities, 510 (or nearly half) were now in the Tlacolula subvalley.”
Maya pg. 152: “We know from the downfall of past civilizations such as the Roman and Khmer empires that it is fruitless to look for single causes. But most of the Maya archaeologists can now agree that three factors were paramount in the downfall: 1) endemic internecine warefare, 2) overpopulation and accompanying enviromental collapse, and 3) drought. All three probably played a part, but not necessarily all together in the same time and in the same place. Warefare seems to have become a real problem earlier than the two.
On can only conclude that by the end of the eighth century, the Classic Maya population of the southern lowlands had probably increase beyond the carrying capacity of the land, no matter what system of agriculture was in use. There is mounting evidence for massive deforestation and erosion throughout the Central Area, only alleviated in a few favorable zones by dry slope terracing. In short, overpopulation and enviromental degradation had adbanced to a degree only matched by what is happening in many of the poorest tropical countries today. The Maya apocolypse, for such it was, surely had ecological roots.” [[286]] [[287]] 4 Nephi 1:24–26 [[287]] [[288]] ; Prehistory pg. 247, 261, 268, 270-272
Zapotec pg. 216-221: “Whatever the reason, the stelae commissioned by 12 Jaguar display two types of royal propaganda: vertical and horizontal. The message on the public faces of his monuments- showing his inaugural scene, his captives, and his heroic predecessor- traveled “vertically” from the ruler down to the commoners. The message of support from Teotihuacan, carved on the hidden edges of the same stelae, traveled “horizontally” from the ruler to his fellow nobles, did not need to be seen by commoners.” [[288]] [[289]] Mexican History pg. 18; Chiapas Burials pg. 74-75;
Zapotec pg. 216-224: “For many ancient Mesoamerican states, the inauguration of a new ruler was a time for elaborate ritual and royal propaganda. Inauguration rituals sent the ideological message that kingship and the state would continue in a just, orderly, predictable manner under a deserving new ruler.
Mesoamerican groups such as the Aztec, Mixtec, and Maya tried to designate the old ruler’s successor in advance of the former’s death. Between the time of that designation and his or her actual assumption of the throne, the future ruler was expected to engage in a series of important activities. He or she might travel to consult the leaders of other ethnic groups; raid enemy communities to get captives for sacrifice; mark off the boundaries of the polity to reinforce them; and perform some act of piety, like building a new temple or visiting a shrine.
The classic Zapotec were no exception to this pattern. Sometime during Early Period III, a ruler named 12 Jaguar was inaugurated at Monte Alban. Part of his inauguration ritual included the dedication of a massive pyramidal structure, the South Platform of the Main Plaza, for whose construction (or enlargement) he sought to take credit. In preparation for his inauguration, he commissioned a carved stone monument which shows him seated on his throne. He also had taken a number of captives for sacrifice, six of whom are depicted on other stone monuments. He seems to have documented his right to rule by using a monument that refers to a previous Zapotec ruler, perhaps claming him as an ancestor. Finally, he commissioned carved scenes of eight visitors from Teotihuacan, a city in the Basin of Mexico which was a powerful contemporary of Monet Alban. These scenes show Teotihucanos visiting Monte Alban in what may be a demonstration of support for the new ruler. Dedicatory caches were placed beneath three corner stones bearing these scenes.” [[289]] [[290]] 4 Nephi 1:35–39 [[290]] [[291]] Mexican History pg. 18, 24-27, 31-43
Prehistory pg. 246-247: “In New York, the Point Peninsula Tradition begins with the Squawkie Hill phase, where cult artifacts are found in mounds. In fact the typical rocker stamping is very extensive in the Northeast, being found well beyond the Hopewellian diagnostics. After about 250 A.D. the Hopewell Traditon traits disappear there. It is about the time that the cultures of the Midwest and East developed stronger regional differences, with many local sequences replacing the more uniform culture characteristic of Hopewell dominance. Even so, as in the widespread dentate pottery decoration, vestiges of Hopewell ancestry can be noted. In New York, for example, the development of late Point Peninsula into Owasco and even historic Iroquois can be tied through a few ceramic traits to Hopewell.”
Zapotec pg. 222-224: “The golden age of Zapotec civilization can be divided into phases, called Monte Alban IIIa and IIIb. While far radiocarbon samples from either phase have been run, the available dates (and traded pottery from other regions) suggest that IIIa falls roughly between A.D. 200 and 500, while IIIb falls roughly between 500 and 700.
Period IIIa, because of its distinctively decorated pottery, shows up strongly on surface survey. This is fortunate, since it makes it easier to show the significant changes in settlement pattern that took place between Monte Alban II and IIIa. Those changes included substantial increases in population, great shifts in the demographic center of gravity of the Valley of Oaxaca, and increased use of defensible localities.
Period IIIb, in contrast, had relatively drab pottery which is difficult to distinguish from that of subsequent phase, Monte Alban IV. When large Period IIIb sites are excavated, they often contain pottery types traded from the Maya region, types whose ages are well established. On surface survey, however, Periods IIIb and IV are difficult to separate unless one has a very large sample of pottery.”
Mexico pg. 113, 115, 119, 120-126, 126-127: “Down the Gulf Coast plain, new civilizations appeared in the Early Classic which in some respects reflect continuity from the Olmec tradition of the lowlands, as well as intrusive elements ultimately derived from Teotihuacan. The site of Cerro de las Mesas lies in the middle of the former Olmec territory, in south-central Veracruz, approximately 15 miles from the Bay of Alvarado, on a broad band of high land above the swamps of the Rio Blanco. The site is the ceter of an area dotted with earthen mounds.”
Maya pg. 84, 88-89, 97, 100: “Shortly after AD 400, the highlands fell under Teotihuacan domination. A intrusive group of central Mexicans from that city apparently seized Kaminaljuyu and built for themselves a miniature version of their captial. An elite class ruling over a captive population of Maya descent, they were swayed by native cultural tastes and traditions and became “Mayanized” to the extent that they imported from the Central Area pottery and other wares with which to stock their tombs. The Esperanza culture which arose at Kaminalijuyu during the Early Classic, then, is a kind of hybrid.”
[[291]] [[292]] 4 Nephi 1:26–28 [[292]] [[293]] Mexican History pg. 36-39
Mexico pg. 100-103, 124-125: “In Karl Taube’s view, as we have seen, the presiding deity of the Teotihuacan pantheon was the Spider Woman, the patroness of our own world; she was probably the equivalent of the later Aztec Toci, ‘Our Grandmother.’ Many of the other gods of the complete Mexican pantheon are already clearly recognizable at Teotihuacan. Here were worshipped the Rain God (‘Tlaloc’ to the Aztecs) and the Feathered Serpent (the later ‘Quetzalcoatl’), as well as the Sun God, the Moon Goddess, and Xipe Totec (Nahuatl for ‘Our Lord the Flayed One’), the last-named being the symbol of the annual renewal of vegetation with the onset of the rainy season. Particularly common are incense burners fo the Old Fire God, a creator divinity and the probable consort of the Spider Woman. A colossal statue represents the Water Goddess (in Nahuatl, Chalchiuhtlicue, ‘Her Skirt Is of Jade’), but there is an even larger statue, weighing almost 200 metric tons and now in front of the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City; found in an unfinished state on the slopes of Tlaloc Mountain, it is identified in the popular Mexican consciousness with that deity, but its exact identification is unknown. At any rate, it should be noted that almost all the gods venerated in this great urban captital were intimatley connected with the well-being of maize, with their staff of life.”
People pg. 487: “A hereditary elite seems to have ruled Monte Alban, the leaders of a state that had emerged in the Valley of Oaxaca by AD 200. Their religious power was based on ancestor worship, a pantheon of art least 39 gods, grouped around major themes of ritual life. The rain god and lightning were associated with the jaguar motif; another group of deities was linked with the maize god, Pitao Cozabi. Nearly all these gods were still worshiped at the time of the Spanish contact, although Monte Alban itself was abandoned after AD 700, at approximately the same time as another great ceremonial center, Teotihuacan, in the Valley of Mexico, began to decline.” [[293]] [[294]] 4 Nephi 1:26–34 [[294]] [[295]] Gods and Symbols pg. 136-137
Zapotec pg. 208-210: “By A.D. 200 the Zapotec had extended their influence from Quioteopec in the north to Ocelotepec and Chiltepec in the south. Their noble ambassadors had presented gifts to the rulers of Chiapa de Corzo and established a Zapotec enclave at Teotihuacan in the Basin of Mexico. Monte Alban had become the largest city in the southern Mexican highlands and would remain so fa the next 500 years. That half millennium, from A.D. 200-700, has been called the “golden age of Zapotec civilization.”
People pg. 490, 496: “By AD 600, Teotihuacan probably was governed by a secular ruler who was looked upon as a divine king of some kind. A class of nobels controlled the kinship groups that organized the bulk of the city’s huge population.
Copan is just on of many sites where archaeologists have documented the complicated political and social history of Maya civilization. The public monuments erected by the Classic Maya emphasize not only the king’s role as shaman, as the intermediary with the Otherworld, but also his position as family patriarch. Genealogical texts on stelae legitimize his decent, his close relationship to his often long-deceased parents. Maya kings used both the awesome regalia of their office and elaborate rituals to stress their close identity with mythical ancestral gods. This was a way in which they asserted their kin relationship and political authority over subordinate leaders and every member of society.
The king believed himself to have a divine covenant with the gods and ancestors, a covenant that was reinforced again and again in elaborate private and public rituals. The king was often depicted as the World Tree, the conduit by which humans communicated with the Otherworld. Trees were the living enviroment of Maya life and a metaphor for human power. So the kings of the Maya were a forest of symbolic human World Trees within a natural, forested landscape.” [[295]] [[296]] Maya chap 4-6
“Paricularly impressive are its six temple-pyramids, veritable skyscrapers among buildings of their class. From the level of the plaza floor to the top of its roof comb, Temple IV, the mightiest of all, measures 229 ft in height. Teh core of Tik’al must be its great plaza, flanked on west and east by two of these temple-pyramids, and on the north by the acropolis already mentioned in connection with its Late Preclassic and Early Classic tombs, and on the southby the Central Acropolis, a palace complex. Some of the major architecural groups are connected to the Great Plaza and with each other by broad causeways, over which many splendid processions must have passed in the days of Tik’al’s glory. The palaces are so impressive, their plastered rooms often still retaining in their vaults the sapodilla-wood spanner beams which had only a decorative function.”
Zapotec chap 13-15: “Not all temples were of the two-room type; some were left open on all sides. An example is Building II of Monte Alban, described by Ignacio Benal as “a small temple with five pillars in the front and another five in the back… It never had side walls and in fact was open to the four winds.” On the south side of this “open” temple, excavators found the entrance to a tunnel which allowed priests to enter and leave the building unseen, crossing beneath the eastern half of the Main Plaza to a building on the plaza’s central spine.
Structure 36, the oldest temple, dated to early Monte Alban II. It measured 11 x 11 m and was slightly T-shaped, the inner room slightly smaller than the outer. Both columns flanking the inner doorway, and all four columns flanking the outer doorway, were made from the trunks of baldcypress trees. So well does cypress wood preserve that identifiable fragments of it were still present in the column bases.
One model of a temple from the Tlacolula subvalley is particularly interesting, as its doorway is shown as having been closed with a feather curtain. Such curtains were luxurious furnishings made by sewing together thousands upon thousands of feathers from brightly colored birds; they may also have been used to close the doors of palaces.”
Mexico chap 6: “The palace compounds were the residences of the lords of the city, such as those uncovered at the zones called by the modern names Xolalpan, Tetitla, Zacuala, and Atetelco, or the magnificent ‘Quetzal-Butterfly’ Palace near the Pyramid of the Moon. Typical of the palace layout might be Xolalpan, a rectangular complex of about fourty-five rooms and seven forecourts; these bourder four platforms, which are arranged around a cenral court. The court was depressed below the general ground level and was open to the sky, with a small altar in the center. While windows were lacking, several of the rooms had smaller sunken courts very much like the Roman atria, into which light and air wer admitted throuh the roof, supported by surrounding columns. The rainwater in the sunken basins could be drained off when desired. All palaces known were one-storied affairs, with flat roofs built from beams adn small sticks and twigs, overlaign by earth and rubble. Doorways were rectangular and covered by a cloth.” [[296]] [[297]] People pg. 490, 496: (SAME AS NOTE 295 ABOVE)
Zapotec pg. 208-210: “The Zapotec cocui, or hereditary lord, and his xonaxi, or royal wife, lived in residential palaces fitting the historic description of the yoho quehui, or “royal house.” Many of these were residents 20-25 m on one side, divided into 10-12 rooms arranged around an interior patio. Typical features were L-shaped corner rooms, some with apparent sleeping benches. Privacy was provided by a “curtain wall” just inside the main doorway, which screened the interior of the palace from view. Doors were probably closed with elegant weavings, or even brightly colored feather curtains. In some Zapotec palaces, no two rooms have their floors at exactly the same level. This might have been a way of ensuring that the coqui’s head was higher than anyone else’s, even when he was asleep.
As for the rulers themselves, they are often depicted in ceramic sculpture- seated on thrones or crosslegged on royal mats, weighed down with jewelry and immense feather headdresses. Rulers evidently had a variety of masks, so many that one wonders if their faces were ever seen by commoners. Rulers in many cultures have disguised themselves to maintain the myth that they were not mere mortals, and Zapotec kings seem to have had numerous costumes depending on the occasion. Their ties to Lightning were reinforced by jade or wooden masks depicting the powerful face of Cociyo; their roles as warriors were reinforced by wearing a mask made from the facial skin of a flayed captive.
A magnificent example of the latter can be seen in the funerary urn from Tomb 103, a royal burial beneath a palace at Monte Alban. The Zapotec ruler sits on his throne in the guise of a warrior, holding a staff or war club in his right hand. In his left he grasps the hair of an enemy’s severed head, as he peers through the dried skin of a flayed enemy’s face. His headdress, featuring the plumes of birds from distant cloud forests, covers not only his head but also the back of his throne. Jade spools in his earlobes, a massive jade necklace, and a kilt covered with tubular sea shells add to his elegance that, in the tradition of the figurines of 850-700 BC, the sculptor has paid great attention to every detail of the lord’s sandals, right down to the tying of the laces.
An earlier generation of scholars assumed that these spectacular urns, usually found in royal tombs, depicted “gods.” Today we believe that most of them represent venerated ancestors of the main individuals in the tomb. Some urns bear glyphs with names taken from the 260- day calendar. Supernatural like Lightning, being immortal, were not named for days in Zapotec calendar. It is also the case that the figures on most urns, even when grotesquely masked, are undeniably human behind their disguises.
In cosmology it is always crucial to distinguish between actual supernatural beings- depicted in Mesoamerica by combining parts of different animals, so as to create something obviously “unnatural”- and real humans who had metamorphosed into the heroes and heroines of legend. The latter were humans who had acquired, through death and heredity, some of the attributes of the supernatural. We suspect that Zapotec funerary urns- many of which are one-of-a-kind masterpieces made to accompany rulers in their tombs- provided a venue to which the pee, or animate spirit, of these heroes and royal ancestors could return. This would allow the deceased ruler to continue to consult with his or her important ancestors, much as we think the women of the early village period invoked their ancestors through figurines.” [[297]] [[298]] Maya pg. 195 (see also pictures of sculptures and murals throughout Chap. 5); (see also pottery from any region, especially Mimbre Culture in Southwest)
“Immediately after birth, Yuateacan mothers washed their infants and then fastened them to a cradle, their little heads compressed between two boards in such a way that after two days a permanent fore-and-aft flattening had taken place which the Maya considered a mark of beauty. As soon as possible, the anxious parents went to consult with a priest so as to learn the destiny of their offspring, and the name which he or she was to bear until baptism.
The Spanish Fathers were quite astounded that the Maya had a baptismal rite, which took place at an auspicious time when there were a number of boys and girls between the ages of three and twelve in the settlement. The ceremony took place in the house of a town elder, in the presence of their parents who had observed various abstinences in honor of the occasion. The children and their fathers remained inside a cord held by four old and venerable men representing the Chaks or Rain Gods, while the priest performed various acts of purifaction and blessed the candidates with incense, tobacco, and holy water. From that time on the elder girls, at least, were marriageable.
In both highlands and lowlands, boys and young men stayed apart from their families in special communal houses where they presumably learned the arts of war, and other things as well, for Landa says that the prostitutes were frequent visitors. Other youthful diversions were gambling and the ball game. The double standard was present among the Maya, for girls were strictly brought up by their mothers and suffered grievious punishments for lapes of chastity. Marriage was arranged by go-betweens and, as among all peoples with exogamous clans or lineages, there were strict rules about those whom alliances could or could not be made- particularly taboo was marriage with those of the same paternal name. Monogamy was the general custom, but important men who could afford it took more wives. Adultry was punished by death, as among the Mexicans.
Ideas of personal comeliness were quite different from ours, although the friars were much impressed with the beauty of the Maya women. Both sexes had their frontal teeth filed in various patterns, and we have many ancient Maya skulls in which the incisors have benn inlaid with small plaques of jade. Until marraige, young men painted themselves black (and so did warriors at all times); tattooing and decorative scarification began after wedlock, both men and women being richly elaborated from the waist up by these means. Slightly crossed eyes were held in great esteem, and parents attempeted to induce the condition by hanging small beads over the noses of their children.”
Prehistory pg. 306-308: “Initial Basketmaker II is now dated at about the time of Christ, persisting until about 500 A.D. Its identifying traits are familiar, being those cited for the Archaic culture and remindful of the material from Tularosa Cave. The sites are most often to be found in caves, alcoves, or overhangs. In such situations, the perishable artifacts are preserved, as are the bodies of the dead. The practice of skull deformation which later proved popular, had not yet appeared.
Other additions to the Pueblo I trait list include cotton cloth, jacal construction, and the practice of cranial deformation- steeply angled flattening of the optical area- resulting probably from the use of a ridged cradleboard. Both the cotton and the cranial flattening appear in earlier Mongollon.”
Zapotec pg. 105-106: “Now let us turn to another attribute that cannot reflect achievement: deliberate cranial deformation. At the time of the Spanish Conquest it was considered a sign of nobility, like the wearing of quetzal plumes and jade earplugs. Cranial deformation must be done early in life, while the skull is still growing and it bones still separated by cartilage. For the ancient Maya, cranial deformation took place shortly after birth. The sixteenth-century Spaniard Diego de Landa says “four of five days after the infant was born, they placed it stretched out upon a little bed, made of sticks of osier and reeds; and there with its face upwards, they put its head between which they compressed it tightly, and here they kept it suffering until at the end of several days, the head remained flat and molded.”
Some sixteenth-century Aztec informants revealed that “When the children are very young, their heads are soft and can be molded in the shape that you see ours to be, by using two pieces of wood hollowed out in the middle. This custom, given to our ancestors by the gods, gives us a noble air.”
Cranial deformation results from actions taken by one’s parents, long before one is old enough to have achieved anything; thus, if cranial deformation reflects high rank, it must be inherited high rank. Two types of deformation were practiced in early Mesoamerican villages. Tabular deformation, the most common, was caused by pressing the skull between a fixed occipital cradleboard and a free board on the forehead. Annular deformation was caused by tying a band around the head. Each type of deformation could be erect or oblique, depending of the angle at which it was applied.
Tabular deformation was the most common type in the San Jose phase, and could occur with either sex; some of the men buried with Lightning vessels were so deformed. One teenage girl from San Jose Mogote, however, showed annular deformation, a practice still rare at this time. It is possible that she was a bride from another ethnic region, where annular deformation was more common. The girl’s burial position- face up, arms folded on her chest- was also atypical for that residential ward.
We believe that certain children inherited the right to have their skulls deformed, and that certain male children inherited the right to be buried with Earth or Sky motifs. Because such burials were not always accompanied by impressive sumptuary goods, one cannot make a simplistic claim of “chiefly burials” for them. We suspect that these were children born into the descent groups from which future leaders were likely to come. However, not everyone born into such a group automatically became a leader. Almost certainly, to receive truly elegant burial gifts, one had to add achievement to one’s high-status pedigree.” [[298]] [[299]] Mysteries pg. 184-186
Prehistory pg. 247-249, 261, 268-271, 282: “Monks Mound dominated from its north end of a vast plaza of some 200 acres enclosed in a bastioned palisade or stockade of large posts. Along each side of the plaza were twelve or more platform and conical mounds with a single platform at the south end of the plaza. Outside the Monks Mound enclosure to north, south, east, and west were dozens of other mounds dominating other plazas. But there were four other large, but lesser mound groups clustered around smaller plazas. Everywhere over the entire bottom and on the valley bluffs to the east were sources of hamlets and farmsteads, which are believed to have supported the centers with foodstuffs and services.
The distribution of these big sites, their locations on water courses, and their very size lead some scholars to postulate that they were religious and administrative centers, peopled primarily by a powerful upper class that controlled trade and, possibly, population distribution and, of course, possessed absolute political and religious power.
There is no doubt that there was an elite Mississippian social class. This is attested by the rich mortuary offerings and the elaborate ceremonies with which the burials were made. Burials occurred on the tops of the pyramid mounds, a mortuary ritual that can be identified wherever the mound groups are found. The uniformity of occurrence has led to the interpretation that there were elite lineages and that their high status was ascribed by virtue of birth, because even children were sometimes accorded elaborate burial ceremony and grave goods. However, near or in the towns were large cemeteries, where lower-class citizens were buried. Here too, there is an occasional richly accompanied burial, but the objects are of a different nature, such as the tools or creations of a craftsman. Such persons are believed to have achieved a relatively high status through merit rather than birth.” [[299]] [[300]] 4 Nephi 1:24–46; Mormon 1:13–19 [[300]] [[301]] Prehistory pg. 294-298, 300, 318
Mexico pg. 117, 119: “Other panels involve the beginning of the game, while in a final scene the losing captain is apparently being sacrificed by the victors, who brandish a flint knife over his heart: the game played in the courts of El Tajin was not lightly won or lost. The central panels on either side of the court concern the sacred drink pulque, and maguey plants from which this intoxicating beverage was made; over one of these, the Tajin version of the Mexican rain god Tlaloc presides, while on its counterpart opposite, this same god replenishes a pool of pulgue with blood taken from his own penis, watched by deity with a fish headdress.”
Maya pg. 104, 106, 110-112: [[301]] [[302]] 4 Nephi 1:46 [[302]] [[303]] Prehistory pg. 236-243, 318-320; Tula pg. 46
Zapotec pg. 224: “Period IIIa, because of its distinctively decorated pottery, shows up strongly on surface survey. This is fortunate, since it makes it easier to show the significant changes in settlement pattern that took place between Monte Alban II and IIIa. Those changes included substantial increases in population, great shifts in the demographic center of gravity of the Valley of Oaxaca, and increased use of defensible localities.
Period IIIb, in contrast, had relatively drab pottery which is difficult to distinguish from that of the subsequent phase, Monte Alban IV (roughly A.D. 700-1000). When large Period IIIb sites are excavated, they often contain pottery types traded from the Maya region, types whose ages are well established. On surface survey, however, Periods IIIb and IV are difficult to separate unless one has a very large sample of pottery.”
Mexico pg. 91, 103-105, 144-147: “On the basis of a technology that was essentially Neolithic- for metals were unknown until after AD 900- the Mexicans raised fantastic numbers of buildings, decorated them with beatiful poychrome murals, produced pottery and figurines in unbelievable quantity, and covered everything with sculptures. Even mass production was introduced, with the invention (or importation from South America) of the clay mold for making figurines and incense burners.
Yet it may be fruitless to look at the Valley of Teotihuacan alone for the secret of the capital’s remarkable success, for the city that we have described held sway over most of the central highlands of Mexico during the Early Classic, and perhaps over much of Mesoamerica. Like the later Aztec state, it may have depended as much on long-distance trade and tribute as upon local agricultural production. Teotihuacan influence and probably control in some instances were strong even in regions remote from the capital, such as the Gulf Coast, Oaxaca, and the Maya area. Elegant vases of pure Teotihuacan manufacture are found in the buirals of nobels all over Mexico at this time, and the art of the Teoihuacnaos dominated the germinating styles of the other high civilizations of Mesoamerica. Six hundred and fifty miles to the southeast, in the highlands of Guatemala on the outskirts of the modern capital of that republic, a little ‘city’ has been found that is in all respects a minature copy of Teotihuacan.
Those hardy pioneers who during Toltec times pushed up northwest along the eastern flanks of the Sierra Madre into Chichimec country, sowing their crops in what had once been barren ground, necessarily were forced to live a frontier life. As a matter of fact, this entension of cultivation into the barbarian zone had begun as far back as the Early Classic period, but it is not until the Post-Classic taht one can see any major results, when a series of strongpoints was constructed.
The deep interest of the central Mexicans in the Chichmec zone lying between them and the American Southwest went far beyond the mere search for new lands, however. The site of Alta Vista, near the town of Chalchihuites, Zacatecas, lies astride the Tropic of Cancer, about 390 miles northwest of Tula. It was taken over by Teotihuacan (or Teotihuacan-controlled) people about AD 350, and was exploited all through the Classic for the richness of its local mines, probably, as Professor Dihel thinks, through slave labor. Over 750 mines are known in the area, from which came such rare minerals as malachite, cinnabar, hematite, and rock crystal, which were exported to Teotihuacan for processing into elite artifacts. Alta Vista itself is little more than ceremonial center with a colonnaded hall on a defensible hill, but it is possible that this architectural trait, along with the tzompantli or skull rack, may have provided a Classic prototype for these features at Tula.
At some time in the Classic, turquoise deposits were discovered and exploited in New Mexico, in all likelihood by the Pueblo farming cultures that had old roots there. From there turquoise was taken to Alta Vista and worked into mosaics and similar objects, for export into central Mexico. Trace element analysis, carried out through neutron activation by Dr. Garman Harbottle at the Brookhave National Laboratory, has resulted in very precise data on the turquoise trade between Mesoamerica and the American Southwest, which greatly expanded with the onset of the Early Post-Classic, by which time the major source at Cerrillos, New Mexico, was under the control of the people responsible for the great apartment houses of Chaco Canyon.
In this trade, Alta Vista was an early intermediary. About AD 900, just as the Toltecs were coming to power, it and its hinterland were abandoned. Its successor as turquoise middleman may have been La Quemada, a very large hilltop fortress in the state of Zacatecas, 106 miles to the southwest of Alta Vista. To guard against Chichimec raids, a great stone wall girdles the summit, within which the bulk of the populace (perhaps a Toltec-dominated local tribe) lived, farming the surrounding countryside. Outside the wall, on the lower slopes of the hill, is the ceremonial center of La Quemada: a very odd 33 ft high pyramid built up of stone slabs, not truncated and lacking a stairway, along with a colonnaded hall recalling Alta Vista and Tula. On the summit are serveral platform-pyramids and a complex of walled courts surrounded by rooms.
The two-way nature of the Toltec contact with the Pueblo peoples can be seen at the site of Casas Gandes, Chihuahua, not far south of the border with New Mexico. The florescence of Casas Grandes was coeval with the late Tollan phase at Tula, and with early Aztec. While the population lived in Southwestern-style apartment houses, the Mesoamerican component can be seen in the presence of platform temple mounds, and I-shaped ball courts, and the cult of the Feathered Serpent. Warehouses filled with rare Southwestern minerals, such as turquoise, were found by Charles DiPeso, the excavator of Casas Grandes. What was traveling north? The Pueblo Indians have a deep ritual need for feathers from tropical birds like parrots and macawas, since these symoblize fertility and the heat of the summer sun. Special pens were discovered at the site in which scarlet macaws were kept, apparently brought there by the Toltecs to exchange for the wonderful blue-green turquoise, or perhaps to pay the natives of New Mexico for working the turquoise mines.
It is fairly clear that all these sites were invloved in the trasmission of Toltec traits into the American Southwest, in particular the conlonaded masonary building and the platform pyramid; the ball court and the game played in it; copper bells; perhaps the idea of masked dancers; and the worship of the Feathered Serpent, which still plays a role in the rituals of people like the Hopi and Zuni. It is also clear that these triats ran along a trading route, a ‘Turquoise Road,’ so to speak, analogous to the famous Silk Road of the Old World the bound civilized and ‘barbarian’ alike into a single cultural whole.
A similar movement of Toltec traits took place in the southeastern United States at the same time, probably via the people living on the other side of the cental plateau, but little is known of the archaeology of that region. In Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and Illinois, sites with huge temple mounds and ceremoninal plazas, and their associated pottery and other artifacts, show Toltec influence. Suffice it is to say here that most of the more spectacular aspects of the late farming cultures of the United State blend native elements with cultrual traits from Early Post-Classic Mexico.
The ‘Turquoise Road’ continued to flourish throughout the Post-Classic period, right until the coming of the Spainards, who found the mineral of little monteray value. Dr. Harbottle and the archaeologist Phil Weigand have demonstrated that eventually there were many mines in operation in the Southwest and over the border into Mexico, and that the Pueblo peoples were exporting this substance as highly polished tesserae down into central Mexico on routes which ran on both sides on the western Sierra Madre. The ultimate outpost of this vast mercantile exchange was Chichen Itza, where a complete tezcacuitlapilli mirror was discovered resting on a red-painted jaguar throne inside the city’s famous Castillo pyramid; on its reverse side was a turquoise mosaic featuring four encircling Fire Serpents, exactly as depicted on Tula’s warrior atlantids.”
Maya pg. 83-101: Few of the pottery vessels from the Esperanza tombs are represented in the rubbish strewn around Kaminalijuyu, from which it is clear that they were intended for the use of the invading class alone. Some of these were actually imported from Teotihuacan itself, probably carried laboriously over the intervening 800 or 900 miles on back racks such as those still used by native traders in the Maya highlands.” [[303]] [[304]] Prehistory pg. 258-260
“The discussion of maize as a staple food requires review in the context of the much larger concept of food production. It is interesting to note that worldwide, coincident with an increasing dependence on any cereal, the overall health and quality of life of a population deteriorates in many ways. Many diseases and nutritional deficiencies or stresses leave evidence of their occurrence in the bones of the body. This it is possible for a paleopathologist to detect in the skeleton many of the unhealthful conditions individuals have experienced during their lives. Thanks to research with archaeological populations recovered from locations in the Americas, Europe, and Near East, it has been possible for scholars to arrive at some general observations that are contrary to one’s expectations. Most of the paleopathologies observed in both historic and prehistoric skeletal populations are related to nutritional stress. Foods lacking in minerals, basic fats, proteins, and amino acids and, more commonly, insufficient food over varyingly long periods of ten leave their marks.
Diseases that cause bone lesions, as well as others that leave no skeletal evidence, are more likely to attack during periods of nutritional stress. Even more conducive to infectious diseases are the unsanitary conditions attending sedentism, a living pattern that usually accompanies the practice of horticulture. When prehistoric people lived together in permanent or semi permanent housing in clustered situations, the incidence of tuberculosis increased markedly, in some Midwest farming populations, for example, over the Woodland incidence of the disease.” [[304]] [[305]] Maya Chap 4-6 (pictures); Mexico Chap 6 (pictures); Zapotec Chap 15 (pictures) [[305]] [[306]] Prehistory pg. 249, 300
“Warfare seems to have been common at that time, as the villages are palisaded and located on hills or steep stream banks where defense was easier. The communal longhouse exiseted by then, albeit smaller that the later Iroquois structure. Thus the essential elements of the Iroquois pattern- corn agriculture, villages palisaded in defensible positions on streams, an artistic treatment of tobacco pipes, bone-bundle burials, dogs sometimes used as food, and ceramics clearly ancestral to historic Iroquois pottery- were present by 1300 A.D.” [[306]] [[307]] Mexican History pg. 25-27; Prehistory pg. 294-297, 299, 318; Gods and Symbols pg. 42-44
Zapotec pg. 180, 188-191, 226: “It was apparently during Monte Alban II that “state ballcourts” in the shape of a Roman numeral I first appeared. It is difficult to put these courts in historic perspective, since we have little information on the ballgame itself.
As early as 1000 BC, some small figurines made at Mesoamerican villages seem to be wearing gloves, knee guards, and other equipment associated with a prehispanic ball game. This game was played with heavy balls made of latex from the indigenous rubber tree. Three such balls were preserved by waterlogging at El Manati in southern Veracruz, a site dating to 1000-700 BC.
This later type of court was called lachi by the Zapotec, and the game was called queye or quiye. While we do not know the rules by which it was played, it probably resebled the Aztec game called olamaliztli or ulama, in which the ball could not be touched with the hands; it was struck instead with the hips, elbows, and head as in modern soccer.
Why would the Zapotec state invest in the construction and standardization of I-shaped ballcourts, in effect promoting an “official” game? No one is sure, but some scholars believe that the ballgame played a role in conflict resolution between communities. It has been suggested that when two opposing towns competed in a state-supervised athletic contest, held on a standardized court at their regional administrative center, the outcome of the game might be taken as a sign of supernatural support for the victorious community. This, in turn, might lessen the likelihood that the two towns would actually go to war.”
Mexico pg. 112, 115-119, 121, 123, 136, 142, 146-147: “Above all, the inhabitants of El Tajin were obsessed with the ball game, human sacrifice, and death, three concepts closely interwoven in the Mesoamerican mind. The courts, which are up to 197 ft long, are formed by two facing walls, with stone surface either vertical or battered. Magnificent bas reliefs in some of them are witness of the drama of the game, with scenes showing mythology associated with it, and ceremonies in which the particapants are the players themselves, all wearing the appropriate paraphernalia.”
Maya pg. 99, 108-109, 114, , 116, 118, 163-164: “Ball courts seem to be present at many sites in the Central Area, but they are more frequent and better made in the southeast, at sites like Copan. These courts are of stucco-faced masonry, and have sloping playing sufaces. At Copan, three stone markers were placed on each side, and three set into the floor of the court, but the exact method of scoring in the game is obscure. Toward the western part of teh Central Area, in centers along the Usumacinta River, sweat baths are known, possibly adopted from Mexio where such structures can still be found in many highland towns.
Reliefs of skulls and manikin figures of skeletons are not uncommon. Their second obession was the rubber ball game. Secure evidence for the game comes from certain stone objects that are frequent in the Cotzumalhuapn zone and in fact over much of the Pacific Coast down to El Salvador. Of these, most typical are the U-shaped stone “yokes” which represented the heavy protective belts of wood and leather worn by the contestants; and thin heads or hachas with human faces, grotesque carnivores, macaws, and turkeys, generally thought to be markers for the zones of the court, but worn on the yoke during post game ceremonies. Both are sure signs of a close affiliation to the Classic cultures of the Mexican Gulf Coast, where such ballgame paraphernalia undoubtedly originated.” [[307]] [[308]] Gods and Symbols pg. 42-44 [[308]] [[309]] Mexican History pg. 25-27; Gods and Symbols pg. 42-44
Mexico pg. 115-119: (SAME AS NOTE 307 ABOVE)
“Other panels involve the beginning of the game, while in a final scene the losing captain is apparently being sacrificed by the victors, who brandish a flint knife over his heart: the game played in the courts of El Tajin was not lightly won or lost.” [[309]] [[310]] Mexican History pg. 25-27; Gods and Symbols pg. 42-44
Mexico pg. 115-119, 142: “In line with the claim that human sacrifce was introduced in the last phase of Tula by the Tezcatlipoca faction, there are several depictions of teh cuauhxicalli, the sacred ‘eagle vessel’ designed to recieve human hearts, as well as a tzompantli, the altar decorated with skulls and crossbones on which the heads of captives were displayed. In fact, the base of an actual tzompantli has been found just to the east of Ball Court 2, the largest at the site; fragments of human skulls littered its surface. In accordance with Mesoamerican custom, these were probably trophies from losers in a game that was ‘played for keeps’!” [[310]] [[311]] Mexican History pg. 25-27
Mexico pg. 115-119: “The Building of the Columns is the largest ‘palace’ complex at the site. The drums of the columns are carved with narrative scenes from the ceremonial life of the city. The most interesting of these depicts a procession of victorious warriors bringing stripped captives to the to the enthroned ruler, a personage with the calendrical name 13 Rabbit; before him lies the corpse of a disembowled victim. Similar names taken from the 260-day count are found here and elsewhere at El Tajin, but it is doubtful whether a writing system as advanced as those of the Zapotecs or Maya existed here.” [[311]] [[312]] Mexican History pg. 25-27; Prehistory pg. 306; Gods and Symbols pg. 42-44 [[312]] [[313]] Mexican History pg. 48-50; Prehistory pg. 319-320 [[313]] [[314]] Prehistory pg. 238, 247, 249, 261-263, 268, 270-278, 294-297, 299, 308, 319-320; Chiapas Artifacts pg. 199
Zapotec pg. 208-209, 216-221: “In the second half of Monte Alban III, referred as Period IIIb, Reyes Etla was an important Tier 2 or 3 center in the Etla region. One tomb there had its doorway flanked by two remarkable carved stone jambs. Each shows a Zapotec lord in jaguar or puma warrior costume, holding a lance in his hand. Their names are given as 5 Flower and 8 Flower. Each stands below the “Jaws of the Sky” and has a “hill sign” beneath his feet. These jamb figures may represent relatives or ancestors who guarded the tomb, suggesting that even the nobles of Tier 2-3 centers were persons of great importance.” [[314]] [[315]] Mormon 2:8; Moroni 8:27–29; 9:18-23 [[315]] [[316]] Mormon 2-6 (approximately 60 years from Zarahemla to Cumorah; about 25 years from Desolation to Cumorah) [[316]] [[317]] This section will show evidences that the destructions began in Yucatan, passed across the Mexican Highland, up through West Mexico, across the Northwest Mexico and the American Southwest and Midwest and up into the Northeast to Cumorah covering almost the entire continent of North America. [[317]] [[318]] Mormon 5:8–11; 6:1, 5-22; 8:7 [[318]] [[319]] Mexico pg. 107-112
“Both murals suggest some sort of opposition or juxtaposition between Eagles and Jaguars, perhaps symbolic of the knightly orders which we know from Post-Classic Mexico. Such an opposition is vividly depicted on the talud of Building B, on which is realistically painted a great battle in progress between jaguar-clad and feathered warriors, any one of whom might be at home on the reliefs of Seibal. There is little doubt that the artist had seen such a conflict, for he depicts such grisly details as a dazed victim, seated on the ground holding his entrails in his hands. The art historian Mary Miller believes that such a battle had actually taken place, perhaps on the swampy plains of southwestern Campeche, but that it had been recast in supernatural terms, in that some of the contestents are improbably given feet of eagles and jaguars.”
Maya 154-155: “It is now evident that the ninth century was a time of turmoil over much of Mesoamerica, with the power of Teotihuacan long since gone, and the old order in the Maya lowlands breaking down. In this power vacuum, the Putan, seasoned businessmen with strong contacts raging from central Mexico to the Caribbean coast of Honduras, must have played a very agressive role in a time of troubles, and their presence in the Mexican highlands may have played a formative role in what was to become the Toltec state.” [[319]] [[320]] Maya 154-155
(SAME AS NOTE 319 ABOVE)
Mexico pg. 107-112, 126-127: “Stange things began happening in central Mexico during and after the disintegration of Teotihuacan’s empire in the seventh century AD. One of these was the appearance of foreigners, almost certainly from the Gulf Coast lowlands and the Yucatan Peninsula, towards the end of the Classic period. The interrelationship of the highland Mexicans and the Maya has been established by archaeology, but this was usually the domination by the former of the latter, such as the takeover of Kaminalijuyu by Teotihuacanos. During the Early Classic, there must have been at least one enclave of Maya traders at Teotihuacan, and a fine Maya jade plaque in the British Museum is supposed to have been found at that stie. The Maya, with their advanced knowladge of astronomy and sophisticated writing system, probably exerted considerable intellecual and religious influence over the rest of Mesoamerica, and there is some evidence that the dreaded Tezcatlipoca, the great god of war and the royal house in Post-Classic Mexico, was of Maya origin.” [[320]] [[321]] Mexico pg. 107-112; Maya 24 (color picture), 154-155
(SAME AS NOTE 319 ABOVE) [[321]] [[322]] Mormon 1:10–12 [[322]] [[323]] Ancient Kingdoms pg. 112 [[323]] [[324]] Mormon 2:1–3 [[324]] [[325]] Teotihuacan pg. 3-4; Ancient Kingdoms pg. 107-108
Mexico pg. 105-106: “The city met its enc around AD 700 through deliberate destruction and burning by the hand of unknown invaders. It was mainly the heart of the city that suffered the torch, especially the palaces and temples on each side of the Avenue of the Dead, from the Pyramid of the Moon to the Ciudadela. Some internal crisis or long-term political and economic malaise, perhaps the distruption of its trade and tribute routes by a new polity such as the rising Xochiclaco state, may have resulted in the downfall, and it may be significant that by AD 600, at the close of the Early Classic, almost all Teotihuacan influence over the rest of Mesoamerica ceases. No more do the nobility of other states stock their tombs with the refined products of the great city.”
People pg. 491: “William Sanders has argued that Teotihuacan, and all had been powerful states at the time of the former’s collapse.
Whatever the cause of Teotihuacan’s collapse, its heyday marks the moment when one can begin to think of the Mesoamerican world in more than purely local and even regional, terms.” [[325]] [[326]] Mormon 2:3–5 [[326]] [[327]] Zacatecas pg. 1-2; La Quemada pg. 85-109; this region is called West Mexico in most papers, finding material on this area is difficult because so little research has been done until more recent times; more research is needed in this region.
Mexico pg. 145: “The deep interest of the central Mexicans in the Chichimec zone lying between them and the American Southwest went far beyond the mere search for new lands, however. The site of Alta Vista, near the town of Chalchihuites, Zacatecas, lies astride the Tropic of Cancer, about 390 miles northwest of Tula.” [[327]] [[328]] Mormon 2:5–16 [[328]] [[329]] Aztatlan pg. 1-5; more research is needed in this region. [[329]] [[330]] Mormon 2:8 [[330]] [[331]] Aztatlan pg. 4; more research is needed in this region. [[331]] [[332]] Mormon 2:16–20 [[332]] [[333]] Mormon 2:20–26 [[333]] [[334]] Warfare pg. 154-186; Chaco Canyon is a well-known site in NW Mexico, there are many books and internet sites dedicated to it exclusively.
Prehistory pg. 310-319: “Aside from the widest distribution ever achieved by Pueblo people, the Pueblo II era is notable for the occurrence of some distinctive local social systems that were apparently quite complex. These have been called “systems of regional integration.” The best known and by far the best studied of these distinctive regional subcultures is called the Chaco Phenomenon. It developed in the San Juan basin in northwestern New Mexico and impinged to some extent into extreme southwestern Colorado. The Phenomenon, centered in Chaco Canyon was short-lived, lasting about 200 years, from 900 A.D., or a little later, until just after 1100 A.D.
There are other details and ramifications comprising the Chaco Phenomenon as currently hypothesized. The reasons for origins of the phenomenon and its suggestion of control remain obscure but not for lack of proposed explanations. An older school of thought tends to view the exotic Mexican artifacts as having arrived en bloc. Such traits as copper bells, macaws, inlaid shell, core veneer architecture, the great kivas and tower kivas, and cylindrical jars, are interpreted as imports. These traits, along with the evidence of central authority such as the building of huge towns to a standard plan, are not seen elsewhere. The influence of small bands of priests or traders who brought attractive new objects and ideas from the more complex and sophisticated Mexican cultures is often cited. Whether persuasion, force, or religious awe of the glamorous strangers provided the leverage toward acceptance is never clear. The idea of extensive trade, especially in turquoise, with the south has also been invoked, and there is good evidence for it. Turquoise occurs in Toltec sites in quantity. The few copper bells or macaws also suggest a systematic northward trade traffic in those commodities, but not a very extensive one. Whatever the explanation, the complex of roads, architecture, and exotic objects still appears anomalous in the Pueblo setting. It has been proposed that the roads facilitated the transporting of the thousands of huge logs used as roof beams in the houses and kivas.
A second, later school sees the entire Chaco development as the complex end product of indigenous factors and influences to be analyzed and understood as a regional event and system. One popular theory is that by 700 A.D., cultigens were becoming a more significant part of the diet and the settlement of Chaco Canyon were arable land was plentiful increased to the point that by 900 A.D. all the prime horticultural lands in the wash or the valley were in use. But further population expansion, either through local increase or continued immigration, led to the exploitation of marginal lands away from the rich valley. The notoriously fickle southwestern summer rainfall and the violent, localized thunderstorms that fall capriciously over the San Juan Basin jeopardize farming somewhat. The crops in one district might prosper while nearby ones failed for lack of moisture.” [[334]] [[335]] Mormon 3:1–3 [[335]] [[336]] Prehistory pg. 310-314; almost every Anasazi site from this period has numerous kivas (e.g. Lowry ruins; Aztec ruins; Mesa Verde ruins; Chaco Canyon’s Pueblo Bonito, Casa Rinconada, Chettro Kettle, Pueblo del Arroyo, and Kin Kletso)
“The great kivas, as much as 50 feet deep in diameter, were sometimes 10 feet deep and roofed with a horizontal domed cribbing of logs. There was a raised square fireplace flanked by two large masonry vaults, that is, pits lined with masonry. The walls and the encircling bench were also of thick stone masonry. Four huge posts or stone pillars for central support of the high, cribbed roof were arranged in a square a few feet in from the peripheral bench. On the wall above the bench were usually empty when found. A few had cashes of special artifacts inside, however, and were plastered over. The great kivas were entered by a stairway. The crib roofs of the kivas required more than an estimated 300 heavy logs. Usually these logs were pine, fir, or spruce that came from many miles away in the mountains to the northeast and west. In a desert setting such as Chaco Canyon, the ritual or symbolic value of the large kivas must have been high for the excavation and masonry lining the of the kiva pit.” [[336]] [[337]] Moroni 7:1–5 [[337]] [[338]] Mormon 3:1–3; Moroni 8:1–9 [[338]] [[339]] Mormon 2:28–3:4 [[339]] [[340]] Tula pg. 42-43, 48-50; Mexican History pg. 38-39; Atlas pg. 105
Mexico pg. 131-144: “Like many other Post-Classic states, Toltec society seems to have been composed of disparate tribal elements which had come together for obscure reasons. One of these, which would appear to have been dominant, was called the Tolteca-Chichimeca. The other group went under the name Nonoalca, and according to some scholars was made up of sculptors and artisans from the old civilized regions of Puebla and the Gulf Coast, brought in to construct the monuments of Tula. The Toltca-Chichimeca, for their part, were probably the original Nahua-speakers who founded the Toltec state. As their name implies, they were once barbarians, perhaps semi-civilized Chichimeca originating on the fringes of Mesoamerica among the Uto-Aztecans of western Mexico, for although it was said that ‘they came from the interior of the plains, among the rocks,’ their level of culture was substantially higher that that of the ‘real’ Chichimeca.” [[340]] [[341]] Tula pg. 45; Gods and Symbols pg. 164-165 [[341]] [[342]] Tula pg. 45 [[342]] [[343]] Tula pg. 48-50 [[343]] [[344]] Mexico pg. 107-112
“Strange things began happening in central Mexico during and after the disintergration of Teotihuacan’s empire in the seventh century AD. One of these was the appearance of foreigners, almost certainly from the Gulf Coast lowlands of the Yucatan Peninsula, towards the end of the Classic period.
Xicallanco was an important trading town in southern Campeche controlled by the Putun, Maya-speaking seafaring merchants whose commercial interests ranged from teh Olmeca country, along teh coast of the entire Yucatan Peninsula, as far as the Carrabbean shore of Honduras.”
Maya pg. 151-164: “But what happened to the bulk of the population who once occupied the Central Area, apparently in the millions? This is one of the great mysteries of Maya archaeology, since we have little or no evidence allowing us to come up with a solution. The early Colonial chronicles in Yucatec Maya speak of a “Great Descent” and “Lesser Descent,” implying two mighty streams of refuges heading north from the abandoned cities inot Yucatan, and Linda Schele and Peter Mathews, like Sylvanus Morley before them, believe that this account relfects historical fact. Some may have migrated in a southerly direction, particularly into the Chiapas highlands. So far, however, this puative diaspora seems to have left no real traces in the archaeolgical record.” [[344]] [[345]] Mexico pg. 138-140
“The rear room had four square pillars, carved on all sides with Toltec warriors adorned with the sybols of the knightly orders. There, in the sactuary, once stood a stone altar supported by little atlantean figures. Also in the temple and in other parts of the ceremonial precinct wer peculiar scuptures called ‘chacmools,’ reclining personages bearing round dishes or receptacles for human hearts on their bellies; these were probably avartars of the Rain God.
Around the four sides of Pyramid B were bas reliefs sybolizing the warrior orders on which the strength of the empire depended: prowling jaguars and coyotes, and eagles eating hearts, interspered with strange composite beasts thought to represent Quetzalcoatl.
On the north side of the pyramid and parallel to it is the 131 ft long ‘Serpent Wall’, embellished with painted friezes, the basic motif of which is a serpent eating a human; the head has been reduced to a skull, and the flesh has been partially stripped from the long bones.”
Maya pg. 151-164: “The great city of Seibal on the Rio Pasion apparently recovered from its defeat at the hands of the far smaller Dos Pilas, but during the Terminal Classic it seems to have come under the sway of warriors (or warrior-traders) from a further afield. The evidence is to be found in the part of the site known as Group A; in its south plaza sits an unusual four-sided structure with four stairways. In front of each stariway is a stela, and a fith stands inside the temple.” [[345]] [[346]] Tula pg. 48-50
Mexico pg. 144-147: “Alta Vista itself is little more than a ceremonial center with a colonnaded hall on a defensible hill, but it is possible that this architectural trait, along with the tzompntli or skull rack, may have provided a Classic protype for these features at Tula.
In this trade, Alta Vista was an early intermediary. About AD 900, just as the Toltecs were coming to power, it and its hinterland were abandoned. Its successor as turquoise middleman may have been La Quemada, a very large hilltop fortress in the state of Zacatecas, 106 miles to the southwest of Alta Vista. To guard against Chichimec raids, a great stone wall girdles the summit, within which the bulk of the populace (perhaps a Toltec-dominated local tribe) lived, farming the surrounding countryside. Outside the wall, on the lower slopes of the hill, is the ceremonial center of La Quemada: a very odd 33 ft high pyramid built up of stone slabs, not truncated and lacking a stairway, along with a colonnaded hall recalling Alta Vista and Tula. On the summit are serveral platform-pyramids and a complex of walled courts surrounded by rooms.” [[346]] [[347]] Mormon 3:1 [[347]] [[348]] Warfare pg. 153-196 [[348]] [[349]] Mexico pg. 144-147
“The two-way nature of the Toltec contact with the Pueblo peoples can be seen at the site of Casas Gandes, Chihuahua, not far south of the border with New Mexico. The florescence of Casas Grandes was coeval with the late Tollan phase at Tula, and with early Aztec. While the population lived in Southwestern-style apartment houses, the Mesoamerican component can be seen in the presence of platform temple mounds, and I-shaped ball courts, and the cult of the Feathered Serpent. Warehouses filled with rare Southwestern minerals, such as turquoise, were found by Charles DiPeso, the excavator of Casas Grandes. What was traveling north? The Pueblo Indians have a deep ritual need for feathers from tropical birds like parrots and macawas, since these symoblize fertility and the heat of the summer sun. Special pens were discovered at the site in which scarlet macaws were kept, apparently brought there by the Toltecs to exchange for the wonderful blue-green turquoise, or perhaps to pay the natives of New Mexico for working the turquoise mines.
It is fairly clear that all these sites were invloved in the trasmission of Toltec traits into the American Southwest, in particular the conlonaded masonary building and the platform pyramid; the ball court and the game played in it; copper bells; perhaps the idea of masked dancers; and the worship of the Feathered Serpent, which still plays a role in the rituals of people like the Hopi and Zuni. It is also clear that these triats ran along a trading route, a ‘Turquoise Road,’ so to speak, analogous to the famous Silk Road of the Old World the bound civilized and ‘barbarian’ alike into a single cultural whole.” [[349]] [[350]] Casas Grandes pg. 290-301, 309, 482-501
Prehistory pg. 289-327: “Such a situation, it is theorized, led to the creation of a network of exchange in which towns or districts with good crops shared with their less-fortunate neighbors. The theory calls for central storage and redistribution centers and some specialized control to make the system work. The big towns are given the role of central storage and distribution.” [[350]] [[351]] Prehistory pg. 317
Mexico pg. 146 (144-147): “The two-way nature of the Toltec contact with the Pueblo peoples can be seen at the site of Casas Gandes, Chihuahua, not far south of the border with New Mexico. The florescence of Casas Grandes was coeval with the late Tollan phase at Tula, and with early Aztec. While the population lived in Southwestern-style apartment houses, the Mesoamerican component can be seen in the presence of platform temple mounds, and I-shaped ball courts, and the cult of the Feathered Serpent. Warehouses filled with rare Southwestern minerals, such as turquoise, were found by Charles DiPeso, the excavator of Casas Grandes. What was traveling north? The Pueblo Indians have a deep ritual need for feathers from tropical birds like parrots and macawas, since these symoblize fertility and the heat of the summer sun. Special pens were discovered at the site in which scarlet macaws were kept, apparently brought there by the Toltecs to exchange for the wonderful blue-green turquoise, or perhaps to pay the natives of New Mexico for working the turquoise mines.”
People pg. 326-327: “The dig showed that its inhabitants exchanged turquoise and painted pottery from the Southwest for marine shells and exotic bird feathers from Mexico. Local traditions connect Casas Grande with a settelement named Paqime, which was more of a Mexican town than an Indian pueblo.” [[351]] [[352]] Casas Grandes pg. 290-309, 482-501
Prehistory pg. 289-327: “Monks Mound dominated from its north end of a vast plaza of some 200 acres enclosed in a bastioned palisade or stockade of large posts. Along each side of the plaza were twelve or more platform and conical mounds with a single platform at the south end of the plaza. Outside the Monks Mound enclosure to north, south, east, and west were dozens of other mounds dominating other plazas. But there were four other large, but lesser mound groups clustered around smaller plazas. Everywhere over the entire bottom and on the valley bluffs to the east were sources of hamlets and farmsteads, which are believed to have supported the centers with foodstuffs and services.
The distribution of these big sites, their locations on water courses, and their very size lead some scholars to postulate that they were religious and administrative centers, peopled primarily by a powerful upper class that controlled trade and, possibly, population distribution and, of course, possessed absolute political and religious power.
There is no doubt that there was an elite Mississippian social class. This is attested by the rich mortuary offerings and the elaborate ceremonies with which the burials were made. Burials occurred on the tops of the pyramid mounds, a mortuary ritual that can be identified wherever the mound groups are found. The uniformity of occurrence has led to the interpretation that there were elite lineages and that their high status was ascribed by virtue of birth, because even children were sometimes accorded elaborate burial ceremony and grave goods. However, near or in the towns were large cemeteries, where lower-class citizens were buried. Here too, there is an occasional richly accompanied burial, but the objects are of a different nature, such as the tools or creations of a craftsman. Such persons are believed to have achieved a relatively high status through merit rather than birth.” [[352]] [[353]] Mormon 3:4–5 [[353]] [[354]] Mormon 3:4–6 [[354]] [[355]] Mexico pg. 146; it has been very difficult to find research on the sites of northern Durango and southern Chihuahua and Sonora; the site Zape or Sape depending on the literature is in about the right place geographically but the only book on the region I could find was very old and entailed only a surface reconnaissance of the site. A search of Journal Articles may prove fruitful. [[355]] [[356]] Mormon 3:4–4:19 [[356]] [[357]] Mormon 4:19–22 [[357]] [[358]] Mortuary Practices pg. 5-7, 75-76; Casas Grandes pg. 290-301, 484-485; Sierra Madre pg. 132 [[358]] [[359]] Ibid. [[359]] [[360]] Warfare pg. 197-276; Prehistory pg. 320-321 [[360]] [[361]] Mormon 4:19–5:2 [[361]] [[362]] Warfare pg. 197-276; Prehistory pg. 320-321 [[362]] [[363]] Mormon 2:7–8, 20–21; 3:5; 4:1-5, 11, 20-23; 5:3-8 [[363]] [[364]] Warfare pg. 197-276
People pg. 326-329: “At the same time that people concentrated in larger sites, there was depopulation of many areas of the northern Southwest. The reasons for these changes are imperfectly understood. It may be that the changes genterated by the developments in Chaco and elsewhere caused people to congregate more closely. Alternatively, it has been argued that some climatic and enviromental changes, as yet little understood, may have caused major shifts in the settlement pattern. More likely, a combination of enviromental, societal, and adaptive changes set in motion a period of turbulence and culture change.” [[364]] [[365]] Moroni 9:7–10 [[365]] [[366]] Mortuary Practices pg. 7; Warfare pg. 169-176 [[366]] [[367]] Mortuary Practices pg. 71-72; Warfare pg. 169-176 [[367]] [[368]] Mortuary Practices pg. 1, 71 [[368]] [[369]] Moroni 9:7–8 [[369]] [[370]] Warfare pg. 233 (80-81, 83, 161, 324) [[370]] [[371]] Mormon 5:3–4 [[371]] [[372]] Warfare pg. 200-225 [[372]] [[373]] Mormon 4:16–5:8; Mormon 8:1–9; Moroni 1:1–4 [[373]] [[374]] Sierra Madre pg. 132; SW Indians pg. 72 [[374]] [[375]] Mormon 5:3–4 [[375]] [[376]] Prehistory pg. 254-278, 289
“Most Mississippian sites and mounds are small, so the sheer size if the few well-known Mississippian sites is overwhelming. These sites are characterized by clusters of mounds, some of which are truncated pyramids, arranged around a plaza. There may be conical mounds adjacent, but they are arranged in on apparent pattern. Even today after centuries of erosion many sites reveal an encircling embankment; outside the palisade of posts atop the earthen embankment the borrow pit stood open as a moat. Villages were not always nearby or inside the palisade. Normally they were scattered though the farmlands in the valleys. These huge sites can be thought of as religious, administrative, or even economic centers such as are presaged in the Hopewellian sites and are common in Mexico and Central America.” [[376]] [[377]] Prehistory pg. 233-246 (The Mississippian grew out of the Hopewell)
“What can inferred from the above description? Whatever the reason, the central theme, the power of the interaction sphere lay in the mortuary ritual and the trappings that accompanied it. To call the force religious is to claim more than can be proved, but religion is a force that can flow across cultural and linguistic boundaries as an overlay or veneer upon the local cultures. To stretch the point, world history offers such obvious examples as the spread of Islam and Christianity. At any rate, a religious motivation for the Hopewellian cult is not totally unreasonable. Usually, religion implies a superordinate priesthood, that is, a class of specialists with superior status. Priest-chieftains combining both sacred and secular powers can be postulated. The presence of a priesthood suggests a stratified society, an idea supported by the rich grave offerings for a few of the dead. The huge earthen monuments and a probable artisan class suggest a measure of secular control over the community, perhaps resembling a corvee or labor tax. During Hopewell times, there was probably some intensification of the cultivation of native plants.” [[377]] [[378]] Prehistory pg. 254-278
“On festival or ritual days the plaza would be the scene of fiercely fought ball games akin to lacrosse or complicated dances done to the rhythm of drums and rattles and the music of many singers. Like the priests, the dancers would be colorfully dressed in rich costumes and ornaments. The Creek Busk or Green Corn festival of thanksgiving, held on the dance ground even into the twentieth century, probably preserves a faded vestige of the Mississippian splendor. Some of the rituals would have involved purification and long-drawn-out ceremonies of human sacrifice to one or another god, while the people from all supporting villages crowded the plaza to watch the dancers and the priests go in procession up the steep stairways to the summit of the mound, where the sacrificial climax was reached.
At other times, the scene at the plaza would involve the death and burial of a priest-ruler. These rituals also involved many days of prescribed processions, feasts, and sacrifice. As already noted, DuPratz saw and reported a Natchez chieftain’s burial ceremony in 1725. That mourning ceremony for Tattooed Serpent, Brother of the Sun, lasted for several days and involved all the Natchez villages. As part of the burial ceremony, the dead man’s two wives and his “speaker,” doctor, head servant, pipe bearer, and sister were ritually strangled. Several old women who, for one reason or another, had offered their lives were also strangled. The two wives were buried with the Tattooed Serpent in the temple, his speaker and one of the women were buried in front of the temple, and the others carried to their respective village temples for burial. His sister, also buried with him, was reported by DuPratz to have been reluctant to participate in the ceremony. As was customary, Tattooed Serpent’s house was burned. The burial of personages within and near houses and the subsequent destruction of those houses by fire are well attested archaeologically.” [[378]] [[379]] Prehistory pg. 263-266, 271-278
“At about 1200 A.D., when the Mississippian cultures were approaching the height of their strength, a complex of exotic artifacts appeared. The distribution of these objects in pan-Mississippian.
The objects are an exquisite expression of artistry combined with skilled craftsmanship. The artifacts were created in every medium: wood, shell, clay, stone, and hammered copper. The art is concerned with depicting animals, humans, mythical creatures, tools, and of motifs. The artifacts are not utilitarian but ornamental and are undoubtedly rich in conventional and symbolic meaning. As a subject for study they have attracted attention for a century. Much speculation has attended that study; the complex of artifacts is said to have been a death cult because of the skull, hand-eye, and other motifs. But the function of the artifacts served is not yet completely known.” [[379]] [[380]] Prehistory pg. 271-278
“The representations of human sacrifice in pipe sculpture, the daggers in the hands of some of the bird-man warriors or priests, severed heads, and many of the other symbols strongly suggest warfare or rituals of human sacrifice. Some of these artifacts and motifs are not new. Some seen to be a legacy from the Hopewell and even the Adena. On the other hand, the depiction of human sacrifice is interpreted by some as evidence of strong Mexican cultism, even perhaps of an increment of high-ranking individuals into the South. Others defend it as a climax phenomenon, developed autonomously in situ from the ceremonialism already evident throughout the East for some 2000 years. Some specialists in Southeast prehistory even deny cult or any coherent cluster of behavior surrounding the special objects. Instead they assert that the value of the cult artifacts is intrinsic. They hold that the wide dispersal of the objects, well beyond the Mississippian sphere of influence indicates that the rare exotics were created exclusively for trade.” [[380]] [[381]] Mormon 2:15 [[381]] [[382]] 2 Nephi 4:33–35; 28:30-32 [[382]] [[383]] Atlas pg. 56, 60; Mysteries pg. 180-183, 186-187; because carbon dating gives such late dates for the large Mississippian complexes some authors do not distinguish between those building the huge ceremonial centers and the wandering groups that followed. If these theories are correct then there were over 1400 years for the Indian population to rebound and the collapse of such a large society into groups of wandering tribes is a definite evidence of the Book of Mormon. [[383]] [[384]] Atlas pg. 56, 60; Mysteries pg. 180-183, 186-187 [[384]] [[385]] Mysteries pg. 187 [[385]] [[386]] Evidences pg. 7-8 quoting: Squire, E.G.; Antiquities of New York; 1851. [[386]] [[387]] Mormon 6:1–22 [[387]] [[388]] People pg. 120-149
“There can be little doubt that increased efficiency as a carnivore played an important role in the emergence of both archaic Homo sapiens and anatomically modern Homo sapiens sapiens. We explored current thinking about the emergence of H. sapiens sapiens in tropical Africa and hypothesized that anatomically modern humans spread from the tropics into North Africa and the Near East in about 90,000 BC. From there, H. sapiens may have intered Europe at the time of low sea level, crossing the land bridge that connected the Balkans with Turkey across the Bosphorus.”
Israel pg. 25: “Of the oldest known permanent settlements, far the most interesting to students of the Bible is that found in the lower levels of the mound of Jericho. As we have said, Jericho was first settled at least as far back as 8000 BC. But for many centuries little stood there save flimsy huts, which may represent no more than a long series of seasonal encampments. There were ultimately succeeded, however, by a permanent town which continued through many levels fo building in two distinct phases with a gap between, representing two successive Neolithic cultures before the invention of pottery. From the extreme depth of the remains (up to forty-five feet), it is evident that these cultures endured for centuries, beginning before the end of the eighth millennium BC and lasting at least till the end of the seventh. Nor can they be called primative. Through much of its history the town protected by massive fortification of stone. Houses were built of mud bricks of two distinct types, corresponding of the two phases of occupation mentioned above. In the later of these phases, house floors and walls were plastered and polished, and frequently painted; traces of reed mats which covered the floors have been found. Small clay figures of women and also domestic animals suggest the practice of the fertillity cult. Unique statues of clay on reed frames, discovered some years ago, hint that high gods may have been worshipped in Neolithic Jericho; in groups of three, these possibly represent that ancient triad, the divine family: father, mother, and son. Equally interesting are groups of human skulls (the bodies were buried elsewhere, as a rule under house floors) with the features modeled in clay and with shells for eyes.” [[388]] [[389]] Abraham 1:23–24 [[389]] [[390]] Israel pg. 27
“Meanwhile, sedentary life had also begun in Egypt. Traces of the presence of man in Egypt go back to the Early Paleolithic Age, when the Nile Delta lay under the sea and its valley was a swampy jungle inhabited by wild animals. We may assume that men had lived on the fringes of the valley ever since and had made their way into it to fish and to hunt, and subsequently to settle down. By the Neolithic Age, when the geography of Egypt had assumed roughly its present shape, we may suppose that villages, first temorary, then permanent, had begun to be established. But the transition to sedentary life cannot be documented in Egypt as it can in western Asia. The earlist permanent villages presumably lie under deep layers of Nile mud. The earliest village culture known to us is that of Fayum, followed by the slightly later one discovered at Merimde in the western Delta. These are Neolithic cultures after the invention of pottery- thus somewhat parallel to the pottery Neolithic of western Asia. Radiocarbon tests seem to place a Fayum in the latter half of the fifth millennium. At this time, although agriculture had begun to be developed, swamp with villages few and far between. Nevertheless, it is clear that in Egypt as elsewhere civilization had made its start- and some twenty-five hundred years before Abraham.” [[390]] [[391]] Israel pg. 24-27
“The earliest permanent villages known to us made their appearance toward toward the end of the Stone Age, as far as back as the seventh, and even the eigth, millennium BC. Before that, men for the most part lived in caves.
The presence of obsidian tools (probably from Anatolia), turquoise (from Sinai). and cowrie shells (from the seacoast) points to trade relationships, whether direct or indirect, extending over considerable distances. Neolithic Jericho is truly amazing. Its people- whoever they may have been- were in the very vanguard of the march toward civilization (dare on believe it?) some five thousand years before Abraham!
Village life continued to develop through the sixth millennium and into hte fifth, by which time villages and towns had been established almost everywhere.”
People pg. 151-155: “These and other Holocene climatic changes had profound effects in hunter-gatherer societies throughout the world, especially on the intensity of the food quest and complexity of their societies. Why had such changes not occurred earlier in pre-history? There had been climatic changes of similar, in not even greater, magnitude in early millennia, say during the early part of the last interglacial, some 128,000 years ago. The reason may be population density. Then, human populations were much smaller and a great deal of the world was uninhabited. It was possible for human populations living in large territories to move around freely, to adapt to new circumstances by shifting their home land, even over large distances. This ability enabled them to develop highly flexable survival strategies that took account of the constant fluctuations in food availability. If, for example, an African band had experienced two dry years in a row, it could move away of fall back on less nutritious edible foods, perhaps species that required more energy to harvest.” [[391]] [[392]] People pg. 248
“Deep-sea cores and pollen studies tell us that the Near Eastern climate was cool and dry from about 18,000 to 13,000 BC, during the late Weichsel. Sea levels dropped more than 300 feet; much of the interior was covered by dry steppe, with forest restricted to the Levant and Turkish coasts. Between 13,000 and 8000 BC, climatic conditions warmed up considerably, reaching a maximum about 3000 BC. Forests expanded rapidly at the end of the Ice Age, for the climate was still cooler than today and considerably wetter. Many areas of the Near East were richer in animal and plant species that they are now, making them highly favorable for human occupation.”
Israel pg. 27: “It was a period of amazing cultural flowering. Agriculture, vastly improved and expanded, made possible both better nourishment and the support of an increasing density o f population. Most of the cities were founded that were to play a part in Mesopotamian history for millenniums to come.” [[392]] [[393]] Joshua 2:1–6:27 [[393]] [[394]] Neolithic pg. 33-47; Grolier, Jericho
Israel pg. 25-26: (SAME AS NOTE 388 ABOVE) [[394]] [[395]] Neolithic pg. 33-47; Grolier, Jericho
Israel pg. 25-26: “These may have served some cultic purpose (possibly some form of ancestor worship), and certainly attest a marked artistic ability. Bones of dogs, goats, pigs, sheep, an oxen indicate that animals were domesticated, while sickels, querns, and grinders attest to the cultivation of ceral crops. From the size of the town and the paucity of naturally arable land around it, it has been inferred that a system of irrigation had developed.” [[395]] [[396]] Joshua 6:1–27 [[396]] [[397]] Neolithic pg. 33-47; Grolier, Jericho
Israel pg. 25-26: “On the Mediterranean coast, radiocarbon tests likewise indiate that the earliest settlement at Ras Shamra (again without pottery) reaches back into the seventh millennium. In Palestine, too, prepottery Neolithic settlements have been discoverd at various places, at least one of which (Bedia in Transjordan) is placed by radiocarbon tests in the early seventh millenium.” [[397]] [[398]] Neolithic pg. 33-47; Grolier, Jericho
Israel pg. 25-26: (SAME AS NOTE 388 ABOVE) [[398]] [[399]] Neolithic pg. 42-47
Israel pg. 25-26, 31-32: “The pottery, while not to be compared with the painted wares of Mesopotamia from an artistic point of view, shows technical excellence. Houses were built of sun dried, handmade bricks, often on stone foundations.
But it was in the Neolithic period that the transition from cave-dwelling to sedentary life, from a food-gathering to a food-producing economy, was completed and the building of permanent villages began to go foward. With this, since there could have been no civilization without it, one can say that the march of civilization had begun.
Bones of dogs, goats, pigs, sheep, and oxen indicate that animals were domesticated, while sickles, querns, and grinders attest to the cultivation of ceral crops.” [[399]] [[400]] Chiapas Burials; Mediterranean pg. 65; Neolithic pg. 42-44
Zapotec pg. 71-75: “At Tlapacoya, on the shores of Lake Chalco in the southern Basin of Mexico, Christine Niederberger excavated their remains of an Archaic group who she believes had already established “prolonged or permanent residency in the same site.” Her argument is that unusually rich environment of the Chalco lakeshore might have provided year-around food. No permanent houses were found at the site, however. And while plants and animals from the rainy season and the dry season were present in the refuse, the same was true at Guila Naquitz. All that is necessary to collect them is for a group to arrive in August (late rainy season) and stay until January (mid-dry season).”
Mexico pg. 41-58: “Houses were rectangular and about 20 ft (6 m) long, with slightly sunken floors of clay covered with river sand. The sides of vertical canes between wooden posts, and were daubed with mud, and white-washed; roofs were thatched.”
[[400]] [[401]] Israel pg. 25-26, 31-32, 40-41
“Though Palestine never developed a material culture remotely comparable to the cultures of the Euphrates and the Nile, the third millennium witnessed remarkable progress in that land too. Since this was broadly conincident with the heyday of Ebla, a connection is in every way likely. It was a time of great urban development, when population increased, cites were built and, presumably, city-states established. Many of the cites that later appear in the Bible are known from excavations to have been in existence: Jericho (rebuilt after a long abandonment), Megiddo, Beth-shan, Ai, Gezer, etc.” [[401]] [[402]] Israel pg. 31-32
“Although the fourth millennium in Palestine remains obscure at a number of points, it is clear that it witnessed the development of village life in various parts of the land, with many places apparently being settled for the first time. In this period Palestine seems to have fallen into two cultural provinces, one in the northern and centarl areas, the other in the south.” [[402]] [[403]] 1 Kings 11:41–12:20; 2 Chronicles 9:29–11:4 [[403]] [[404]] Israel pg. 31-32
(SAME AS NOTE 402 ABOVE) [[404]] [[405]] 2 Kings 15-17 [[405]] [[406]] Early Bronze pg. 85-90; Israel pg. 27-36; Mediterranean pg. 58-72 [[406]] [[407]] Early Bronze pg. 88-90
Israel pg. 40-41: “In Palestine the bulk of the third millennium falls into the period known by archaeologists as the Early Bronze. This period- or a transitional phase leading into it- began late in the fourth millennium, as the Prooliterate culture flourished in Mesopotamia and the Gerzean in Egypt, and continued till the closing centuries of the third. Though palestine never developed a material culture remotely comparable to the cultures of the Euphrates and the Nile, the third millennium witnessed remarkable progress in that land too. Since this was boradly coincident with the heyday of Ebla, a connection is every way likely. It was a time of great urban development, when population increased, cites were built and, presumably, city-states established.” [[407]] [[408]] 2 Kings 24; 2 Chronicles 36 [[408]] [[409]] Israel pg. 44
“In the latter part of the third millennium (roughly between the twenty-third and twentieth centuries), as we pass through the final phase of the Early Bronze Age into the first phase of the Middle Bronze- or perhaps enter a traditional period between the two- we encounter abundant evidence that life in Palestine suffered a major distruption at the hands of nomadic invaders who were pressing the land. City after city was destroyed (as far as is known every major city was), some with incredible violence, and the Early Bronze civilization was brought to an end. Similar disruption seems to have taken place in Syria. These newcomers did not rebuild and occupy the cities they had destroyed. Rather they (or the survivors of the Early Bronze culture) seem to have pursued a nomadic life on the fringes for a time; only gradually did they begin to build villages and settle down. By the end of the third millennium such villages are known to have existed especially in Transjordan in the Jordan valley, and southward in the Negeb; but they were small, poorly constructed, and without material pretensions. It was not until approximately the ninteenth century, when a fresh and vigorous cultral influence spread across the lands, that urban life can be said to have resumed.” [[409]] [[410]] 2 Kings 24-25; 2 Chronicles 36 [[410]] [[411]] Early Bronze pg. 88-90
Israel pg. 36-38: “In the twenty-fourth century, a dynasty of Semitic rulers seized power and created the first true empire in world history. The founder was Sargon, a figure whose origins are cloaked in myth. Rising to power in Kish, he overthrew Lugalzaggisi of Erech and subdued all Sumer as far as the Persian Gulf. Then, transferring his residence to Akkad (of unknown location, but near the later Babylon), he emabrked on a series of conquests which became legendary.” [[411]] [[412]] 2 Chronicles 36:20–21 (1-21); 2 Kings 25 [[412]] [[413]] Israel pg. 44
(SAME AS NOTE 409 ABOVE) [[413]] [[414]] Israel pg. 41-43, 48-49
“We have seen that in the twenty-fourth century power passed from the Sumerian city-states to the Semitic kings of Akkad, who created a great empire. After the conquests of Naramisn, however, the power of Akkad rapidly waned and soon after 2200 was brought to an end by the onslaught of a barbarian people called the Guti.” [[414]] [[415]] 2 Chronicles 36:22–23; Ezra 1-3 [[415]] [[416]] Israel pg. 54-55
“Beginning by the nineteenth century, however, western Palestine experienced a remarkable recovery under the impulse of a fresh and vigorous cultral influence that was spreading over the whole of Palestine and Syria; strong cites began once more to be built, and urban life to flourish, perhaps as new groups of immigrants arrived, and as increasing numbers of seminomads setteled down.” [[416]] [[417]] Israel pg. 41-64
“Many of the cites that later appear in the Bible are known from excavations to have been in existence: Jericho (rebuilt after a long abandonment), Megiddo, Beth-shan, Ai, Gezer, etc. (the Ebla texts are said to mention yet others, including Jerusalem). These cities, though scarcely magnificent, were suprisingly well built and strongly fortified, as the excavations show.” [[417]] [[418]] Israel pg. 64-66
“By this time, too, the partriarchal simplicity of Amorite seminomadic life had all but vanished. Cities were numerous, well constructed and, as we have seen, strongly fortified. There was a general increase in population, together with a marked advance in material culture. The city-state system characteristic of Palestine until the Isralite conquest seems to have been developed, with the land divided into various petty kingdoms, or provinces, each with its own ruler- who was no doubt subject to higher control from without. Society was feudal in structure, with wealth most unevenly divided; alongside the fine houses of partricians one finds the hovels of half-free serfs. Nevertheless the cities of the day give evidnce of a prosperity such as Palestine seldom knew in ancient times.” [[418]] [[419]] Israel pg. 107-120, 130-133
“In the Late Bronze Age, Egypt entered her period of Empire, during which she was unquestionably the dominat nation in the world. Architects of the Empire were the Pharaohs of the Eighteenth Dynasty, a house that was founded as the Hyksos were expelled from Egypt and that retained power for some two hundred and fifty years, bringing to Egypt a strength and a prestige unequaled in all her long history.” [[419]] [[420]] Israel pg. 114-115
“When Ramesses II died after a long and glorious reign, his successor was his thirteenth son, Marniptah, who was already past middle life. Marniptah was not allowed to live out his brief reign in peace. A time of of confusion was beginning which was to see all western Asia plunged into turmoil, and which the Ninteenth Dynasty did not survive.
Though Marniptah mastered the situation, he did not long survive his triumph. Then, after several rulers of no importance, the dynasty ended in a period of confusion about which little is known. We can scarcely doubt that during these disturbed years Egyptian control of Palestine virtually left off- a circumstance that surely aided Isreal in consolidating her position in that land.” [[420]] [[421]] Israel pg. 115-117
” ‘Amorite,’ on the other hand, was, as we have seen, an Akkadian word meaning ‘Westerner,’ various Northwest-Semitic peoples of Upper Mesopotamia and Syria, from among whom Israel’s own ancestors had come. These nomadic elements which had infiltrated Palestine at the end of the Early Bronze Age and had roamed and settled especially in the mountainous interior were established in Transjordan. But though there are passages where the Bible seems to perserve a distinction between the two peoples (e.g., Num, 13:29; Deut. 1:7, where the Amorites are placed in the mountians, the Canaanites by the sea), for the most part it uses the terms loosely if not synonymously. There is a justification for this in that, by the time of the conquest, the “Amorites,” having been in the land for centuries, had so thoroughly assimilated the language, social organization, and culture of Cannaan that little remained to distinguish one group from the other. The dominant pre-Israelite population was thus in race and language not different from Israel herself.” [[421]] [[422]] Israel pg. 137-143
“During the period of the Empire, as we have seen, Palestine was divided into a number of relatively small city-states, each of which was ruled by a king who, as the Pharaoh’s vassal, exercised control over the outlying towns and villages of his modest domain. Society was feudal in structure, consisting of a hereditary patrician class, a pesantry that was only half free, and numerous slaves, but apparently with very little of a middle class. Under such a system the lot of the poor was hard, and it scarcely improved as centuries of Egyptian taxation and misrule drained the land of its wealth. Moreover, the endless quarrels between city lords, which Egypt often chose to ignore, must have been disastrous for poor villagers, who were often unable to work their fields and were taxed and concripted to boot. The Amarna letters let us see the situation clearly. They also show us ‘Apiru making trouble from one end of the land to the other. As we have said, these ‘Apiru were not newcomers pressing in from the desert. Rather, they were rootless people without place in established society, who had either been alienated from it or never integrated within it, and who eked out an existence in remoter areas on its fringes; they readily turned into freebooters and bandits. Slaves, abused peasants, and ill-paid mercenaries would be tempted to run away and join them- i.e., to “become Hebrews.” Sometimes whole areas went over to them. We have seen how they succeeded in gaining control of a considerable domain centerd upon Schechem. The city lords feared these people, implored the Pharaoh for protection against them, and accused on another of consorting with them. Their fears were well grounded: the system of which they were a part was threatened.” [[422]] [[423]] Israel pg. 129-133 (107-143)
“The problem arises in part of the Bible itself, for the Bible does not present us with one single, coherent account of the conquest. According to the main account (Josh., chs, 1 to 12), the conquest represented a concerted effort by all Isreal, and was sudden, bloody, and complete.
Still we must reckon with the possibility that in certain cases there has been a telescoping of events in the Biblical tradition. The Israelite “conquest” of Palestine was actually a long drawn-out affair; it began with the partiarchal migrations far back in the Bronze Age, and it was not finally completed until the time of David. The Isreal that emerged drew together within its structure groups of traditions of conquests made by their ancestors as they came into the land, and it is conceivable that, as the normative conquest tradition took shape, events that took place at widely separated times may have been combined within it- under the rubric of “conquest”, one might say.” [[423]] [[424]] Israel pg. 129-133
“It has long been the fashion to credit the latter picture at the expense of the former. The narative of Joshua is part of a great history of Israel from Moses to the exile, comprising the books Dueteronomy-Kings and first composed probably late in the seventh century. Many think that the picture of an unified invasion of Palestine is the author’s idealization. They regard the narratives as a row of separate traditions, chiefly of an etiological character (i.e., developed to explain the origin of some custom or landmark) and of minimal historical value, originally unconnected with one another or, for the most part, with Joshua- who was an Ephraimite tribal hero who was secondarily made into the leader of a united Isreal. They hold that there was no violent conquest at all, but that the Israelite tribes occupied Palestine by a gradual, and for the most part peaceful, process of infiltration. But this understanding of the matter would seem to be as one-sided as the conventional one, which viewed the conquest as a single, massive, organized military operation. Both views doubtless contain elements of truth. But the actual events that established Israel on the soil of Palestine were assuredly vastly more complex than a simplistic presentation of either view would suggest.” [[424]] [[425]] Compare Israel pg. 114-117, 137-143 to Israel pg. 414-427; I would also recommend using a good encyclopedia and comparing cultures such as the Ptolemies to Egypt’s New Kingdom and the Seleucids to the Hittites. [[425]] [[426]] Israel pg. 114-115, 174-176 (this book becomes increasingly difficult to use as a reference after the Late Bronze because the author begins to intertwine the Bible with the archaeology and does not clearly state the sources for his interpretations); Grolier, Sea Peoples [[426]] [[427]] Israel pg. 114-115; Grolier, Sea Peoples
“Among the Peoples of the Sea, Marniptah lists Shardina, ‘Aqiwasha, Turusha, Ruka (Luka), and Shakarusha. These people, some of whom (Luka, Shardina) we have met as mercenaries at the battle of Kadesh, were of Aegean origin, as their names indicate: e.g., Luka are Lycians, ‘Aqiwasha(also the Ahhiyawa of western Asia Minor), are probably Acaeans; Shardina would subsequently give their name to Sardinina,…”↵

–

INTRODUCTION

It may be helpful to read Introduction to scriptural archeology for an introduction to this article covering important background information on why archeological dating methods give screwed results and on the geographical alteration of the narrow neck of land.

(To clarify dates, throughout the rest of the text scriptural/historical dates are preceded by S/H; while archaeological dates, including carbon dates, are preceded by A/C. In printed versions, footnotes which reference scriptures are in red; footnotes which reference archaeological sources are in black).

Correlated timeline of archeological and scriptural dates

THE SCATTERING AT BABEL AND THE EARLY JAREDITE CULTURE. Archaeologists place the first modern humans in the Near East’s fertile crescent around 100,00 years ago ^[72], which, according to our calibrated timeline, is immediately after the Flood. From there man was “scattered . . . abroad . . . upon the face of all the earth . . .” (Genesis 11:8) ^[73]; scientists following the path of homo sapiens identify a major scattering between 40,000 and 70,000 years ago when modern man spread from the Near East to Europe, the Far East, Australia, and the Americas ^[74]. In America, studies of hereditary traits on the first group of PaleoIndians to reach America have concluded that they consisted of no more than a handful of families (S/H: around 2100 BC; A/C: around 40,000 years ago) ^[75]/ ^[76]. The two earliest major PaleoIndian cultures that developed from this handful of families, the Clovis Culture and the Folsom Culture , spread widely but sparsely from the Southwestern United States to cover most of the continental United States ^[77]/ ^[78].

OMER AND HIS HOUSEHOLD. As this early period in American Prehistory was coming to a close, a small group of families left the core area and settled “by the seashore” directly east of the hill Cumorah (Ether 9:1–13) ^[79]. The group of sites, in and around northeastern Massachusetts, are called the Bull Brook Complex by archaeologists ^[80]. Clovis points found at several of the sites tie it to the Southwest ^[81]. Building on excavations by D.S. Byers in the mid-50’s ^[82], archaeological societies in the Northeast have pieced together the history of the Bull Brook Complex ^[83]. Their findings and subsequent analysis have shown the interactions of a system of organized, interdependent groups with specialized work force networks ^[84]. It is recognized as containing the highest level of social structure in America at that time ^[85], which would be expected in a “refugee camp” of the royal household ^[86].

PRE-DEARTH JAREDITE CULTURE. . As Moroni attests, the next archaeological period saw the rise of a richer and more diversified culture ^[87]/ ^[88]. The Plano and Early Eastern Archaic Cultures fanned across the continent (S/H: around 1600-1200 BC; A/C: around 8500-6000 BC) ^[89]. Scientists have found the full spectrum of plants and animals corresponding to the days of Emer. According to Moroni, during the early Pre-Dearth Jaredite time period they had “all manner of cattle, of oxen, and cows, and of sheep, and of swine, and of goats, and also many other kinds of animals which were useful for the food of man.” ^[90]Archaeologists have found many species of American bison from this time period, which ruminants are classified by zoologists as wild cattle, oxen and cows (family Bovidae, genus Bos) ^[91]. Similarly, there are food remains of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain goats at many sites from this period ^[92]. Peccaries are animals from this period which are classified as swine and are in the same group as domestic pigs and hogs (sub-order Suina) ^[93]. The “many other kinds of animals” of Moroni’s list would include deer, elk, moose, caribou, and pronghorn ^[94]. Thanks to new site-investigation methods, scientists have found that fruits, grains and vegetables were part of the PaleoIndian diet ^[95]; the Darwinian view that the PaleoIndians were merely carnivorous stockers of megafauna is being abandoned. More careful analysis of early sites and artifacts is yielding increasing evidence of fine textiles ^[96], which means the people didn’t just wear rough animal hides. Moroni also mentions that horses, elephants, cureloms and cumoms were useful to man, and that elephants and cureloms and cumoms were “more especially” useful to man (Ether 9:19). Potential beasts of burden which have been found in association with PaleoIndians include horses, tapirs, mammoths, mastodons, giant bison, giant ground sloths, and camels ^[97]. Coincidentally, the horse and the tapir would not have been very useful as beasts of burden because the Ice Age variety existent at this time were only about the size of a dog ^[98]; hence, it was the elephants and cureloms and cumoms which were “more especially” useful to man.

THE GREAT DEARTH. Then the PaleoIndian culture was rocked. In the scriptures, we read of secret combinations infesting society, and then a chastening, in the form of a great dearth (Ether 9:30–35). Archaeologists attest that it was probably the worst famine in North American history. Mass extinction spread across America as the Ice Age came to a rapid and catastrophic close ^[99]. Excess hunting by starving people and severe environmental changes drove the megafauna to extinction ^[100]. Scientists have found that serpents were abundant at that time in the American Southwest (as they are today) and the closing of the Ice Age caused many varied migrations in snake species across North America ^[101]. The serpents and the drought divided the people in the north from the fauna, which escaped to the south ^[102]. When the climate finally recovered, the people instigated a revolution in agriculture ^[103]/ ^[104], since they had now lost their domesticated animals.

POST-DEARTH JAREDITE CULTURE. Moroni’s next exposition on culture comes in the days of Lib (Ether 10:18–28). My corresponding period is labeled by archaeologists as the Middle and Late Archaic. Often indistinguishable from one another, these two cultural periods represent a major advancement over the preceding culture ^[105]. Again the culture spread across North America from coast to coast ^[106]. There were villages, agriculture, and widespread trade networks ^[107]. South of the narrow neck, in the Mexican highland and beyond, the only inhabitants we find are organized hunting parties, which “coincidentally” brought spear points of North American manufacture and style ^[108]/ ^[109]. Scientists recognize metallurgy from this time period, and copper is the most common metal found ^[110]/ ^[111]. Many fine textiles have also survived from this period ^[112]/ ^[113]. Moroni says they made “all manner of tools to till the earth, both to plow and to sow, to reap and to hoe, and also to thrash” ^[114]. He also says they had, “all manner of tools with which they did work their beasts” (Ether 10:26–27). Most of the tools on this list have been found by archaeologists at sites dating to the Middle and Late Archaic ^[115]. New weapons were also invented and manufactured, although archaeologists currently view them only as hunting weapons ^[116]/ ^[117]. Another major industry of the Jaredites was wood exploitation ^[118]. A huge assortment of woodworking tools has been found at Archaic period sites across the Nation ^[119]. Truly this was a highly-developed culture—a time of great prosperity. How tragic that they lost it all because of secret combinations! ^[120]

THE DESOLATION OF THE JAREDITES. The desolation of the Jaredites began in the Southwest and climaxed in New York State ^[121]. It is witnessed archaeologically by a widespread “cremation” burial culture ^[122]. Continent-wide scientists find a change in burial customs from proper burials to cremation burials and “ceremonial” burning of homes and entire villages (Shiz and his army) ^[123]/ ^[124]. Archaeologists have also found evidence of large-scale “bundle burials,” which is the practice of bundling the disarticulated, defleshed bones of dead people in bags or cordages, and then either burying them or dumping them in the trash ^[125]. Surely it was a gruesome scene that the first Nephites to re-inhabit the desolate land northward were required to witness and clean up ^[126].

Correlated timeline of archeological and scriptural dates

THE ARRIVAL OF THE NEPHITES AND MULEKITES. The Jaredites were the sole inhabitants of America until two small groups of sea-going travelers crossed the Pacific (S/H: 600 BC; A/C: 3000 BC). As early as 1916 scholars had identified the general location of the two landing sites. G. Elliot Smith published an article with Science titled “The Origin of the Pre-Columbian Civilization of America” in which he detailed ethnological evidence of the landings and further showed how scholars of that day had attempted to cover up the findings because they lent support to the Bible and against Darwinism ^[127]. In his book, Articles of Faith, James E. Talmage describes the author’s findings: “Dr. Smith presents an impressive array of evidence pointing to the Old World and specifically to Egypt, as the source of many of the customs by which the American aborigines are distinguished. The article is accompanied by a map showing . . . two landing places on the west coast, one in Mexico and another near the boundary common to Peru and Chile, from which place the immigrants spread.” ^[128]Archaeological evidence has further refined these findings. Most archaeologists now agree to a South American landing, putting it a little further north, specifically in modern Ecuador ^[129](which “coincidentally” lies “a little south of the Isthmus of Darien” ^[130]). The location of the second landing spot is unknown; characteristic artifacts also point to the west coast of Mexico ^[131]— legend puts it at a place called “seven caverns” ^[132]. Both the Valdivia culture of Ecuador (the Lehites), and the Otomangue-speaking people of the Mexican highland (the Mulekites), brought the first true pottery to the Americas; in both cultures the pottery was already well-developed even at the earliest sites ^[133]. Both cultures are distinguished as being the first harvesters of cultigens (plants incapable of growing without human help), the most important cultigen being corn ^[134]. The architecture and burial customs of these two groups can easily be tied to the Old World. Square waddle and daub homes with storage pits in the floor dotted their lands ^[135]. Their temples and public buildings are extremely similar to those of Egypt and Israel. Subfloor burials and burial positions also match those of the Middle East ^[136].

EARLY MULEKITE CULTURE. The newly arrived Otomangue-speaking culture (Mulekites) began to spread across the Mexican highland (Zarahemla). Although they covered a large area, they lived in small scattered villages, and archaeologists recognize very little social structure among them ^{[137] [138]}.

EARLY LEHITE CULTURE. The Valdivia culture also fanned out over a large area, stylistic pottery has been traced from Ecuador up through Columbia and Panama into Coastal areas of Guatemala and Southern Chiapas ^[139]. When Nephi fled from his brothers {{140}}, it seems that he led his followers to the central depression of Chiapas and settled in the Grijalva river valley. The first cultural layers there are of a unique, tight-knit group (Zoque/early Nephite), centered around Chiapa de Corzo (the land of Nephi), which remained separate from the surrounding cultures that were developing (Maya/Lamanite) {{141}}/ {{142}}. The Nephite culture began the seeds of civilization which later influenced all of Mesoamerica, and eventually all of North America {{143}}. Some of the Lamanites appear to have followed Nephi’s party; a group associated with the early Maya (Lamanites) settled further up in the Grijalva river valley {{144}}. Other groups remained in South America which over time developed very independent cultures {{145}}; apparently not associated with the history outlined in the Book of Mormon.

EARLY LAMANITE CULTURE. The Lamanites (early Maya) digressed and became a very primitive people {{146}}/ {{147}}. Archaeologists label them as “hunters and gatherers,” because they stocked the forests for game, lived in tents and temporary shelters, and practiced limited agriculture {{148}}/ {{149}}. They did some fishing, and they had very limited agriculture (primarily limited to picking wild fruits and edible roots) {{150}}. Archaeologists think it was because they did not have the technology, the scriptures teach that it was because they were lazy.

Warfare is evident as archaeologists find a large assortment of weapons, far exceeding the needs of mere hunters {{151}}. The early Maya (Lamanites) set up chiefdoms in each local community; at this early date they do not appear to have been a cohesive unit, but rather groups of village communities, competing and perhaps fighting with each other for resources {{152}} — apparently united only in their hatred toward the Nephites {{153}}. Laman and Lemuel seem to have taught their children the pagan practices they had learned in Jerusalem. Archaeologists find cultic artifacts associated with the worship of a fertility goddess; they also worshipped Chac, who is the Maya equivalent of Baal from the Old World {{154}}. In this early period we also see the beginnings of the Jaguar cult. The Maya made costumes from the coats of beasts of prey and used these costumes in religious rituals {{155}}/ {{156}}. Early Mayan vices match those Enos and Jarom attributed to the Lamanites: pornography in the form of nude ceramic figurines, idleness, and drunkenness (typically chicha, an alcohol made from corn) {{157}}/ {{158}}.

The Formative

INTRODUCTION TO THE FORMATIVE. At the dawn of the formative period there were several major demographic shifts which set the stage for the developing cultures. First, King Mosiah I and his people left the Land of Nephi (Chiapa de Corzo) and traveled to Zarahemla (central Mexico) to join the Mulekites (S/H: around 200 BC; A/C: around 1400 BC) {{159}}. This is seen archaeologically as an influx of Mixe-zoquean culture brings new advances to central Mexico, and public buildings begin to appear in the larger villages {{160}}.

THE PEOPLE OF ZENIFF. Back in Chiapa de Corzo (the land of Nephi), the surrounding culture (Maya/Lamanites) destroyed all traces of the departing group (Nephites) {{161}}/ {{162}}. Shortly, however, high culture returned to the valley {{163}}as Zeniff and his people arrive and begin to build anew many public buildings and restore the land {{164}}/ {{165}}. The new inhabitants of Chiapa de Corzo (people of Zeniff) were an ethnically distinct group which did not mix with the surrounding Maya (Lamanites) {{166}}/ {{167}}. Initially their culture was very similar to that of central Mexico (from which they had come), but the similarities decreased as time went on and they (the people of Zeniff, now led by King Noah) became extravagant in their prosperity. Lavishness dominates the architecture and material culture of this period {{168}}/ {{169}}. Just before Chiapa de Corzo returned to Mayan Culture (Lamanites), the people of the Grijalva depression gave birth to one of the richest and most influential Mesoamerican cultures of the pre-Christian era—the Olmecs (Amulonites) {{170}}/ {{171}}.

THE AMULONITES AND THEIR INFLUENCE OVER THE LAMANITES. The Amulonite (Olmec) culture seems to have developed in the lowlands of Veracruz, Mexico. The simple farming village of San Lorenzo (probably Helam) {{172}}/ {{173}}suddenly began a massive public works effort using slave labor (probably the followers of Alma) {{174}}/ {{175}}. Soon a handful of great cities commenced, and Olmec influence spread to other lands {{176}}/ {{177}}. Olmec art and religious themes support an Amulonite correlation: powerful, dominating priests, were-jaguar babies, female dancers, and a plethora of demi-gods and idols {{178}}/ {{179}}. Throughout the Mayan lands, Olmec teachers began to train the Maya (Lamanites) in the language and learning of the Mexican highland people (the Nephites) {{180}}/ {{181}}. With this new education the Maya began to prosper and make many technological advances {{182}}/ {{183}}. New trade networks spread across southern Mexico, the Yucatan and Guatemala, and all roads passed through Olmec lands, which made them vastly rich and extremely influential {{184}}. Some archaeologists call the Olmecs the “mother culture” of Mesoamerica {{185}}.

THE FALL OF THE AMULONITES. As prophesied by Abinadi, the Amulonites (Olmecs) were soon devastated {{186}}/ {{187}}. Using a cesium magnetometer to detect buried basalt, Michael Coe, a professor of Anthropology at Yale University, and his group found mounds of monuments purposefully defaced, smashed and buried at San Lorenzo {{188}}. Other Olmec sites excavated in the area told the same story: seemingly the Maya (Lamanites) living among the Olmecs (Amulonites) in their gulf-coast empire revolted, defacing and smashing monuments, destroying buildings {{189}}/ {{190}}, and as the Book of Mormon teaches us, massacring the ruling class (the descendants of the priests of Noah) {{191}}. The great Olmecs suddenly disappeared, but their influence over the Maya was seen forever afterward. The sparsely-populated Mayan lands were soon covered with huge temples and city-centers with art and architecture reminiscent of the Olmec style {{192}}.

THE NEPHITES- ALMA THE ELDER AND KING MOSIAH II. Meanwhile, in central Mexico, Alma and his followers escaped to Zarahemla and established the church throughout the Mexican highland {{193}}, witnessed archaeologically by new temples and synagogues built throughout the land {{194}}. Then, several decades later, Mosiah II founded a new democratic government {{195}}, and each land began to build government buildings alongside the new temples (S/H: 91 BC; A/C: around 850 BC) {{196}}. Under the leadership of these inspired founders, the diverse societies of central Mexico integrated to become a very prosperous people {{197}}/ {{198}}. Unfortunately, in many communities this prosperity led to pride, social classes, and perversions, which are all quite visible in the material culture they left behind {{199}}/ {{200}}.

Pre-Classic

THE NEPHITES- CAPTAIN MORONI. These two great nations, the Nephites on the Mexican Plateau and the Lamanites (Maya) in Southern Mexico, Guatemala and Yucatan, began to experience greater conflicts {{201}}/ {{202}}. Foreseeing the coming challenges, Captain Moroni prepared his people and their lands {{203}}. First, the weak lands were fortified and the southern frontier was strengthened {{204}}/ {{205}}. Hilltop fortifications began to dot southern Mexico in Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Guerrero {{206}}/ {{207}}. Great urban fortresses were created {{208}}/ {{209}}. For example, at Monte Alban (Manti), researchers from the University of Michigan found that some leader (Moroni) inspired the people of the valley of Oaxaca to move to the top of a nearby hill in the former “no man’s land” between two warring nations, and there build a fortress with up to 10,000 inhabitants {{210}}. The site has natural cliffs surrounding the city, its temples and its public buildings on three sides; on the fourth side, excavators found a two-mile long wall of earth and stone which still stands almost 30 feet tall and 50-60 feet thick {{211}}/ {{212}}. No wonder Mormon venerated the leadership, courage and vision of Captain Moroni and the manner in which he prepared his people for war.

After Amalickiah’s first attack, a second phase of construction was begun in which fortified cities and hilltop fortresses were built throughout the land of Zarahemla {{213}}which appears to have stretched from Oaxaca to Jalisco and from southwestern Michoacan to northern Veracruz {{214}}. Also, the Book of Mormon records Moroni pushing the Lamanites out of the east wilderness and on the west, then building new cities in these areas in order to create a more defensible border {{215}}. Excavations in southern and western Oaxaca and Guerrero, as well as central Veracruz are now showing such movements of peoples and the construction of new large defensive cities and fortresses {{216}}.

During the time that fortifications were being built in the Mexican highland, a massive weapons production industry commenced throughout Mesoamerica, both in the Mexican Highland (Zarahemla) and in Maya (Lamanite) lands {{217}}/ {{218}}. To accommodate these war preparations, the peoples of the Mexican Highland (Nephites) made major breakthroughs in agriculture and built massive irrigation systems {{219}}. From that time forward, urbanization and trade specialization, with accompanying prosperity, enveloped the Nephite lands {{220}}/ {{221}}.

The great war of Moroni’s time, and the wars that followed, are seen archaeologically in demographic and cultural movements of this time period {{222}}, and in numerous monuments depicting warriors and captives in both Highland Mexico and Maya lands {{223}}. The Lamanites displaced and jumbled the Nephites numerous times {{224}}. There was also a great cultural mixing when groups of Lamanites converted to the Nephite religion and went to live among the Nephites {{225}}, and also when groups became captives {{226}}. Cities experienced occasional upheavals, but most of them changed hands without noticeable ruin {{227}}/ {{228}}.

THE NEPHITES- 57 BC TO AD 33. Time brought greater prosperity {{229}}, which led to ornamentation and extravagant housewares {{230}}. Robbers also infested the land during this period {{231}}—archaeologist have found that many of the graves of nobles and of wealthy people were broken into and the riches were stolen {{232}}. The Book of Mormon teaches that as wars continued numerous groups sought refuge and peace by migrating to far-away lands {{233}}. Archaeologists date the Adena people’s arrival in the Ohio River Valley at this time {{234}}. The Adena cleared the land of the carnage and waste the land’s former inhabitants (the Jaredites) had left {{235}}/ {{236}}, and they brought a new culture with the advancements and technologies of their Mexican homeland {{237}}. Others moved to the Southwestern United States, becoming the earliest Mogollon peoples {{238}}. Those who arrived in North America found a land covered with lakes and rivers—a much more lush environment than the one they had left {{239}}. The Southwest Cultures are famous for their dwellings of stone and cement; cultures of the East for tents; both cultures also built simple homes of scrawny wood poles and thatched walls and roof {{240}}. In a short time the continent was covered with hamlets and villages {{241}}/ {{242}}. The people soon turned to pagan and perverted practices, which spoiled their previously wholesome culture {{243}}/ {{244}}. There is evidence that the first Polynesians reached the Pacific Islands around this same time period {{245}}/ {{246}}.

–

THE NEPHITES- ZION. . The destruction at the time of Christ was discussed earlier. As the ash settled {{247}}/ {{248}}, a new culture spread across the land {{249}}/ {{250}}. In some ways, this new culture was more monolithic; in other ways it was more diverse. Throughout the Americas a new two-room temple replaced varying former styles {{251}}. A utopia of peace and prosperity is spoken of in legends {{252}}/ {{253}}. There is no evidence of weapons being used at this time {{254}}, and the murals, figurines, and architecture show designs of nature, lines of symmetry and harmony, and displays of pleasant animals and domestic life {{255}}. Gone are all signs of a military elite, governmental force, and coercion {{256}}. The Hopewell, the Anasazi, the Mogollon, Teotihuacan, the Maya—continent-wide, the traits are the same {{257}}. The great peace resulting “because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people” (4 Nephi 1:15).

The people were united in righteousness {{258}}, yet at the same time, the culture became more diverse, as the focus turned from making a profit to making quality products and upholding the ideals of family and community {{259}}. Local artisans replaced the mass-production and expansive trade networks of the preceding period {{260}}. Thus there was no need to travel extensively “on business,” so people could spend more time with their families. Family gardens replaced mass-produced food {{261}}. People ate a greater variety of food, but their food was of more local origin {{262}}. Analysis of skeletons shows that the people were healthier and enjoyed longer life spans than during the preceding period {{263}}. The arts flowered during this period {{264}}. The number and variety of musical instruments greatly increased {{265}}. Pottery and other goods became more useful and more beautiful, and less ornamental and extravagant {{266}}. A much greater variety of artifacts is found, but in much smaller quantities than before, and with much less waste {{267}}. The prosperity was great throughout all of the Americas and in all areas of human development, “because of their prosperity in Christ” (4 Nephi 1:23).

In the early classic period the church became very wealthy {{268}}. The people donated their time and skills to the creation and maintenance of beautiful temples and public centers {{269}}. The population exploded {{270}}, but at the same time, the cities became less dense as the communities were reorganized and the people spread out across the land {{271}}. Even the biggest “cities” were only lightly populated, yet they contained ceremonial centers and public buildings large enough to accommodate all the people of the surrounding villages {{272}}. Social classes disappeared, yet the standard of living increased everywhere {{273}}; And “they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God” (4 Nephi 1:17) {{274}}.
It was beautiful. Everything Mormon said was true. Then they lost it all. The line is not clear, but little by little it all slipped away. The late pre-classic ugliness returned, and this time it was even more vile.

THE NEPHITES- PRIDE. As the people became proud, they began to flaunt the wealth they had accumulated over many years of righteousness and prosperity {{275}}. In the archaeological record, we begin to find much larger houses than existed in the preceding period {{276}}, more decorated pottery {{277}}, personal ornamentation (including pearls and elaborate clothing) {{278}}/ {{279}}, extravagant burials of the dead {{280}}, and new long-distance trade networks {{281}}/ {{282}}. They painted murals showing images of power, with soldiers, weapons, kings, priests, slaves, and eventually human sacrifice {{283}}. They built new cities with defense in mind {{284}}, and the existing cities became more dense, decreasing in total area despite the fact that the population was still growing {{285}}/ {{286}}. We see evidence of the rise of social classes, with a new elite class and a definite peasant class {{287}}/ {{288}}. The social classes are most apparent in the big cities.

Political players began to build up monuments to themselves, often showing off their accomplishments {{289}}. We see a cultural split, as the people broke up into different groups {{290}}/ {{291}}. As displays of wealth and power emerged in society and later in government, the church was divided, as the people in every land sought to raise up their own version of Quetzalcoatl (Christ), and to join him with a new pantheon of gods and demigods {{292}}/ {{293}}. In the major ceremonial centers, a priestly class began to exercise power and influence {{294}}/ {{295}}. Temples and temple complexes became colossal and extravagant {{296}}, and often the priests raised themselves to the position of gods or claimed descent from the gods {{297}}. Priests and government leaders began to deform the skulls of their children, and to give themselves and their children tattoos and body paint, all in an effort to separate themselves and their children from the “commoners” {{298}}. Gated communities were developed to protect the elite from the lower class {{299}}.

On the eve of society’s collapse, the pride turned absolutely disgusting {{300}}. Most of the pottery and art became warped, lewd and pornographic {{301}}. Mass production fed trade networks which branched across the continent and resources were exploited on a massive scale {{302}}/ {{303}}. Food production became intense, and the general health of the people correspondingly deteriorated; the incidence of disease increased significantly and life expectancies dropped drastically {{304}}. Body piercing became the norm {{305}}, tobacco and drugs were used widely; smoking was done in smoke houses and in private homes, with cigarettes and with pipes {{306}}. Huge ball courts covered the land {{307}}, in some places ball players rose to the state of gods {{308}}. The ball games became very bloody {{309}}, and in many places they were accompanied with mass killing and human sacrificing of the winners or losers depending on the local religion {{310}}; in other areas the losers become the slaves of the winners’ rulers {{311}}. Many people wasted their income on various forms of gambling—they rooted on their favorite teams, or played games of chance with dice and bones {{312}}. In many areas the workmanship of the structures built during this period was poor, but it was covered with decorative plaster, and was elaborately finished {{313}}. Cultic symbols and status symbols are found everywhere {{314}}.

THE NEPHITES- DESTRUCTION. Truly this society was ripe for destruction {{315}}. The Book of Mormon tells us that the destruction took place quickly {{316}}. Archaeology tells us that it occurred on a massive scale {{317}}, larger than most probably ever imagined— although Mormon tried to help us understand {{318}}.

The great war appears to have been started in central Yucatan by a group which archaeologists call the Putun Maya {{319}}. As they gained power they continued west and north, and eventually attacked the Mexican highland {{320}}. Great murals tell the story of their advances; they were the eagle warriors of the jaguar cult (the Lamanites), and they sought to exterminate the cult of the feathered serpent named Quetzalcoatl (the Nephites) {{321}}. Eventually the great city of Zarahemla (Teotihuacan) was attacked, but the invaders were pushed back {{322}}/ {{323}}. Then, as Mormon relates, Zarahemla (Teotihuacan) was laid waste {{324}}. Archaeologists have uncovered the entire story: the great Teotihuacan was burned and looted, monuments were defaced, columns were toppled, temples were desecrated, and the luxurious palaces were left in ruin {{325}}.

The Lamanites’ pursuit of the Nephites can be followed from Teotihuacan to Western Mexico, to sites such as Alta Vista and Chalchihuites (perhaps Angola or the Land of David?) {{326}}/ {{327}}and then to the seashore, to Amapa and other sites in Nayarit and southern Sinaloa (probably the land of Joshua) {{328}}/ {{329}}, a land archaeologists have found was filled with robbers and Maya during this period {{330}}/ {{331}}. From there the Nephites continued their flight into the “land northward” {{332}}. It appears that the massacre stopped when the Nephites reached Chaco Canyon (Shem), in New Mexico and were able to fortify it {{333}}/ {{334}}. There the Nephites held back their pursuers and the bloodshed stopped for a season while God sent forth missionaries and prophets to give the people one last chance {{335}}. Archaeologists have found circular religious structures, called kivas, appearing throughout Anasazi lands during this period {{336}}, which perhaps shows that Mormon knew some success {{337}}, though his own testimony indicates that any success was short lived as the wickedness persisted {{338}}.

For ten years a peace treaty was in effect {{339}}; archaeology shows that the Maya (Lamanites) of Yucatan and Maya Chichimec of West Mexico came together and began building the great Toltec kingdom {{340}}. Toltec legend speaks of the war between Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, and Tezcatlipoca, the principal god of the Jaguar Cult {{341}}. The Toltecs boast Quetzalcoatl’s defeat and subsequent flight {{342}}. As the population of Tula was exploding {{343}}, archaeologists find an abandonment of Yucatan by that area’s elite {{344}}. Recruits by the thousands flooded out of Yucatan to their new blood-thirsty, warrior kingdom centered in the Mexican Highland {{345}}. Many were also moved to the battle line in Western Mexico, as archaeologists find a large influx of Toltec peoples with strong Maya ties building up fortresses and making war preparations {{346}}.

The kingdom of the Nephites centered in the Southwestern United States, and although they focused on defending the land for a short time {{347}}/ {{348}}, they soon turned their focus to the “god” of money {{349}}. Trade networks covered the Southwestern United States {{350}}, and turquoise, which was lusted after by the Toltecs, was mined on a huge scale to be traded for exotic Mesoamerican goods {{351}}. Ball courts, gated communities, lewd pottery and art, body painting, body piercing, gigantic cities, social classes—the signs of pride and wickedness—have been found by archaeologists throughout the Southwest United States and Northwest Mexico (the Nephite lands) {{352}}.

Then, at the end of this fragile moment of peace, destruction continued {{353}}. The blood-thirsty Lamanites (Toltecs) based in a city just south of our narrow neck of land (probably La Quemada) came up against the Nephite armies which were based in Desolation (Zape in northern Durango?) {{354}}/ {{355}}. The Lamanites were repulsed and counterattacked, but they soon swept Desolation and later Teancum (most likely Guasave on the Pacific Coast) {{356}}. From there the fleeing Nephites followed the turquoise trail to Boaz {{357}}, now known as Paquime or Casas Grandes in Chihuahua. Charles C. Di Peso, the first archaeologists to conduct large-scale excavations at the site, found signs of a great slaughter at Paquime {{358}}. Unburied dead bodies were strewn across the site, some had been shoved into the ducts of the water system, others sacrificed to pagan gods, but the majority were just left to rot and be preyed upon by wolves and vultures {{359}}. Mormon painfully records these same events, as he stood back, watching: “And (the Nephites) fled again from before (the Lamanites), and they came to the city Boaz; and there . . . the Nephites were driven and slaughtered with an exceedingly great slaughter; {{and}}their women and their children were again sacrificed unto idols” (Mormon 4:20–21).

The slaughter spread across the entire Southwestern United States {{360}}. Thousands of sites from this period have been found in which the site was either abandoned or burned or the people were slaughtered {{361}}/ {{362}}. In many places the people abandoned their scattered farms and gathered together to build great fortified cities to defend themselves, only to be massacred {{363}}/ {{364}}. But this was not a peaceful, righteous people being victimized. There is evidence of cannibalism among the Anasazi and other Southwestern Cultures (the Nephites) {{365}}/ {{366}}.

Archaeologists have found human bones in cooking vessels, necklaces made of human skin or bones, and mobiles made of human bones and skulls which seem to have been used as trophies—signs of status and prestige {{367}}. They have found apparent ceremonial assemblages of skulls which were presented to false gods {{368}}. At Salmon Ruin, New Mexico (possibly the tower of Sherrizah) {{369}} women and children were abandoned by their covenant protectors, and the children were burned alive, caught in the top of the tower {{370}}. There are countless archaeological and scriptural evidences of the deplorable state of the Anasazi/Nephites; their brutal mutilation and total annihilation are painful to read about.

The destruction in the Southwest climaxed at a line of sites from Mesa Verde, Colorado (probably Jordan {{371}}) to Albuquerque, New Mexico {{372}}. The entire Southwestern United States and Northwest Mexico was left desolate, except for a few small scattered groups of refugees who hid in caves {{373}}/ {{374}}. But the destruction continued.

The line of sites mentioned above was actually a line of defense built to protect the great expanse of the American Midwest {{375}}. The Nephites who covered the Midwest are called Mississippians by archaeologists. Highly influenced by Mesoamerica and the Southwest {{376}}, their culture had also passed through the cycle of simple and peaceful {{377}}to ugly and proud {{378}}. Their artwork from this period glorifies death and perversion {{379}}. There are carvings of goules, war dances, and the murdering of captives, and these are found alongside symbols of Christ (hands with marks appearing to symbolize the crucifixion) and symbols of Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, displaying decapitated heads as a symbol of his power {{380}}. These were not ignorant people suffering for the sins of their parents; they were in open rebellion against God {{381}}. They refused to repent and trust in God, but rather put their trust in the arm of flesh thinking that could protect their lives. It would not be and never has been {{382}}.

Soon after the cultures of the American Southwest were slaughtered, the Mississippian culture disappeared {{383}}. Huge ceremonial centers, like Cahokia in southern Illinois, built in the styles of the Mexican Highland, were suddenly depopulated without evidence of struggle or warfare—sites are not burned as in the Southwest, nor are the dead strewn across the landscape {{384}}. Because of the late carbon dates obtained from these sites some archaeologist have attempted to show that the people just redistributed themselves around the local area {{385}}. However, the Book of Mormon as well as the immense collections of arrowheads dating all the way back to the archaic found canvassing parts of New York State and the entire New England area speaks of a great desolation (The Book of Mormon states the final battles occurred in the “land of Comorah”, which likely encompasses a large portion of New England; not just around the current Hill Comorah as many have supposed) {{386}}/ {{387}}.

Truly God is unveiling his truth in the eyes of all the world. It remains for us to read with faith, work with strength, and repent of our pride. We must go forward in a definite way and bring to pass the covenants of the Father and build up the kingdom of God upon the earth; both in small and simple ways and by making preparations for works of greatness.

OLD WORLD (BIBLICAL) ARCHEOLOGY
After I had found many evidences of events in the Book of Mormon, and had developed a revised timeline for archaeology, I became curious as to whether my timeline would also work if I used it on Old World archaeology. I found many interesting “coincidences”. Following is a very brief account of a few of my findings. An entire paper on the subject will be forthcoming.

Evidence of pre-flood cultures appear to be entirely missing from the archaeological record. It is as if Earth’s baptism literally washed her clean. She contained no trace of the former sins of her inhabitants. Most of the early homo sapiens cultures that I would label Post-Flood are in the fertile crescent, and usually at a depth of between 30 and 50 feet below the surface {{388}}.

Early Egypt was below water as Abraham attests {{389}}/ {{390}}, and the earth was sparsely populated {{391}}. The climate during this period soon after the Flood was much milder and cooler than it is today, and the plants and animals from this period match those described in the Bible {{392}}. The desert climate would not come for many generations (after many droughts and curses). When we consider the depth at which these early cities are found, we realize that the only reason these sites have been found is that either the sites were continually inhabited until modern times, or the archaeologists were extremely lucky. Many early cities exist which have not yet been found as attested as by new sites which are continually popping up.

History really starts to take place after the Exodus. Let us consider Jericho. Using the “corrected” timeline we established by studying the Book of Mormon, and extrapolating our dates backward, we find that the Jericho of the Bible must be dated at around 7000-8000 BC. During this time period there was a Neolithic city at Jericho, surrounded with a great wall, and with a massive tower built right into the wall (possibly the house of Rahab/Pre-Pottery Neolithic A) {{393}}/ {{394}}. There is evidence that the people of the city were pagans, and that they were rich and proud {{395}}. The early city’s culture ends with the walls falling down and a new culture replacing Pre-Pottery Neolithic A, they are labeled Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (Sci- 6500 B.C.; Scr- 1450 B.C.) {{396}}/ {{397}}. Interestingly, the tower that was built into the wall survived to its full height into the next period (Rahab and her family were protected) {{398}}.
This new nation had simple beginnings; archaeologists call it a retrogression because of the decrease in riches and more simplified art. However, there were many advances: they had a united nation seen in the form of a new wide-spread monolithic culture, they began inhabiting many new lands and developing the land, they respected their dead ancestors, they had domesticated animals, and they built nice square plaster-floored homes {{399}}, which, “coincidentally,” were similar to the homes of the early Lehites and Mulekites {{400}}. After many years the nation became very wealthy (Pottery Neolithic A&B) {{401}}, and then, as we can tell by studying cultural artifacts, the nation was divided {{402}}. One group inhabited the north, and the other group lived in the south (Chalcolithic Period) {{403}}/ {{404}}.

The nation of Israel prospered during the entire period from the time it entered the Land of Canaan until the end of the Chalcolithic Period. Then suddenly the Kingdom of Israel in the north (the Ghassulian culture) was displaced, and new people from Syria and Southern Mesopotamia, labeled Proto-Urban A, were ushered into the region (Early Bronze Age) {{405}}/ {{406}}.

The Kingdom of Judah in the south continued to prosper {{407}}. However, she did not learn from watching Israel fall (she did not repent), and little over a century later, she was also destroyed {{408}}. At the end of the Early Bronze Age every major city in the south was destroyed and depopulated—some incredibly violently {{409}}. The Bible clearly teaches that this was done by the hand of God—his tool being a new empire he had risen up in southern Mesopotamia—the Kingdom of Babylon {{410}}. Archaeologists also find this new kingdom in Mesopotamia but they have called it the kingdom of Akkad {{411}}. Judah was left desolate. Only small scattered villages and groups of wandering nomads remained (Intermediate Bronze Age) {{412}}/ {{413}}.

When the Kingdom of Akkad (Babylon) fell {{414}}, Judah was repopulated by a vigorous new group of people which began to rebuild the land (Middle Bronze Age) {{415}}/ {{416}}. The people prospered and the entire region flowered {{417}}. The succeeding period also saw a continued prosperity, but under Indo-Aryan influence (Alexander the Great) {{418}}, followed by strong Egyptian (Ptolemaic) control (Late Bronze Age) {{419}}.

As the period continued, Egyptian power weakened {{420}}and a group of “adventurers” are noted as coming down from Syria and establishing an Amorite kingdom (Seleucids) {{421}}. Archaeologists then find evidence of an internal revolt that occurs, led by the ‘Apiru (Hasidim under Maccabeans), in which a war commences by a guerrilla-type group of warriors that rally the principally Hebrew (Jewish) community to rise up against the Amorites (Seleucids) {{422}}. Many wars follow with great destructions but the nation that remains in the end is obviously Israel. The carbon dates for these events (about 1300-1200 B.C.) lead scholars to believe this may be the time of the exodus and subsequent conquest of Palestine. Little or no archaeological evidence of Joshua or the exodus exists at this time, however, and the carbon dates assigned to the various cities’ destructions do not match the Bible which declares the conquest to have occurred around 1400 B.C. {{423}}These discrepancies have led many biblical scholars to abandon the literal interpretation of the Bible and create many diluted theories that minimalize the book {{424}}. Interpreting the archaeology as evidence of the Maccabean revolt on the other hand, as we are proposing, matches almost exactly {{425}}.

Next, archaeology shows the arrival of a new group of people called the “Sea People”. They ruled every land that touched the Mediterranean Sea {{426}}, and though their origin continues to evade scholars they know it was somewhere in the area of Sicily, Italy, or Greece (Rome) {{427}}. The people conquer lands matching Rome’s accomplishment in Greece, Turkey, Egypt and Palestine {{428}}.

Conclusions & Significance
Archaeologists and biblical scholars have long been at odds. As archaeology began to mount a horrendous amount of research, all placed by carbon dating, many biblical scholars began doubting the Bible. Scientific dates were given supremacy and new biblical scholars decided that the Bible was not completely accurate. They began trying to fit whatever they could into the archaeologists’ framework and discarded the rest as fable. The result was a great archaeological mess and a complete abandonment of the scriptures as the “Word of God” and absolute truth. Following the history of science and seeing societies turning away from God is very sad to read.

Now, our research seems to have discovered that the archaeologists are actually proving the Bible to be true and they don’t even know it because of the dating problem. So now, with the correlated time line created studying the Book of Mormon, we see the Book of Mormon proving the Bible to be true, which we are taught is one of its purposes (Mormon 7:8–9; 1 Nephi 13:38–41).

A future paper on Bible lands will show most all the fabulous stories of the Bible laid out in the dirt, just as the prophets said they happened, and just where the prophets said they happened. We will see that these wonderful stories which are disbelieved by most archaeologists, have actually been found by archaeologists!

These findings are of great importance. Our society has abandoned the scriptures. We have replaced the eighth article of faith with a new one that says: “We believe the scriptures to be the Word of God as far as they correspond with science; we believe science to be supreme truth on all subjects it chooses to address.” This cannot be. Geology, biology and archaeology cannot be allowed to replace the sure testimony we have of the creation. Psychology cannot be allowed to replace the reality of Christ as our healer. Any doctrine or teaching which denies Christ is not of God. Omitting God is denying God because God has clearly stated that he is the creator and he is the truth, the way, and the light so leaving him out is going against his word.

We need to see the scriptures for what they are—they are not exaggerated stories, and they are notjust stories told by old men who meant well but who were off on the details because they were limited to the scope of the learning of their own cultures. The scriptures are the word of God, told in truth by men who literally talked with him! They were written to warn the nations of the world to believe God and to fear God and to worship only him. The scriptural events happened just as we were taught when we were children. Moses was not just a Hebrew slave born in Egypt who had a limited understanding of time and a limited understanding of the size of the Earth, and of how the history of his people fit into the grand history of the earth. He had a deep understanding of these things because he learned them directly from God! When we realized that everything in the scriptures is literal, then suddenly we realize that we, as part of this great latter-day nation, must repent, or the destruction that has been prophesied will occur. We know that the proud and the learned who will not hearken to their Creator will be cast off forever. We must beware of those who perpetuate the Theology of Science and say there is no God because they have not seen him. These people deliberately discourage others from believing in God, and they do it using every imaginable discipline—history, archaeology, biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, and many other subjects. We must not allow people who live in sin, and therefore have not eyes to see, to lead us, for they will then be “blind leaders of the blind.” We must beware of the fanciful doctrines of Satan—precepts of men so wonderfully mingled with scripture that they appear to be true. We must beware of those who look beyond the mark. They despise plainness, and they “kill” the prophets with their words and their doctrines. God has taken his plainness away from them and has given them many things which they cannot understand, because they desired it.

A new generation is being raised up, and to them God will prove all his words, because they believe. God will show them how he changed the times and seasons in order to blind the minds of the proud and the learned, that they would not understand his marvelous workings. (D&C 121: 12) This generation will prove the scriptures to be true, every whit. Fools have mocked the words of Moses and Mormon and Moroni, but they shall mourn. God’s great work will go forth!

I would plead with everyone to make the scriptures a more integral part of your education. I would encourage anyone with problems to seek from the Word of God first and only believe other teachings as they compliment the teachings of the prophets. I would encourage students to first read God’s take on every issue before diving into your studies so that you can have the spirit of prophecy and discern between truth and the speculations of man. Science is wonderful, it is the process of seeking truth in the world around us, but it is not absolute truth, it is not infallible, and it is not the word of God. Search the scriptures specifically on the subjects you are studying and you will be overwhelmingly amazed at the wealth of information.

Selected Bibliography can be found here

Zapotec pg. 92: “Finally, we are struck by our current lack of evidence for similar public buildings on the Gulf Coast of southern Veracruz and Tabasco. Thirty years ago that coastal plain, sometimes referred to as the Olmec region, was labeled “precocious” in its social evolution. The last two decades have shown that view to be partly true, partly hyperbole, and partly the result of our previous ignorance of Chiapas and Oaxaca. There were indeed villages in the Olmec region between 1400 and 1200 BC, but their pottery has recently been described as a “country-cousin version” of the more sophisticated ceramics at contemporary sites on the Chiapas Coast.”
Mexico pg. 62: “In contradiction to this hypothesis, some compelling evidence has been advanced by the linguists Lyle Campbell and Terence Kaufman strongly suggesting that the Olmecs spoke an ancestral form of Mixe-Zoquean. There are a large number of Mixe-Zoquean loan words, such as pom (‘copan incense’), associated with high-status activities and ritual typical of early civilization. Although the dominant language of the Olmec area was until recently a form of Nahua, this is generally believed to be a relatively late arrival; on the other hand, Popoloca, a member of the Mixe-Zoquean family, is still spoken along the eastern slopes of the Tuxtla Mountains, in the very region from which the Olmec obtained the basalt for their monuments. Since the Olmec wer the great, early, culture-bearing force in Mesoamerica, the case for Mixe-Zoquean is very strong.”
Maya pg. 63: “Who might have they been? It will be remembered from Chapter 1 that the most likely candidate for the language of the Olmecs was an early form of Mixe-Zoquean; languages belonging to this group are still spoken on the Isthmus of Tehuantapec and in western Chiapas. Many scholars are now willing to ascribe the earliest Long Count monumnets outside the Maya area prope to Mixe-Zoquean as well, adn a recent dicovery in southern Veracruz may provide confirmation. This is Stela I from La Majarra, a magnificent monumnet inscribed with two Bak’tun 8 dates corresponding repectively to AD 143 and 156. These are accompanied by a text of about 400 signs, in a script which is now called “Isthmian.” [[171]] [[172]] Mosiah 23:1–20 [[172]] [[173]] Grolier, San Lorenzo; Zapotec pg. 92, 118
Mexico pg. 66-70: “San Lorenzo had first been settled about 1700 BC, perhaps by Mixe-Zoqueans from Soconusco, but by 1500 BC had become thoroughly Olmec. At its height, some of the most magnificent and awe-inspiring sculptures ever discovered in Mexico were fashioned without the benefit of metal tools.
In his work at San Lorenzo, Stirling had encoutered trough-shaped basalt stones which he hypothesized were fitted end-to-end to form a kind of aqueduct. In 1997, we acutally came across and excavated such a system in situ. This deeply buried drain line was in the southwestern portion of the site, and consisted of 560 ft of laboriously pecked-out stone troughs fitted with basalt covers; three subsidiary lines met it from above at intervals. We have reason to believe that a drain system symmetrical to this exists on the southeastern side of San Lorenzo, and that both served periodically to remove the water from cermonial pools on the surface of the plateau. Evidence fro drains has been found at other Olmec centers, such as La Venta and Laguna de los Cerros, and must have been a feature of Olmec ritual life.”

Zapotec pg. 119: “In each case a small hamlet, unprepossessing at its founding, underwent a period of rapid and spectacular growth, becoming the demographic center of gravity for a network of smaller sites. Each emerging center- San Jose Mogote, Chalcatzingo, and San Lorenzo- not only dwarfed the other sites in its region but seems to have exerted a centripetal pull on its entire hinterland. All grew so fast that they must have encouraged immigration, not just normal growth; all emptied the surrounding region of artisans and concentrated them in the paramount chief village. All were aware of each other and perhaps even competitive; some clearly suffered occasional attacks that left their monuments defaced or their public buildings burned. ”
Mexico pg. 69-70, 74: “Like the earlier San Lorenzo, La Venta was deliberately destroyed in ancient times. Its fall was certanily violent, as twenty-four out of forty sculptured monuments were intentionally mutilated. This probably occured at the end of Middle Preclassic times, around 400-300 BC, for subseuently, following its abandonment as a center, offerings were made with pottery of Late Preclassic cast. As a matter of fact, La Venta may never have lost its signicance as a cult center, for among the very latest caches found was a Spanish olive jar of the early Colonial period, and Professor Heizer suspected that offerings may have been made in modern times as well.”
(SAME AS NOTE 187 ABOVE)
[[190]] [[191]] Alma 25:1–12 [[191]] [[192]] Mexico pg. 69-70, 74, 86-87
“The waterlogging has resulted in extraordinary preservation of otherwise perishable Olmec materials, all belonging to the fianl stages of the San Lorenzo phase, about 1200 BC. In 1988 and 1989, and archaeological team directed by Ponciano Ortiz of the University of Veracruz was able to study and conserve ten wooden figures, all ‘baby-faced’ just like Olmec hollow clay figurines, and each just under 20 inches high; all were little more than libless torsos, and most had been carefully wrapped in mats and tied up, before being placed with heads pointing in the direction of the hill’s summit. Other objects included polished stone axes, jade and serpentine beads, a wooden staff with a bird’s head on one end and a shark’s tooth (surely a bloodletter) on the other, and an obsidian knife with an asphalt handle. Most surprisingly, the archaeologists turned up a cache of three rubber balls; measuring from 3 to 5 inches in diameter, these are the only examples to have survived from the pre-Conquest Mesoamerica of what must have been a very common artifact. They confirm that the ball game is a least as old as the Olmec civilization.”
Maya pg. 50-55; 63-66; 78-79: “The lowland Maya almost always built their temples over older ones, so that in the course of centuries the earliest constructions would eventually come to be deeply buried within the towering accrections of Classic period rubble and plaster. Consequently, to prospect for Mamom temples in one of the larger sites would be extremely costly in time and labor.
But towards the close of the Late Preclassic, writing had begun to appear sporadically, and it deinitely celebrated the doings of great personages. A good example of this would be the greenstone pectoral at Dumbarton Oaks, said to be from Quintana Roo. A were-jaguar face on one side indicates that the object was orginally Olmec.” [[192]] [[193]] Mosiah 25:14–24 [[193]] [[194]] Mexico pg. 52-55
“The most notable advance in the Late Preclassic of central Mexico was the appearance of the temple-pyramid. The earliest temples of the highlands were thatch-roof, perishable structures not unlike the houses of the common people, erected within the community on low earthen platforms face with sun-hardened clay. There are a few slight indications that some such platforms once existed at Tlatilco. By the Late Preclassic, however, they had become almost universal, as the nuclei of enlarged villages and even towns. Towards the end of the period, clay facings for the platforms were occasionally replaced by retaining-walls of undressed stones coated with a thick layer of stucco, and the substructures themselves had become greatly enlarged, sometimes rising in several stages or tiers. Here we have, then, a definite progression from small villages of farmers with but household figurine cults, to hierarchical societies with rulers who coulo call the populace to build and maintain sizeable religious establishments.”
Zapotec pg. 108-110 (93-110): “Structures 1 and 2 were two of the most impressive buildings of the San Jose phase. Each appears to be the pyramidal platform for a wattle-and-daub public building, and their construction involved the first use of an adobe brick so far known for Oaxaca. Used mainly for small retaining walls within the earthen fill, these early adobes were circular in plan and plano-convex, or “bun-shaped,” in section.
Structure 2 was 1 m high and at least 18 m wide. Its sloping face had been built with boulders, some obtained locally and some brought in from at least 5 km away. Some of the latter were of limestone from west of the Atoyac River, while others were of travertine from east of the river. Two carved stones, one depicting a feline and one a raptorial bird, had fallen from a collapsed section of wall. The east face of the platform included two stone stairways which although narrow, are the earliest of their kind for the region.
Structure 1, above and to the west, rose in several stages that may have reached 2.5 m in height. Its facing was of smaller stones set in clay, somewhat rough-and-ready, but clearly masonry- the first stage in an architectural tradition brillinantly developed by the Zapotec.”
People pg. 485-486: “The diffusion of common art styles throughout Mesoamerica may have resulted both from an increased need for religious rituals to bring the various elements of society together and because [[194]] [[195]] Mosiah 29:37–47 [[195]] [[196]] Zapotec pg. 111-120
“The rival center of Huitzo built comparable structures during the Guadalupe phase. The earliest of these was Structure 4, a pyramidal platform 2 m high and more than 15 m wide, built of earth and faced with stones in the manner of Structure 8 at San Jose Mogote. Atop this platform, the architects of Huitzo built a series of buildings that may have been one-room temples. The best preserved of these was Structure 3, a large wattle-and-daub building on an adobe platform with a stairway. Built of bun-shaped adobes and fill, the platform was 1.3 m high and 11.5 m long. There were three steps to its wide stairway, each inset into the platform to strengthen it. The entire structure had been coated with lime plaster. In spite of all the small size of the Huitzo community relative to San Jose Mogote, its public architecture was as impressive as anything built at the latter site during the Guadalupe phase.”
Mexico pg. 52-55: “How grandiose some of these substructures were can be seen at Cuicuilco, located to the south of Mexico City near the National University, in an area covered by the Pedregal – a grim landscape of broken, soot-black lava witha sparce flora eking out its existence in rocky crevices. The principal feature of Cuicuilco is a round platform, 387 ft. in diameter and rising in four inwardly sloping tiers to a present height of 75 ft. Two ramps placed on either side of the platform provide access to the summit, which was crowned at one time by a cone-like contruction which brought the total height to about 90 ft. Faced with volcanic rocks, the interior of the surviving structure is filled with sand and rubble, with a total volume of 60,000 cubic meters.”
People pg. 485-486: “Monte Alban went on to develop into a vast ceremonial center with splendid public architecture; its settlement area included public buildings, terraces, and housing zones that extended over approximately 15 square miles. More than 2000 terraces all held one or two houses, and small ravines were dammed to pond valuable water supplies. Blanton suggests that between 30,000 and 50,000 people lived at Monte Alban between AD 200 and 700. Many very large villages and smaller hamlets lay within easy distance of the city. The enormous platforms on the ridge of Monte Alban supported complex layouts of temples and pyramid-temples, palaces, patios, and tombs. A hereditary elite seems to have ruled Monte Alban, the leaders of a state that had emerged in the Valley of Oaxaca by AD 200.” [[196]] [[197]] Mosiah 27:6–7 [[197]] [[198]] Zapotec chap 8-10; Tula pg. 23
Mexico pg. 46-58: “A word of caution, however- because of our first knowladge of these sites, the impression has been given that the Valley had more acnient Preclassic beginnings than elsewhere. On the contrary, that isolated basin was probably a laggard in cultural development until the Classic period, when it became and stayed the flower of Mexican cuivilization. Notwithstanding its later glory, the Valley was then a prosperous but provincial backwater, which occasionally received new items developed elsewhere.”
People pg. 485-486: “The evolution of larger settlements in Oaxaca and elsewhere was closely connected with the developlment of long-distance trade in obsedian and other luxuries such as seashells and stingray spines from the Gulf of Mexico. The simple barter networks for obsidian of earlier times evolved into sophisticated regional trading organizations in which village leaders controlled monopolies over sources of obsidian and its distribution. Magnetite mirrors, seashells, feathers, and ceramics were all traded on the highlands, and from the highlands ot the lowlands as well. Olmec pottery and other ritual objects began to appear in highland settlements between 1150 and 650 BC, many of them bearing the distinctive were-jaguar motif of the lowlands, which had an important place in Olmec comology.” [[198]] [[199]] Alma 1-4 [[199]] [[200]] Zapotec chap. 8-10
Mexico pg. 46-58: “At these two sites and elsewhere in the Valley the midden deposits are literally stuffed with thousands of fragments of clay figurines, all female, providing a lively view of the costume of the day, or its lack. Although nudity was apparently the rule, these little ladies have elaborate face and body painting in black, white, and red; headdresses and coiffures as shown were very fancy, wraparound turbans being most common. The technique of manufacture was about like that with which gingerbread men are made, features being indicated by a combination of punching and filleting. Significantly, no recognizable depictions of gods or goddesses have ever been identified in these villages, suggesting the possibility that the only cult was that of the figurines, which may have been objects of household devotion like the Roman lares, perhaps concerned with the fertility of the crops.”
People pg. 485-486: “There were marine fish spines, too, probably used in personal bloodletting ceremonies that were still practiced even in Aztec times. The Spanish described how Aztec nobles would gash themselves with knives or with the spines of fish or stingray in acts of mutilation before the gods, penances required of the devout. [[200]] [[201]] Alma 2:1–4:3; 16:1-11; 28:1-12; 43-60; battles increase in size, severity and frequency. [[201]] [[202]] Mexico pg. 77, 82-83, 86-87
“Most of the constructions that meet the eye at Monte Alban are of the Classic period. However, in the southwestern corner of the site, which is laid on a north-south axis, excavations have diclosed the Temple of the Danzantes, a stone-faced platform contemporary with the first occupation of the site, Monte Alban I. The so-called Danzantes (i.e. ‘dancers’) are basrelief figures on large stone slabs set into the outside of the platform. Nude men with slightly Olmecoid features (i.e. the down-turned mouth), the Danzantes are shown in strange, rubbery postures as though they were swimming or dancing in viscous fluid. Some are represented as old, bearded individuals with toothless gums or with only a single protuberant incisor. About 150 of these strange yet powerful figures are known as Monte Alban, and it might be reasonably asked exactly what their function was, or what they depict. The disorted pose of the limbs, the open mouth and closed eyes indicate that these are corpses, undoubltedly cheifs or kings slain by the earliest rulers of Monte Alban. In many individuals the genitals are clearly delineated, usually the stigma laid on captives in Mesoamerica where nudity was considered scandalous. Furthermore, there are cases of sexual mutilation depicted on some Danzantes, blood streaming in flowery patterns from the severed part. Evidence to corroborate such violence comes from one Danzante, which is nothing more than a severed head.”
Zapotec pg. 121-171:”Warfare, as the lines at the start of this chapter say, can “powerfully shape” chiefdoms. While Carnerio’s conlusions were based on Colombia’s Cauca Valley, what he says is equally true of the Valley of Oaxaca. Several lines of evidence indicate that warefare had begun to affect Roario society.
Chiefly warfare usually results from competition between paramounts, or between a paramount and his ambitious subcheifs. Paramounts try to aggrandize themselves by taking followers away from their rivals. Ambitious subchiefs try to replace the paramount at the top of the hierarhcy.”
Maya pg. 63, 75: “Some of the Late Preclassic tombs at Tik’al prove that the Chikanel elite did not lag behind the nobles of Miraflores in wealth and honor. Burial 85, for instance, like all the others enclosed by platform substructures and covered by a primative corbel vault, contained a single skeleton. Suprisingly, this individual lacked head and thigh bones, but from the richness of the goods placed with him it may be guessed that he must have perished in battle and been depoiled by his enemies, his mutilated body being later recovered by his subjects.” [[202]] [[203]] Alma 48:8–10; 49:13; 52:6 [[203]] [[204]] Alma 48:8–10 [[204]] [[205]] [[205]] [[206]] Alma 48:8–10; 49:13; 52:6 [[206]] [[207]] Zapotec chap. 10-11; see note on endnote 203
“The founding of Monte Alban also changed the demography of the central Valley of Oaxaca, including the 80-km area that had been no-man’s-land during the Rosario phase. The central valley had only five small Rosario villages. By Monte Alban Ia, that figure had risen to 38 villages, and by Monte Alban Ic it had exploded to 155 villages and small towns. In effect, the entire demographic center of gravity of the valley had shifted from Elta to the region surrounding the Monte Alban.
Settlement Pattern Project estimates it at 50,000. One-third of that poplulation lived at Monte Alban; in addition, three-quaters of the population increase between Monte Alban Ia and Ic had taken place within 20 km of the city. Below Monte Alban were 744 communities. A few villages with populations estimated at less than 150.” [[207]] [[208]] Alma 48:8–10; 49; 50:1-16 [[208]] [[209]] [[209]] [[210]] Zapotec Figure 128, 157, pg. 142-154
“During the Monte Alban Ia- which probably began by 500 BC and ended by 300 BC- there were 261 sites in the Valley of Oaxaca. Some 192 of these, including Monte Alban itself, were brand new settlements. Despite this unprecedented redistribution of the valley’s population, strong continuities in ceramics and architecture from Rosario to Monte Alban Ia indicate that we are dealing with villages of fewer than 100 persons. In contrast, Monte Alban’s estimated population exceeded 5000. This was a very high percentage of the valley’s population, which we estimate to be between 8000 and 10,000.
The founding of Monte Alban also changed the demography of the central Valley of Oaxaca, including the 80-km area that had been a no-man’s-land during the Rosario phase. The central valley had only five small Rosario villages. By Monte Alban Ia, that figure had risen to 38 villages, and by Monte Alban Ic it had exploded to 155 villages and small towns. In effect, the entire demographic center of gravity of the valley had shifted from Etla to the region surrounding Monte Alban.” [[210]] [[211]] Alma 50:7–11; 58:1-30 [[211]] [[212]] Zapotec pg. 150-151 [[212]] [[213]] Alma 50:1–24 [[213]] [[214]] [[214]] [[215]] Alma 50:7–16 [[215]] [[216]] [[216]] [[217]] Alma 43:16–21; 50:1-6 (Alma 43-62) [[217]] [[218]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 194-195
Mexico pg. 58, 69: “An earlier school of thought held that this shaft-tomb sculpture was little more than a kind of genre art: realistic, anecdotal, and with no more reigious meaning than a Dutch interior. This view has been vigorously challenged by the ethnologist Peter Furst, who has worked closely with the contemporary Huichol Indians of Nayarit, almost certainly the descendants of the people who made the tomb figures. Among the Huichol and their close relatives, the Cora, religious practitioners are always shamans, powerful specialists who effect cures and maintain the well-being of their people by battling against demons and evil shamans. Professor Furst noted that the warriors with clubs from Nayarit and Jalisco tombs are down on one knee, the typical fighting stance of the shaman. The Nayarit house models are interpreted by him not just as two-storey village dwellings, but as chthonic dwellings of the dead: above would be the house of the living, below is the house of the dead. Such a belief is consonant not only with Huichol ideas about death and the soul, but also with the supernatural concepts of Southwestern Indians like the Hopi.” [[218]] [[219]] Zapotec pg. 135-138, 146-150, 169-170
“The southern Tehuacan Valley is a hot, dry area where the probability of insufficient rainfall for most kinds of farming is 80 percent. It does, however, have the protential for irragation. That potential is perhaps best exemplified by the Arroyo Lencho Diego, a steep-sided canyon investigated by Richard S. MacNeish, Richard Woodbury, James A. Neely, and Charles Spencer.
Canal irrigation has a long history in the Valley of Oaxaca, but its use increased dramatically in Monte Alban Ic. Almost cerainly that escalation resulted from the need to provision the city of Monte Alban. It is not so much the Atoyac River that was used for canal irrigation in ancient Oxaca, but its smaller tributaries in the piedmont. Many of those streams can, with a relatively low espenditure of manpower, have part of their water diverted into small canals by the use of brush-and-boulder dams. All such systems are small, usually serving the lands of one or two communities. The Valley of Oxaca is therefore a region of numerous small canal systems, rather than one large system. In contrast to regions like southern Mesopotamia, the north coast of Peru, or even the nearby Tehuacan Valley, central Oaxaca is not an area conducive to models of “dospotic control” of downsteam polities by upstream polities. The Atoyac River, the larges watercourse in the valley, creates a strip of periodically flooded yuh kohp in which canal irrirgation is usually unnecessary.”
Mexico pg. 81: “Toward the close of the Middle Preclassic, the Zapotec of the Valley were practicing several forms of irrigation. At Hierve el Agua, in the mountains east of the Valley, there has been found an artificially terraced hillside, irrigated by canals coming from permanent sprigns charged with calcareous waters that have in effect created a fossilized record from their deposits.” [[219]] [[220]] Alma 50:17–24; 62:46-52; Helaman 6:6–13, 16–17; 11:20; 3 Nephi 6:4 [[220]] [[221]] Chiapas Burials pg. 71-72; Chiapas Artifacts pg. 194-196
Zapotec chap. 11-12: “One unintended consequence of bringing together thousands of people in a new city can be an explosion of arts and crafts, especially if many of those people are forced to abandon agriculture. Several urban relocations in archaic Greece “created enviroments in which intellectual life flourished. Early Monte Alban was such an enviroment, and its sponsorship of craftspeople penetrated even to the towns in its hinterland. What emerged during Monte Alban I was an art style distinct from that of any region, a style so closely associated with the Valley of Oaxaca that it is generally referred to as Zapotec.
In Monte Alban Ia, there were 261 communities in the valley; 192 of these, like Monte Alban itself, were newly founded. Monte Alban, with 365 ha of Early Period I sherds and an estimated population in excess of 5000, was the only community in Tier I. Many formely large communities of the Etla region, including San Jose Mogote, had been drained of population during the Monte Alban synoikism.” [[221]] [[222]] Mexico pg. 77-81
“Yet whatever we call it, it can hardly be denied that during the Early and Middle Preclassic, there was a powerful, unitary religion which had manifested itself in an all-pervading art style; and that this was the offical ideology of the first complex society or societies to be seen in this part of the New World. Its rapid spread has been variously linkened to that of Christianity under the Roman Empire, or to that of westernization (or ‘modernization’) in toady’s world. Wherever Olmec influence or the Olmecs themselves went, so did civilized life.” [[222]] [[223]] Mexico pg. 77-88
“By that time, it had full-fledged masonary buildings of a public nature; in a corridor connecting two of these, Kent Flannery and Joyce Marcus found a bas-relief threshold stone showing a dead captive with stylized blood flowing from his chest, so placed that anyone entering or leaving the corridor would have to tread on him. Between his legs is a glyphic group possibly representing his name, ‘I Earthquake’ in the 260-day ritual calendar.”
(SAME AS NOTE 202 ABOVE)
Maya pg. 63-79: “The Izapan art style consists in the main of large, ambitiously conceived but somewhat cluttered scenes carried out in bas-relief. Many of the activities shown are profane, such as richly attired person decapitaing a vanquished foe, but there are deities as well.”
Zapotec chap 10-12:”Sixteenth-century documents tell us that when later Mesoamerican societies raided one another, a main objective was to burn their enemies’ temple. So common was this practice that a picture of a burning temple became an iconographic convention for raiding among Aztec.
Monument 3 makes possible the following inferences about the Rosario pahse. (1) The 260-day calendar clearly existed by this time. (2) The use of Xoo, a known Zapotec day-name, relates the hieroglyphis to an archaic form of the Zapotec language. (3) The carving makes it clear that Rosario phase sacrifice was not limited to drawing one’s own blood with stingray spines; it now included human sacrifice by heart removal. (4) Since I Earthquake is shown naked, even stripped of whatever ornaments he might have worn, he fits our sixteenth-century discriptions of prisoners taken in battle. This carving of a prisoner, combined with the burning of the temple, suggests that by 600 BC the well-known Zapotec pattern of raiding, temple burning, the capture of enemies for sacrifice had begun. (5) Many later Mesoamerican peoples, including the Maya, set carvings of their enemies where they could be literally and metaphorically “trod upon.” The horizontal placement of Monument 3 suggests that it, too, was designed for that visual metaphor.”
[[223]] [[224]] Alma 51:22–28; 56:13-15; Alma 62:38; Helaman 1:14–34; 4:1-18; 3:12-4:1 [[224]] [[225]] Alma 27:13–27; Helaman 5:13–20, 49–52; 6:1-7 [[225]] [[226]] Alma 62:26–29 [[226]] [[227]] Alma 48-62 [[227]] [[228]] Zapotec chap 10-12; defensive sites and evidences of warfare are numerous but the only destructions seem to be the occasional burning of a wood building, most stone structures seem to have been unharmed by the wars which is consistent with the Book of Mormon.
Mexico pg. 82: “Monte Alban is the greatest of all Zapotec sites, and was constructed on a series of eminences about 1,300 ft above the Valley floor, at the close of the Middle Preclassic, about 500-450 BC, when San Jose Mogote’s fortunes waned. Probably the main reason for its preeminence is its strategic hilltop location near the juncture of the Valley’s three arms. It lies in the heart of the region still occupied by the Zapotec peoples; since there is no evidence for any major disruption in central Oaxaca until the beginning of the Post-Classic, about AD 900, archaeologists feel reasonably certain that the inhabitants of that language.” [[228]] [[229]] Alma 62:46–52; Helaman 6:6–13, 16–17; 11:20; 3 Nephi 6:4 [[229]] [[230]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 194-196
Zapotec pg. 155-171: “There are several elite houses at Monte Negro. Like the Rosario phase elite residences at San Jose Mogote, each consisted of an open patio surrounded by three or four rooms with adobe walls. The Monte Negro houses, however, had stone foundations two courses high, and each room had at least two columns supporting its roof. The courtyards were paved with flagstones, and there were drains below some buildings.
Monte Negro’s elite households have been compared to the Roman inpluvium residence, in which an inner paved court trapped rain runoff and channeled it to subterranean reservoirs. While more elegant than those of the Rosario phase, the Monte Negro houses fall short of the later palaces at Monte Alban. Like so much in Late Monte Alban I, they seem transitional between the house of a chief and the palace of a king.
While the largest of the elite residences at Monte Negro lies along the east-west street, several others are connected to temples by secret passageways or roofed corridors. These corridors- which made it possible for members of important families to enter and leave the temple without being seen by lower-staus persons- appear to be forerunners of the Monte Alban II passageways, tunnels, and roofed stairways of Monte Alban and San Jose Mogote. The implications of such special entrances for the elite are twofold. First, they indicate that rank differences were still associated with differential access to the supernatural. Second, they suggest an escalation in rank to the point where chiefly individuals did not have to use the same stairways and entrances as more lowly individuals.”
Mexico pg. 83-88: “The development from the first phase of the site to Monte Alban II, which is terminal Preclassic and therefore dates from about 200 BC to AD 150, was peaceful and gradual. In the southernmost plaza of the site was erected Building J, a stone-faced contruction in the form of a great arrowhead pointing southwest. The peculiar orintation of this building has been examined by the asronomer Anthony Aveni and the architect Horst Hartung, who have pointed out important alignments with the bright star Capella. Withing Building J is a complex of dark, narrow chambers which have been roofed over by leaning stone slabs to meet at the apex. The exterior of the building is set with a great many inscribed stone slabs all bearing a very similar text. These Monte Alban II inscriptions generally consist of an upside-down head with closed eyes and elaborate headdress, below a stepped glyph for ‘mountain’ or ‘town’; over this is the same of the place, seemingly given phonetically in rebus fasion. In its most complete form, the text is accompanied by the symbols for year, month, and day. There are also various yet-untranslated glyphs. Such inscriptions were correctly interpreted by Alfonso Caso as records of town conquests, the inverted heads being the defeated kings. It is certain that all are in the Zapotec langauage.”
Maya pg. 63-79: “In lieu of easily worked building stone, which was unavailable in the vicinity, these platforms were built from ordinary clay and basketloads of earth and household rubbish. Almost certainly the temples themselves were thatched-roof affairs supported by upright timbers. Apparently each successive building operation took place to house the remains of an exalted person, whose tomb was cut down from the top in a series of stepped rectangles of decreasing size into the earlier temple platform, and then covered over with a new floor of clay. The function of Maya pyramids as funerary monuments thus harks back to Preclassic times.”
[[230]] [[231]] Helaman 1:7–12; 2:2-13; 6:15-41; 7:1-6; 8:1, 26-28; 3 Nephi 1:27–30; 2:11-4:33 [[231]] [[232]] Chiapas Burials pg. 73
Maya pg. 70: “The corpse was wrapped in finery and covered from head to toe with cinnabar pigment, then laid on a wooden litter and lowered into the tomb. Both sacrificed adults and children accompanied the illustrious dead, together with offerings of an astonished richness and profusion. In one tomb, over 300 objects of the most beautiful workmanship were placed with the body or above the timber roof, but ancient grave-robbers, probably acting after noticing the slump in the temple floor caused by the collapse of the underlying tomb, had filched from the corpse the jades that which once covered the chest and head. Among the finery recovered were the remains of a mask or headdress of jade plaques perhaps once fixed to a background of wood, jade flares which once adorned the ear lobes of the honored dead, bowls carved from chlorite-schist engraved with Miraflores scroll designs, and little carved bottles fo soapstone and fuchsite.” [[232]] [[233]] Alma 63:4–9; Helaman 3:3–14 [[233]] [[234]] Prehistory pg. 230-235
“The Hopewell culture is one of the many called Middle Woodland. It seems to have appeared in Illinois by about 2300 B.P. The southern manifestations lasted until 400 A.D. and later. The Ohio Hopewell probably grew out of the strong local Adena pattern, so the elaborate mortuary complex called Classic Hopewell actually developed in Ohio. That complex of traits and its associated relationships has been called the Hopewell Interaction Sphere, a phase that takes account of a cluster of traits, artifacts, burial mounds- a mortuary cult or religion rooted in veneration of the dead- that can be recognized almost everywhere east of the Mississippi.” [[234]] [[235]] Omni 1:20–22; Mosiah 8:7–11; 21:25-27; Alma 22:29–31; Helaman 3:6 [[235]] [[236]] Prehistory pg. 141, 143, 173, 340
“In western California, there was evidently a much greater concern with the dead. Many were buried in mounds, others in extensive cemeteries. An analysis of the grave goods of these many cemeteries has led some scholars to suggest that there was in California a social complexity quite unlike the simple egalitarian societies usually posited for most of the western Arachaic and quite at variance with the simple and relatively stable technology the archaeology reveals.
Burial, Bundle: Reburial of defleshed and disarticulated bones tied or wrapped together in a bundle.” [[236]] [[237]] Prehistory pg. 223-235
“The Hopewell culture is one of the many called Middle Woodland. It seems to have appeared in Illinois by about 2300 B.P. The southern manifestations lasted until 400 A.D. and later. The Ohio Hopewell probably grew out of the strong local Adena pattern, so the elaborate mortuary complex called Classic Hopewell actually developed in Ohio. That complex of traits and its associated relationships has been called the Hopewell Interaction Sphere, a phase that takes account of a cluster of traits, artifacts, burial mounds- a mortuary cult or religion rooted in veneration of the dead- that can be recognized almost everywhere east of the Mississippi.”
“note21”> [[237]] [[238]] SW Indians pg. 46-52; Warfare pg. 119-121
Prehistory pg. 299-303: “First defined in 1936 the Mogollon tradition possibly developed out of the Chiricahua and San Pedro Archaic. It seems to have acquired maize before 1 A.D., but pottery came considerably later at about 300 A.D. Once erroneously believed to have had maize by 4000 B.P. and ceramics by 2300 B.P, the Mongollon time span has been reduced by the later research to less that half of those figures.
Usually the Mogollon is divided into four or five periods. The Pine Lawn-Georgetown begins about 300 A.D. and lasts until about 650 A.D., to be followed by San Francisco, Three Circle, and Reserve, which ends at 1100 A.D. With the end of the Reserve phase, the simplicity of the Mogollon is lost and heavy increments of Anasazi concepts-aboveground masonry dwellings, black-on-white pottery, some religious ideas, and increasing village size- essentially change the Mogollon into what is today called the Western Pueblo Tradition.” [[238]] [[239]] Mosiah 8:8; Alma 50:29; Helaman 3:3–6; Mormon 6:4 [[239]] [[240]] Prehistory chap 5-6 early dates; SW Indians pg. 46-58 [[240]] [[241]] Helaman 3:3–14 [[241]] [[242]] Prehistory chap 5-6 early dates; SW Indians pg. 46-58 [[242]] [[243]] Helaman 3:3–14; 6:6; 7:1-3 [[243]] [[244]] Warfare chapter 4; SW Indians pg. 46-52
Prehistory pg. 230-235: “Many were destroyed by fire; the outlines formed by postholes are frequently encountered under the mounds, as if the burning of a house was the first step in construction of a burial mound. It has been suggested that the Adena “houses” were actually mortuary structures called charnel houses were bodies were defleshed and stored until the major ceremony: the burning of the house, placement of bodies in the crypts, and the building of the initial mounds.
A few examples of an unusual artifact have been reported. It’s the upper jaw of a wolf, cut so that the incisors and canines are intact on a kind of handle made by carving the palate to a spatulate form. It probably was part of an animal mask; the user would have had his upper incisors removed, putting the spatula in his mouth through the opening thus created. Human skulls thus mutilated have also been found, lending some credence to the idea.” [[244]] [[245]] Alma 63:5–8 [[245]] [[246]] Grolier, Fiji; Grolier, Western Samoa; Grolier, Easter Island; Grolier, French Polynesia [[246]] [[247]] 3 Nephi 8:19–23 [[247]] [[248]] Ancient Maya pg. 51 [[248]] [[249]] 4 Nephi 1:1–18 [[249]] [[250]] Ancient Kingdoms pg. 85-91; Atlas pg. 104-105 [[250]] [[251]] Chiapas #9 pg. 8
Zapotec pg. 193-194: “Between the next two building stages, a second room was built in front of the previously existing one. The back walls of this outer chamber, which was 27 m in extent, abutted the sides of the inner room. That inner room was now given two doorways on either side, one of which led to a stairway. By stage G2- perhaps 150-100 BC- the floor of the inner room had been raised 15 cm above the floor of the outer room.” [[251]] [[252]] 4 Nephi 1:2–18 [[252]] [[253]] Mexican History pg. 16-18; BofM Evidence pg. 95-99; Atlas pg. 104-105 [[253]] [[254]] Mexican History pg. 16-18 [[254]] [[255]] Ancient Kingdoms pg. 95; Mexican History pg. 16-18; Prehistory pg. 240-242; Chiapas Artifacts pg. 196-198; Atlas pg. 104-105 [[255]] [[256]] Ancient Kingdoms pg. 95; Mexican History pg. 16-18; Chiapas Artifacts pg. 196-198 [[256]] [[257]] Ancient Kingdoms pg. 85-91; Atlas pg. 104-105 [[257]] [[258]] 4 Nephi 1:1–18 [[258]] [[259]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 196-198
Prehistory pg. 238-245: “The presence of skillfully manufactured objects seems to point to an artisan class. The finely wrought objects not only were beautiful, but also may have had extra value because of their cost in effort both to import and to manufacture. Their mere possession would no doubt give the owners prestige, and their innate properties may have included sacred or symbolic values beyond whatever other values they may have had. The splendor of the Ohio center was never equaled elsewhere, but a few specific Ohio artifact types are found all over the interaction sphere. They are the single and double cymbal ear spools of copper, they Busycon shell bowls, copper panpies, and mica mirrors; those are only items found in graves in all of the eight traditions. But some uniformly styled pottery types were common in all areas.” [[259]] [[260]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 196-198; Prehistory pg. 243; Chiapas Burials pg. 73-74 [[260]] [[261]] Mexican History pg. 16
Prehistory pg. 293: “The Hohokam were generally restricted to deserts of the southern Basin and Range province along the lower Salt and middle Gila rivers and used these waters for large-scale irrigation. The modern city of Phoenix, Arizona, is built upon the ruins of many Hohokam settlements and complex system of irrigation ditches that made life possible. The major canals of the Hohokam system underwent constant repair and modification. The biotic recourses in these valleys were undoubtedly much restricted, as they are today. The summer heat is intense. Faunal resources are scarce, but many edible plant species occur, including fruits of several cacti and beans from tree legumes such as acacia and mesquite. Rainfall is low except to the east, and of the three traditions the Hohokam were probably the most dependent on their fields for food.
As described above, the southwestern cultures represent a complex subsistence pattern of balanced gardening and gathering in a land where farming is difficult, if not impossible. The environmental settings of the three traditions range from Colorado’s green mesas to the sere wastes of Arizona’s deserts. All depended on the careful use of limited water. There has long been general consensus that all three traditions evolved from the local Archaic cultures after stimulus from an unspecified Mexican source.” [[261]] [[262]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 198 [[262]] [[263]] Chiapas Burials pg. 74 [[263]] [[264]] Mexico pg. 89-91; Maya pg. 81
“On the basis of a technology that was essentially Neolithic- for metals were unknown until after AD 900- the Mexicans raised fantastic numbers of buildings, deocrated them with beautiful polychrome murals, produced pottery and figurines in unbelieveable quantitiy, and covered everything with sculptures. Even mass production was introduced, with the inovation (or importation from South America) of the clay mold for making figurines and incense burners.” [[264]] [[265]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 197-198 [[265]] [[266]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 196-198; Prehistory pg. 279, 299; Chiapas Burials pg. 73-74
Zapotec pg. 172: “Monte Alban II had the most colorful and distinctive pottery seen in Oaxaca since the San Jose phase. Burnished gray ware remained popular, but it was joined by waxy red, red-on-orange, red-on-cream, black, and white-rimmed black vessels, many of whose shapes and colors reflect an exchange of ideas with neighboring Chiapas. The distinctiveness of this pottery makes it relatively easy to identify on the surface of the ground, and some 518 communities of this period have been identified in the Valley of Oaxaca.” [[266]] [[267]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 196-198
Prehistory pg. 245: “The grave goods were numerous but not particularly flamboyant. There were pottery vessels, many turtle carapace dishes, several busycon shell bowls, awls, projectile points, scraps of mica, mussel shell spoons, numerous lumps of much oxidized pyrite, eagle and falcon jaws, beaver incisors, bone and antler scrap, and some cobble hammers or anvil stones. An interesting note was that many of the crania had perforated left parietal bones. The excavators speculate that these individuals may have been sacrificed as part of the burial ceremony. The pottery particularly shows marked similarity to the Illinois Hopewell variant, leading the assignment of the Norton group to an Illinois expansion, rather than to the nearer Ohio Hopewell climax.” [[267]] [[268]] Ancient Kingdoms pg. 98-99; Prehistory pg. 243; Mexican History pg. 20-21; Atlas pg. 104-105 [[268]] [[269]] Teotihuacan pg. 1-2; Mexican History pg. 16-17; Atlas pg. 105 [[269]] [[270]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 197 [[270]] [[271]] Morelos pg. 135-150; Teotihuacan pg. 2; Mexican History pg. 16-17; Chiapas Artifacts pg. 1997
Zapotec pg. 172-175: “For one thing, the ring of 155 settlements that had surronded Monte Alban during Late Period I was now gone. The central region of the Valley of Oaxaca, once densely populated, was now reduced to 23 communities. This suggests that Monte Alban no longer needed to concentrate farmers, warriors, and laborers within 15 km of the city, because its rulers could now count on the support of the entire valley.
In addition, there no longer seems to be any ambiguity about a four-tiered hierarchy of communities in the valley. Monet Alban, now covering 416 ha, was the only “city,” or occupant of Tier I; its population is estimated at 14,500.”
Mexico pg. 91: “Very clearly, the Classic florescence saw the intensification of sharp social cleavages thoughout Mexico, and the consolidation of elite classes. It has long been assumed on a priori grounds that the mode of government was theocratic, with a priestly group exercising temporal power. In lieu of actual documents from the period, there is little for or against this idea to be gained from archaeoligical record. At any rate, below the intellecutal group which held the political reins was a peasantry which had hardly changed an iota from Preclassic times. Apart from the post-Conquest introduction of animal husbandry and steel tools, and old village-farming way of life has hardly been altered until today.”
[[271]] [[272]] Mexican History pg. 16; Mayas pg. 1, 3
Zapotec pg. 172-175: “Two other settlements, classified as Tier 2 centers on the basis of size, do not seem to have been surrounded by comparable cells of large villages. Magdelena Apasco seems to have been a town in the San Jose Mogote cell. Scuhilquitongo, a hilltop center near the upper Atoyac River, may have served to defend the northern entrance to the valley. (A smaller mountaintop center, El Choco, may have defended the pass where the Atoyac River exits the valley on its way south.)” [[272]] [[273]] Atlas pg. 105; Chiapas Artifacts pg. 198 [[273]] [[274]] 4 Nephi 1:2–3, 15–17 [[274]] [[275]] 4 Nephi 1:23–24 [[275]] [[276]] Prehistory pg. 282, 294
“The Monroe phase was characterized by distinctive rectangular houses with vertical wall posts in a straight line, three center supports (for gabled roofs, as sometimes in the Mississippian), and a fireplace toward the narrow entry ramp. The entry ramp sloped down to meet the sunken floor of the lodge. A striking fact about the Monroe villages was their compactness, in contrast to the randomness of earlier settlements. The houses were located uniformly with the long axis oriented southwest-northeast and with the entryway toward the southwest.
The village is large. House lodges even now number more than one hundred; the erosion of the Missouri has destroyed an unknown number. The dominant house type was a rectangular structure built of vertical posts or poles with an entryway opening to the west. Houses were large, averaging 30 by 33 feet. The roof was supported by central posts or pillars arranged down the midline of the house. The covering for the houses is not definitely known, but they are believed to have been roofed with sod. The vertical walls were of wattle and daub. A most impressive component of the village was the encircling fortification, an earthen embankment behind which small posts set about 12 inches apart formed a palisade. Ten projecting bastions were equally spaced along its sides and at the two western shores.”
Zapotec pg. 208-209: “The Zapotec cocui, or hereditary lord, and his xonaxi, or royal wife, lived in residential palaces fitting the historic description of the yoho quehui, or “royal house.” Many of these were residents 20-25 m on one side, divided into 10-12 rooms arranged around an interior patio. Typical features were L-shaped corner rooms, some with apparent sleeping benches. Privacy was provided by a “curtian wall” just inside the main doorway, which screened the interior of the palace from view. Doors were probably closed with elegant weavings, or even brightly colored feather curtians. In some Zapotec palaces, no two rooms have their floors at exactly the same level. This might have been a way of ensuring that the coqui’s head was higher than anyone else’s, even when he was asleep.”
[[276]] [[277]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 199; Chiapas Burials pg. 74-75; Mexican History pg. 43-48
Prehistory pg. 247, 271-272, 294: “The objects are an exquisite expression of artistry combined with skilled craftsmanship. The artifacts were created in every medium: wood, shell, clay, stone, and hammered copper. The art is concerned with depicting animals, humans, mythical creatures, tools, and weapons, using a dozens of themes and scores of motifs. The artifacts are not utilitarian but ornamental and are undoubtedly rich in conventional and symbolic meaning. As a subject for study they have attracted attention for a century. Much speculation has attended that study; the complex artifacts is said to have been a death cult because of the skull, hand-eye, and other motifs”
Zapotec pg. 208-209: “As for the rulers themselves, they are often depicted in ceramic sculpture- seated on thrones or crosslegged on royal mats, weighed down with jewelry and immense feather headdresses. Rulers evidently had a variety of masks, so many that one wonders if their faces were ever seen by commoners. Rulers in many cultures have disguised themselves to maintain the myth that they were not mere mortals, and Zapotec kings seem to have had numerous costumes depending on the occasion. Their ties to Lightning were reinforced by jade or wooden masks depicting the powerful face of Cociyo; their roles as warriors were reinforced by wearing a mask made from the facial skin of a flayed captive.
A magnificent example of the latter can be seen in the funerary urn from Tomb 103, a royal burial beneath a palace at Monte Alban. The Zapotec ruler sits on his throne in the guise of a warrior, holding a staff or war club in his right hand. In his left he grasps the hair of an enemy’s severed head, as he peers through the dried skin of a flayed enemy’s face. His headdress, featuring the plumes of birds from distant cloud forests, covers not only his head but also the back of his throne. Jade spools in his earlobes, a massive jade necklace, and a kilt covered with tubular sea shells add to his elegance. Note that, in the tradition of the figurines of 850-700 BC, the sculptor has paid great attention to every detail of the lord’s sandals, right down to the tying of the laces.” [[277]] [[278]] 4 Nephi 1:24 [[278]] [[279]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 199
Prehistory pg. 238, 249, 262-263, 294-297, 299, 308, 319-320: “In the mounds were rich caches of goods, not always with the burials. The cached objects were created from exotic materials, both local Ohio items and imported ones. Mica, in sheets or cutout geometric or animal forms, was a commonly used mineral. Copper, recovered in free sheets and nuggets from the Lake Superior sources, was used for ear spools, headdresses, masks, bracelets, beads, chest ornaments, celts, and panpies. Pearls were used as beads for anklets and armlets and were sewn on garments.
The potters were only one of the artisan groups. Shellworkers engraved and carved Busycon shell with the columella removed for ornaments and pendants, and used the columella to make knobbed hairpins; tubular disc-shaped, and globular beads; and other ornaments as well. Other skilled craftsmen made bracelets, beads, headdresses, and a few hairpins for the copper produced locally in Tennessee and northern Georgia, and decorated thin sheets of hammered copper with a repousse technique.”
Zapotec pg. 208-209: “As for the rulers themselves, they are often depicted in ceramic sculpture- seated on thrones or crosslegged on royal mats, weighed down with jewelry and immense feather headdresses. Rulers evidently had a variety of masks, so many that one wonders if their faces were ever seen by commoners. Rulers in many cultures have disguised themselves to maintain the myth that they were not mere mortals, and Zapotec kings seem to have had numerous costumes depending on the occasion. Their ties to Lightning were reinforced by jade or wooden masks depicting the powerful face of Cociyo; their roles as warriors were reinforced by wearing a mask made from the facial skin of a flayed captive.
A magnificent example of the latter can be seen in the funerary urn from Tomb 103, a royal burial beneath a palace at Monte Alban. The Zapotec ruler sits on his throne in the guise of a warrior, holding a staff or war club in his right hand. In his left he grasps the hair of an enemy’s severed head, as he peers through the dried skin of a flayed enemy’s face. His headdress, featuring the plumes of birds from distant cloud forests, covers not only his head but also the back of his throne. Jade spools in his earlobes, a massive jade necklace, and a kilt covered with tubular sea shells add to his elegance. Note that, in the tradition of the figurines of 850-700 BC, the sculptor has paid great attention to every detail of the lord’s sandals, right down to the tying of the laces.” [[279]] [[280]] Prehistory pg. 262, 271-272
“In western California, there was evidentily a much greater concern with the dead. Many were buried in mounds, others in extensive cemeteries. An analysis of the grave goods of these many cemeteries has led some scholars to suggest that there was in California a social complexity quite at variance with the simple and relatively stable technology the archaeology reveals.”
Zapotec pg. 185-188, 209-216; Zapotec pg. 210-216: “One of the most famous Zapotec royal burials is Monte Alban’s Tomb 104, believed to date to the middle of Period III. Its elaborate facade includes a niche with a large funerary sculpture. The latter has a headdress containing two jaguar or puma heads, huge ear ornaments, a large pectoral with marine shells, and a bag of incense in one hand.
Inside the main chamber of the tomb was a single skeleton, fully extended face up. At its feet was the funerary urn, flanked by four accompanists or “companion figures.” The chamber had been equipped with five wall niches, many of which were filled with pottery; dozens of additional vessels were stacked on the floor. The pottery was extremely varied in form and function- in effect, a couple “table setting” for a Zapotec lord or lady. Included were bowls and vases, bridgespout jars, ladles, “sause boats,” and a stone mortar of the type now used for making guacamole or chili sause. There were also figures of humans.
Running the wall of the chamber was a mural. At the left (the south wall of the chamber) we see a male figure holding an incense bag in one hand. Next comes a niche in the wall with an “offering box” and a parrot painted above it. Then come two hieroglyphic compounds, 2 Serpent and 5 Serpent; below them is another “offering box.” On the back wall of the tomb (the west side) are three niches and a complex painting that features a human face (probably and ancestor) below the “Jaws of the Sky.” The date (or day-name) 5 Turquoise appears to the left of the jaws.
At the far right (north wall of the tomb) we see another male figure with an incense bag. Above a niche in this wall we see the “heart as sacrifice” and above that the glyphs for I Lightning, and to the left we see the dates or day-names 5 Owl and 5 Lightning. A feathered speech scroll is associated with 5 Owl. All these names probably refer to important royal ancestors of the individual in the tomb.
Finally, the door of the main chamber was closed by a large stone, carved on both sides. We see the hieroglyphic inscription of the inner surface of the door. The inscription shares several day-names with the mural inside the chamber. On the right side appear the glyphs 6 Turquoise, a glyph designated “Glyph I” by Alfonso Caso, and a human figurine showing the same stiff posture seen in the jade statues beneath an earlier temple at San Jose Mogote. On the left side appears the large glyph 7 Deer, flanked by smaller glyphs for 6 Serpent, 7 “Glyph I,” and four small cartouches accompanied by the number 15. In the center of the stone we have an abbreviated “Jaws of the Sky” and the glyph 5 Turquoise. Below this we find a buccal mask in profile, and the same glyph for I Lightning seen on the north-wall mural of the tomb chamber.
The repetition of the names 5 Turquoise and I Lightning on the mural and door stone suggests that these individuals were very important. Together with the funerary urns, the scores of ceramic offerings, and the elaborate construction of the tomb, these references to ancestors were an integral part of royal burial ritual.” [[280]] [[281]] 4 Nephi 1:46 [[281]] [[282]] Zapotec pg. 224-225
“Period IIIa, because of its distinctively decorated pottery, shows up strongly on surface survey. This is fortunate, since it makes it easier to show the significant changes in settlment pattern that took place between Monte Alban II and IIIa. Those changes included substantial increases in population, great shifts in the demographic center of gravity of the Valley of Oaxaca, and increased use of defensible localities.” [[282]] [[283]] Mexican History pg. 17-18, 36-39;
Zapotec pg. 208-221: “Also set in the walls of the South Platform are six stelae showing prionsers with arms tied behind their backs. While some are dressed in little more than a breech-clout, others wear the kind of full animal costume given to warriors who had distinguished themselves in battle. Each captive stands on a place glyph naming the region from which he came; unforunately, the regions have not as yet been securely identified. If the destiny of Early Period III sites on densible hilltops can be used as a guide, we suspect that regions south and east of the Valley of Oaxaca were the scene of considerable warfare during Early Period III.”
Mexico pg. 129: “Following in the wake of the disturbances and intrusions of alien peoples which brought to a close the civilizations of the Classic during the ninth century AD was a seemingly new mode of organized life. Although there is ample evidence for warfare in such Classic cultures as Teotihuacan and Monte Alban, the Post-Classic saw a greatly heightend emphasis on militarism, in fact, a glorification of war in all its aspects. There was now an upstart class of tough professional warriors, grouped into military orders which took theri names from the animals from which they may have claimed a kind of totemic descent: coyote, jaguar, and eagle. Wars were the rule of the day, those unfrotunate enough to be captured destined for sacrifice to the gods. Human sacrifice can hardly be considered a new element in Mesoamerican life, but for the first time we have widespread evidence for the tzompantli, the skull rack on which heads were skewered for public display. As a result of these marital activities, there was extensive contruction of strongpoints and the fortification of towns.” [[283]] [[284]] Mexican History pg. 17-18
Zapotec pg. 216-221, 224: “The hidden scenes of Teotihuacan visitors were placed at the four corners of the South Platform. Under three of those, the builders of the platform placed offering boxes with standardized dedicatory caches. These cashes show that the carved stones were part of the Early Monte Alban III platform, sicne the boxes contain offerings of that period. No offering was placed under the south-east corner, apparently because bedrock was deeper there and more construction fill was required.”
Mexico pg. 129: “Throughout Mexico, this was a time which saw a great deal of confusion and movement of peoples, amalgamating to form small, aggressive, conquest states, and splitting up with as much speed as they had risen. Even tribes of distinctly different speech sometimes came together to form a single state- as we know from their annals, for we have entered the realm of history. Naturally, such new conditions are mirrored in Post-Classic art styles, which are thoroughly saturated with the martial psychology of the age. In general they are harder, far more abstract, and less exuberant than those of the Classic period. It is the kind of strong, static art produced by artisans guided by Spartan, not Athenian, ideals.” [[284]] [[285]] Mormon 1:6–7 [[285]] [[286]] Teotihuacan pg. 2-3; Morelos pg. 135-150; Prehistory pg. 254-256; Ancient Kingdoms pg. 100-101
Zapotec pg. 224: “The population of the Valley of Oaxaca rose to an estimated 115,000 persons during Monte Alban IIIa. This growth was accompanied by tumultuous changes in the distribution of population throughout the valley. Of the 1075 known communities, 510 (or nearly half) were now in the Tlacolula subvalley.”
Maya pg. 152: “We know from the downfall of past civilizations such as the Roman and Khmer empires that it is fruitless to look for single causes. But most of the Maya archaeologists can now agree that three factors were paramount in the downfall: 1) endemic internecine warefare, 2) overpopulation and accompanying enviromental collapse, and 3) drought. All three probably played a part, but not necessarily all together in the same time and in the same place. Warefare seems to have become a real problem earlier than the two.
On can only conclude that by the end of the eighth century, the Classic Maya population of the southern lowlands had probably increase beyond the carrying capacity of the land, no matter what system of agriculture was in use. There is mounting evidence for massive deforestation and erosion throughout the Central Area, only alleviated in a few favorable zones by dry slope terracing. In short, overpopulation and enviromental degradation had adbanced to a degree only matched by what is happening in many of the poorest tropical countries today. The Maya apocolypse, for such it was, surely had ecological roots.” [[286]] [[287]] 4 Nephi 1:24–26 [[287]] [[288]] ; Prehistory pg. 247, 261, 268, 270-272
Zapotec pg. 216-221: “Whatever the reason, the stelae commissioned by 12 Jaguar display two types of royal propaganda: vertical and horizontal. The message on the public faces of his monuments- showing his inaugural scene, his captives, and his heroic predecessor- traveled “vertically” from the ruler down to the commoners. The message of support from Teotihuacan, carved on the hidden edges of the same stelae, traveled “horizontally” from the ruler to his fellow nobles, did not need to be seen by commoners.” [[288]] [[289]] Mexican History pg. 18; Chiapas Burials pg. 74-75;
Zapotec pg. 216-224: “For many ancient Mesoamerican states, the inauguration of a new ruler was a time for elaborate ritual and royal propaganda. Inauguration rituals sent the ideological message that kingship and the state would continue in a just, orderly, predictable manner under a deserving new ruler.
Mesoamerican groups such as the Aztec, Mixtec, and Maya tried to designate the old ruler’s successor in advance of the former’s death. Between the time of that designation and his or her actual assumption of the throne, the future ruler was expected to engage in a series of important activities. He or she might travel to consult the leaders of other ethnic groups; raid enemy communities to get captives for sacrifice; mark off the boundaries of the polity to reinforce them; and perform some act of piety, like building a new temple or visiting a shrine.
The classic Zapotec were no exception to this pattern. Sometime during Early Period III, a ruler named 12 Jaguar was inaugurated at Monte Alban. Part of his inauguration ritual included the dedication of a massive pyramidal structure, the South Platform of the Main Plaza, for whose construction (or enlargement) he sought to take credit. In preparation for his inauguration, he commissioned a carved stone monument which shows him seated on his throne. He also had taken a number of captives for sacrifice, six of whom are depicted on other stone monuments. He seems to have documented his right to rule by using a monument that refers to a previous Zapotec ruler, perhaps claming him as an ancestor. Finally, he commissioned carved scenes of eight visitors from Teotihuacan, a city in the Basin of Mexico which was a powerful contemporary of Monet Alban. These scenes show Teotihucanos visiting Monte Alban in what may be a demonstration of support for the new ruler. Dedicatory caches were placed beneath three corner stones bearing these scenes.” [[289]] [[290]] 4 Nephi 1:35–39 [[290]] [[291]] Mexican History pg. 18, 24-27, 31-43
Prehistory pg. 246-247: “In New York, the Point Peninsula Tradition begins with the Squawkie Hill phase, where cult artifacts are found in mounds. In fact the typical rocker stamping is very extensive in the Northeast, being found well beyond the Hopewellian diagnostics. After about 250 A.D. the Hopewell Traditon traits disappear there. It is about the time that the cultures of the Midwest and East developed stronger regional differences, with many local sequences replacing the more uniform culture characteristic of Hopewell dominance. Even so, as in the widespread dentate pottery decoration, vestiges of Hopewell ancestry can be noted. In New York, for example, the development of late Point Peninsula into Owasco and even historic Iroquois can be tied through a few ceramic traits to Hopewell.”
Zapotec pg. 222-224: “The golden age of Zapotec civilization can be divided into phases, called Monte Alban IIIa and IIIb. While far radiocarbon samples from either phase have been run, the available dates (and traded pottery from other regions) suggest that IIIa falls roughly between A.D. 200 and 500, while IIIb falls roughly between 500 and 700.
Period IIIa, because of its distinctively decorated pottery, shows up strongly on surface survey. This is fortunate, since it makes it easier to show the significant changes in settlement pattern that took place between Monte Alban II and IIIa. Those changes included substantial increases in population, great shifts in the demographic center of gravity of the Valley of Oaxaca, and increased use of defensible localities.
Period IIIb, in contrast, had relatively drab pottery which is difficult to distinguish from that of subsequent phase, Monte Alban IV. When large Period IIIb sites are excavated, they often contain pottery types traded from the Maya region, types whose ages are well established. On surface survey, however, Periods IIIb and IV are difficult to separate unless one has a very large sample of pottery.”
Mexico pg. 113, 115, 119, 120-126, 126-127: “Down the Gulf Coast plain, new civilizations appeared in the Early Classic which in some respects reflect continuity from the Olmec tradition of the lowlands, as well as intrusive elements ultimately derived from Teotihuacan. The site of Cerro de las Mesas lies in the middle of the former Olmec territory, in south-central Veracruz, approximately 15 miles from the Bay of Alvarado, on a broad band of high land above the swamps of the Rio Blanco. The site is the ceter of an area dotted with earthen mounds.”
Maya pg. 84, 88-89, 97, 100: “Shortly after AD 400, the highlands fell under Teotihuacan domination. A intrusive group of central Mexicans from that city apparently seized Kaminaljuyu and built for themselves a miniature version of their captial. An elite class ruling over a captive population of Maya descent, they were swayed by native cultural tastes and traditions and became “Mayanized” to the extent that they imported from the Central Area pottery and other wares with which to stock their tombs. The Esperanza culture which arose at Kaminalijuyu during the Early Classic, then, is a kind of hybrid.”
[[291]] [[292]] 4 Nephi 1:26–28 [[292]] [[293]] Mexican History pg. 36-39
Mexico pg. 100-103, 124-125: “In Karl Taube’s view, as we have seen, the presiding deity of the Teotihuacan pantheon was the Spider Woman, the patroness of our own world; she was probably the equivalent of the later Aztec Toci, ‘Our Grandmother.’ Many of the other gods of the complete Mexican pantheon are already clearly recognizable at Teotihuacan. Here were worshipped the Rain God (‘Tlaloc’ to the Aztecs) and the Feathered Serpent (the later ‘Quetzalcoatl’), as well as the Sun God, the Moon Goddess, and Xipe Totec (Nahuatl for ‘Our Lord the Flayed One’), the last-named being the symbol of the annual renewal of vegetation with the onset of the rainy season. Particularly common are incense burners fo the Old Fire God, a creator divinity and the probable consort of the Spider Woman. A colossal statue represents the Water Goddess (in Nahuatl, Chalchiuhtlicue, ‘Her Skirt Is of Jade’), but there is an even larger statue, weighing almost 200 metric tons and now in front of the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City; found in an unfinished state on the slopes of Tlaloc Mountain, it is identified in the popular Mexican consciousness with that deity, but its exact identification is unknown. At any rate, it should be noted that almost all the gods venerated in this great urban captital were intimatley connected with the well-being of maize, with their staff of life.”
People pg. 487: “A hereditary elite seems to have ruled Monte Alban, the leaders of a state that had emerged in the Valley of Oaxaca by AD 200. Their religious power was based on ancestor worship, a pantheon of art least 39 gods, grouped around major themes of ritual life. The rain god and lightning were associated with the jaguar motif; another group of deities was linked with the maize god, Pitao Cozabi. Nearly all these gods were still worshiped at the time of the Spanish contact, although Monte Alban itself was abandoned after AD 700, at approximately the same time as another great ceremonial center, Teotihuacan, in the Valley of Mexico, began to decline.” [[293]] [[294]] 4 Nephi 1:26–34 [[294]] [[295]] Gods and Symbols pg. 136-137
Zapotec pg. 208-210: “By A.D. 200 the Zapotec had extended their influence from Quioteopec in the north to Ocelotepec and Chiltepec in the south. Their noble ambassadors had presented gifts to the rulers of Chiapa de Corzo and established a Zapotec enclave at Teotihuacan in the Basin of Mexico. Monte Alban had become the largest city in the southern Mexican highlands and would remain so fa the next 500 years. That half millennium, from A.D. 200-700, has been called the “golden age of Zapotec civilization.”
People pg. 490, 496: “By AD 600, Teotihuacan probably was governed by a secular ruler who was looked upon as a divine king of some kind. A class of nobels controlled the kinship groups that organized the bulk of the city’s huge population.
Copan is just on of many sites where archaeologists have documented the complicated political and social history of Maya civilization. The public monuments erected by the Classic Maya emphasize not only the king’s role as shaman, as the intermediary with the Otherworld, but also his position as family patriarch. Genealogical texts on stelae legitimize his decent, his close relationship to his often long-deceased parents. Maya kings used both the awesome regalia of their office and elaborate rituals to stress their close identity with mythical ancestral gods. This was a way in which they asserted their kin relationship and political authority over subordinate leaders and every member of society.
The king believed himself to have a divine covenant with the gods and ancestors, a covenant that was reinforced again and again in elaborate private and public rituals. The king was often depicted as the World Tree, the conduit by which humans communicated with the Otherworld. Trees were the living enviroment of Maya life and a metaphor for human power. So the kings of the Maya were a forest of symbolic human World Trees within a natural, forested landscape.” [[295]] [[296]] Maya chap 4-6
“Paricularly impressive are its six temple-pyramids, veritable skyscrapers among buildings of their class. From the level of the plaza floor to the top of its roof comb, Temple IV, the mightiest of all, measures 229 ft in height. Teh core of Tik’al must be its great plaza, flanked on west and east by two of these temple-pyramids, and on the north by the acropolis already mentioned in connection with its Late Preclassic and Early Classic tombs, and on the southby the Central Acropolis, a palace complex. Some of the major architecural groups are connected to the Great Plaza and with each other by broad causeways, over which many splendid processions must have passed in the days of Tik’al’s glory. The palaces are so impressive, their plastered rooms often still retaining in their vaults the sapodilla-wood spanner beams which had only a decorative function.”
Zapotec chap 13-15: “Not all temples were of the two-room type; some were left open on all sides. An example is Building II of Monte Alban, described by Ignacio Benal as “a small temple with five pillars in the front and another five in the back… It never had side walls and in fact was open to the four winds.” On the south side of this “open” temple, excavators found the entrance to a tunnel which allowed priests to enter and leave the building unseen, crossing beneath the eastern half of the Main Plaza to a building on the plaza’s central spine.
Structure 36, the oldest temple, dated to early Monte Alban II. It measured 11 x 11 m and was slightly T-shaped, the inner room slightly smaller than the outer. Both columns flanking the inner doorway, and all four columns flanking the outer doorway, were made from the trunks of baldcypress trees. So well does cypress wood preserve that identifiable fragments of it were still present in the column bases.
One model of a temple from the Tlacolula subvalley is particularly interesting, as its doorway is shown as having been closed with a feather curtain. Such curtains were luxurious furnishings made by sewing together thousands upon thousands of feathers from brightly colored birds; they may also have been used to close the doors of palaces.”
Mexico chap 6: “The palace compounds were the residences of the lords of the city, such as those uncovered at the zones called by the modern names Xolalpan, Tetitla, Zacuala, and Atetelco, or the magnificent ‘Quetzal-Butterfly’ Palace near the Pyramid of the Moon. Typical of the palace layout might be Xolalpan, a rectangular complex of about fourty-five rooms and seven forecourts; these bourder four platforms, which are arranged around a cenral court. The court was depressed below the general ground level and was open to the sky, with a small altar in the center. While windows were lacking, several of the rooms had smaller sunken courts very much like the Roman atria, into which light and air wer admitted throuh the roof, supported by surrounding columns. The rainwater in the sunken basins could be drained off when desired. All palaces known were one-storied affairs, with flat roofs built from beams adn small sticks and twigs, overlaign by earth and rubble. Doorways were rectangular and covered by a cloth.” [[296]] [[297]] People pg. 490, 496: (SAME AS NOTE 295 ABOVE)
Zapotec pg. 208-210: “The Zapotec cocui, or hereditary lord, and his xonaxi, or royal wife, lived in residential palaces fitting the historic description of the yoho quehui, or “royal house.” Many of these were residents 20-25 m on one side, divided into 10-12 rooms arranged around an interior patio. Typical features were L-shaped corner rooms, some with apparent sleeping benches. Privacy was provided by a “curtain wall” just inside the main doorway, which screened the interior of the palace from view. Doors were probably closed with elegant weavings, or even brightly colored feather curtains. In some Zapotec palaces, no two rooms have their floors at exactly the same level. This might have been a way of ensuring that the coqui’s head was higher than anyone else’s, even when he was asleep.
As for the rulers themselves, they are often depicted in ceramic sculpture- seated on thrones or crosslegged on royal mats, weighed down with jewelry and immense feather headdresses. Rulers evidently had a variety of masks, so many that one wonders if their faces were ever seen by commoners. Rulers in many cultures have disguised themselves to maintain the myth that they were not mere mortals, and Zapotec kings seem to have had numerous costumes depending on the occasion. Their ties to Lightning were reinforced by jade or wooden masks depicting the powerful face of Cociyo; their roles as warriors were reinforced by wearing a mask made from the facial skin of a flayed captive.
A magnificent example of the latter can be seen in the funerary urn from Tomb 103, a royal burial beneath a palace at Monte Alban. The Zapotec ruler sits on his throne in the guise of a warrior, holding a staff or war club in his right hand. In his left he grasps the hair of an enemy’s severed head, as he peers through the dried skin of a flayed enemy’s face. His headdress, featuring the plumes of birds from distant cloud forests, covers not only his head but also the back of his throne. Jade spools in his earlobes, a massive jade necklace, and a kilt covered with tubular sea shells add to his elegance that, in the tradition of the figurines of 850-700 BC, the sculptor has paid great attention to every detail of the lord’s sandals, right down to the tying of the laces.
An earlier generation of scholars assumed that these spectacular urns, usually found in royal tombs, depicted “gods.” Today we believe that most of them represent venerated ancestors of the main individuals in the tomb. Some urns bear glyphs with names taken from the 260- day calendar. Supernatural like Lightning, being immortal, were not named for days in Zapotec calendar. It is also the case that the figures on most urns, even when grotesquely masked, are undeniably human behind their disguises.
In cosmology it is always crucial to distinguish between actual supernatural beings- depicted in Mesoamerica by combining parts of different animals, so as to create something obviously “unnatural”- and real humans who had metamorphosed into the heroes and heroines of legend. The latter were humans who had acquired, through death and heredity, some of the attributes of the supernatural. We suspect that Zapotec funerary urns- many of which are one-of-a-kind masterpieces made to accompany rulers in their tombs- provided a venue to which the pee, or animate spirit, of these heroes and royal ancestors could return. This would allow the deceased ruler to continue to consult with his or her important ancestors, much as we think the women of the early village period invoked their ancestors through figurines.” [[297]] [[298]] Maya pg. 195 (see also pictures of sculptures and murals throughout Chap. 5); (see also pottery from any region, especially Mimbre Culture in Southwest)
“Immediately after birth, Yuateacan mothers washed their infants and then fastened them to a cradle, their little heads compressed between two boards in such a way that after two days a permanent fore-and-aft flattening had taken place which the Maya considered a mark of beauty. As soon as possible, the anxious parents went to consult with a priest so as to learn the destiny of their offspring, and the name which he or she was to bear until baptism.
The Spanish Fathers were quite astounded that the Maya had a baptismal rite, which took place at an auspicious time when there were a number of boys and girls between the ages of three and twelve in the settlement. The ceremony took place in the house of a town elder, in the presence of their parents who had observed various abstinences in honor of the occasion. The children and their fathers remained inside a cord held by four old and venerable men representing the Chaks or Rain Gods, while the priest performed various acts of purifaction and blessed the candidates with incense, tobacco, and holy water. From that time on the elder girls, at least, were marriageable.
In both highlands and lowlands, boys and young men stayed apart from their families in special communal houses where they presumably learned the arts of war, and other things as well, for Landa says that the prostitutes were frequent visitors. Other youthful diversions were gambling and the ball game. The double standard was present among the Maya, for girls were strictly brought up by their mothers and suffered grievious punishments for lapes of chastity. Marriage was arranged by go-betweens and, as among all peoples with exogamous clans or lineages, there were strict rules about those whom alliances could or could not be made- particularly taboo was marriage with those of the same paternal name. Monogamy was the general custom, but important men who could afford it took more wives. Adultry was punished by death, as among the Mexicans.
Ideas of personal comeliness were quite different from ours, although the friars were much impressed with the beauty of the Maya women. Both sexes had their frontal teeth filed in various patterns, and we have many ancient Maya skulls in which the incisors have benn inlaid with small plaques of jade. Until marraige, young men painted themselves black (and so did warriors at all times); tattooing and decorative scarification began after wedlock, both men and women being richly elaborated from the waist up by these means. Slightly crossed eyes were held in great esteem, and parents attempeted to induce the condition by hanging small beads over the noses of their children.”
Prehistory pg. 306-308: “Initial Basketmaker II is now dated at about the time of Christ, persisting until about 500 A.D. Its identifying traits are familiar, being those cited for the Archaic culture and remindful of the material from Tularosa Cave. The sites are most often to be found in caves, alcoves, or overhangs. In such situations, the perishable artifacts are preserved, as are the bodies of the dead. The practice of skull deformation which later proved popular, had not yet appeared.
Other additions to the Pueblo I trait list include cotton cloth, jacal construction, and the practice of cranial deformation- steeply angled flattening of the optical area- resulting probably from the use of a ridged cradleboard. Both the cotton and the cranial flattening appear in earlier Mongollon.”
Zapotec pg. 105-106: “Now let us turn to another attribute that cannot reflect achievement: deliberate cranial deformation. At the time of the Spanish Conquest it was considered a sign of nobility, like the wearing of quetzal plumes and jade earplugs. Cranial deformation must be done early in life, while the skull is still growing and it bones still separated by cartilage. For the ancient Maya, cranial deformation took place shortly after birth. The sixteenth-century Spaniard Diego de Landa says “four of five days after the infant was born, they placed it stretched out upon a little bed, made of sticks of osier and reeds; and there with its face upwards, they put its head between which they compressed it tightly, and here they kept it suffering until at the end of several days, the head remained flat and molded.”
Some sixteenth-century Aztec informants revealed that “When the children are very young, their heads are soft and can be molded in the shape that you see ours to be, by using two pieces of wood hollowed out in the middle. This custom, given to our ancestors by the gods, gives us a noble air.”
Cranial deformation results from actions taken by one’s parents, long before one is old enough to have achieved anything; thus, if cranial deformation reflects high rank, it must be inherited high rank. Two types of deformation were practiced in early Mesoamerican villages. Tabular deformation, the most common, was caused by pressing the skull between a fixed occipital cradleboard and a free board on the forehead. Annular deformation was caused by tying a band around the head. Each type of deformation could be erect or oblique, depending of the angle at which it was applied.
Tabular deformation was the most common type in the San Jose phase, and could occur with either sex; some of the men buried with Lightning vessels were so deformed. One teenage girl from San Jose Mogote, however, showed annular deformation, a practice still rare at this time. It is possible that she was a bride from another ethnic region, where annular deformation was more common. The girl’s burial position- face up, arms folded on her chest- was also atypical for that residential ward.
We believe that certain children inherited the right to have their skulls deformed, and that certain male children inherited the right to be buried with Earth or Sky motifs. Because such burials were not always accompanied by impressive sumptuary goods, one cannot make a simplistic claim of “chiefly burials” for them. We suspect that these were children born into the descent groups from which future leaders were likely to come. However, not everyone born into such a group automatically became a leader. Almost certainly, to receive truly elegant burial gifts, one had to add achievement to one’s high-status pedigree.” [[298]] [[299]] Mysteries pg. 184-186
Prehistory pg. 247-249, 261, 268-271, 282: “Monks Mound dominated from its north end of a vast plaza of some 200 acres enclosed in a bastioned palisade or stockade of large posts. Along each side of the plaza were twelve or more platform and conical mounds with a single platform at the south end of the plaza. Outside the Monks Mound enclosure to north, south, east, and west were dozens of other mounds dominating other plazas. But there were four other large, but lesser mound groups clustered around smaller plazas. Everywhere over the entire bottom and on the valley bluffs to the east were sources of hamlets and farmsteads, which are believed to have supported the centers with foodstuffs and services.
The distribution of these big sites, their locations on water courses, and their very size lead some scholars to postulate that they were religious and administrative centers, peopled primarily by a powerful upper class that controlled trade and, possibly, population distribution and, of course, possessed absolute political and religious power.
There is no doubt that there was an elite Mississippian social class. This is attested by the rich mortuary offerings and the elaborate ceremonies with which the burials were made. Burials occurred on the tops of the pyramid mounds, a mortuary ritual that can be identified wherever the mound groups are found. The uniformity of occurrence has led to the interpretation that there were elite lineages and that their high status was ascribed by virtue of birth, because even children were sometimes accorded elaborate burial ceremony and grave goods. However, near or in the towns were large cemeteries, where lower-class citizens were buried. Here too, there is an occasional richly accompanied burial, but the objects are of a different nature, such as the tools or creations of a craftsman. Such persons are believed to have achieved a relatively high status through merit rather than birth.” [[299]] [[300]] 4 Nephi 1:24–46; Mormon 1:13–19 [[300]] [[301]] Prehistory pg. 294-298, 300, 318
Mexico pg. 117, 119: “Other panels involve the beginning of the game, while in a final scene the losing captain is apparently being sacrificed by the victors, who brandish a flint knife over his heart: the game played in the courts of El Tajin was not lightly won or lost. The central panels on either side of the court concern the sacred drink pulque, and maguey plants from which this intoxicating beverage was made; over one of these, the Tajin version of the Mexican rain god Tlaloc presides, while on its counterpart opposite, this same god replenishes a pool of pulgue with blood taken from his own penis, watched by deity with a fish headdress.”
Maya pg. 104, 106, 110-112: [[301]] [[302]] 4 Nephi 1:46 [[302]] [[303]] Prehistory pg. 236-243, 318-320; Tula pg. 46
Zapotec pg. 224: “Period IIIa, because of its distinctively decorated pottery, shows up strongly on surface survey. This is fortunate, since it makes it easier to show the significant changes in settlement pattern that took place between Monte Alban II and IIIa. Those changes included substantial increases in population, great shifts in the demographic center of gravity of the Valley of Oaxaca, and increased use of defensible localities.
Period IIIb, in contrast, had relatively drab pottery which is difficult to distinguish from that of the subsequent phase, Monte Alban IV (roughly A.D. 700-1000). When large Period IIIb sites are excavated, they often contain pottery types traded from the Maya region, types whose ages are well established. On surface survey, however, Periods IIIb and IV are difficult to separate unless one has a very large sample of pottery.”
Mexico pg. 91, 103-105, 144-147: “On the basis of a technology that was essentially Neolithic- for metals were unknown until after AD 900- the Mexicans raised fantastic numbers of buildings, decorated them with beatiful poychrome murals, produced pottery and figurines in unbelievable quantity, and covered everything with sculptures. Even mass production was introduced, with the invention (or importation from South America) of the clay mold for making figurines and incense burners.
Yet it may be fruitless to look at the Valley of Teotihuacan alone for the secret of the capital’s remarkable success, for the city that we have described held sway over most of the central highlands of Mexico during the Early Classic, and perhaps over much of Mesoamerica. Like the later Aztec state, it may have depended as much on long-distance trade and tribute as upon local agricultural production. Teotihuacan influence and probably control in some instances were strong even in regions remote from the capital, such as the Gulf Coast, Oaxaca, and the Maya area. Elegant vases of pure Teotihuacan manufacture are found in the buirals of nobels all over Mexico at this time, and the art of the Teoihuacnaos dominated the germinating styles of the other high civilizations of Mesoamerica. Six hundred and fifty miles to the southeast, in the highlands of Guatemala on the outskirts of the modern capital of that republic, a little ‘city’ has been found that is in all respects a minature copy of Teotihuacan.
Those hardy pioneers who during Toltec times pushed up northwest along the eastern flanks of the Sierra Madre into Chichimec country, sowing their crops in what had once been barren ground, necessarily were forced to live a frontier life. As a matter of fact, this entension of cultivation into the barbarian zone had begun as far back as the Early Classic period, but it is not until the Post-Classic taht one can see any major results, when a series of strongpoints was constructed.
The deep interest of the central Mexicans in the Chichmec zone lying between them and the American Southwest went far beyond the mere search for new lands, however. The site of Alta Vista, near the town of Chalchihuites, Zacatecas, lies astride the Tropic of Cancer, about 390 miles northwest of Tula. It was taken over by Teotihuacan (or Teotihuacan-controlled) people about AD 350, and was exploited all through the Classic for the richness of its local mines, probably, as Professor Dihel thinks, through slave labor. Over 750 mines are known in the area, from which came such rare minerals as malachite, cinnabar, hematite, and rock crystal, which were exported to Teotihuacan for processing into elite artifacts. Alta Vista itself is little more than ceremonial center with a colonnaded hall on a defensible hill, but it is possible that this architectural trait, along with the tzompantli or skull rack, may have provided a Classic prototype for these features at Tula.
At some time in the Classic, turquoise deposits were discovered and exploited in New Mexico, in all likelihood by the Pueblo farming cultures that had old roots there. From there turquoise was taken to Alta Vista and worked into mosaics and similar objects, for export into central Mexico. Trace element analysis, carried out through neutron activation by Dr. Garman Harbottle at the Brookhave National Laboratory, has resulted in very precise data on the turquoise trade between Mesoamerica and the American Southwest, which greatly expanded with the onset of the Early Post-Classic, by which time the major source at Cerrillos, New Mexico, was under the control of the people responsible for the great apartment houses of Chaco Canyon.
In this trade, Alta Vista was an early intermediary. About AD 900, just as the Toltecs were coming to power, it and its hinterland were abandoned. Its successor as turquoise middleman may have been La Quemada, a very large hilltop fortress in the state of Zacatecas, 106 miles to the southwest of Alta Vista. To guard against Chichimec raids, a great stone wall girdles the summit, within which the bulk of the populace (perhaps a Toltec-dominated local tribe) lived, farming the surrounding countryside. Outside the wall, on the lower slopes of the hill, is the ceremonial center of La Quemada: a very odd 33 ft high pyramid built up of stone slabs, not truncated and lacking a stairway, along with a colonnaded hall recalling Alta Vista and Tula. On the summit are serveral platform-pyramids and a complex of walled courts surrounded by rooms.
The two-way nature of the Toltec contact with the Pueblo peoples can be seen at the site of Casas Gandes, Chihuahua, not far south of the border with New Mexico. The florescence of Casas Grandes was coeval with the late Tollan phase at Tula, and with early Aztec. While the population lived in Southwestern-style apartment houses, the Mesoamerican component can be seen in the presence of platform temple mounds, and I-shaped ball courts, and the cult of the Feathered Serpent. Warehouses filled with rare Southwestern minerals, such as turquoise, were found by Charles DiPeso, the excavator of Casas Grandes. What was traveling north? The Pueblo Indians have a deep ritual need for feathers from tropical birds like parrots and macawas, since these symoblize fertility and the heat of the summer sun. Special pens were discovered at the site in which scarlet macaws were kept, apparently brought there by the Toltecs to exchange for the wonderful blue-green turquoise, or perhaps to pay the natives of New Mexico for working the turquoise mines.
It is fairly clear that all these sites were invloved in the trasmission of Toltec traits into the American Southwest, in particular the conlonaded masonary building and the platform pyramid; the ball court and the game played in it; copper bells; perhaps the idea of masked dancers; and the worship of the Feathered Serpent, which still plays a role in the rituals of people like the Hopi and Zuni. It is also clear that these triats ran along a trading route, a ‘Turquoise Road,’ so to speak, analogous to the famous Silk Road of the Old World the bound civilized and ‘barbarian’ alike into a single cultural whole.
A similar movement of Toltec traits took place in the southeastern United States at the same time, probably via the people living on the other side of the cental plateau, but little is known of the archaeology of that region. In Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and Illinois, sites with huge temple mounds and ceremoninal plazas, and their associated pottery and other artifacts, show Toltec influence. Suffice it is to say here that most of the more spectacular aspects of the late farming cultures of the United State blend native elements with cultrual traits from Early Post-Classic Mexico.
The ‘Turquoise Road’ continued to flourish throughout the Post-Classic period, right until the coming of the Spainards, who found the mineral of little monteray value. Dr. Harbottle and the archaeologist Phil Weigand have demonstrated that eventually there were many mines in operation in the Southwest and over the border into Mexico, and that the Pueblo peoples were exporting this substance as highly polished tesserae down into central Mexico on routes which ran on both sides on the western Sierra Madre. The ultimate outpost of this vast mercantile exchange was Chichen Itza, where a complete tezcacuitlapilli mirror was discovered resting on a red-painted jaguar throne inside the city’s famous Castillo pyramid; on its reverse side was a turquoise mosaic featuring four encircling Fire Serpents, exactly as depicted on Tula’s warrior atlantids.”
Maya pg. 83-101: Few of the pottery vessels from the Esperanza tombs are represented in the rubbish strewn around Kaminalijuyu, from which it is clear that they were intended for the use of the invading class alone. Some of these were actually imported from Teotihuacan itself, probably carried laboriously over the intervening 800 or 900 miles on back racks such as those still used by native traders in the Maya highlands.” [[303]] [[304]] Prehistory pg. 258-260
“The discussion of maize as a staple food requires review in the context of the much larger concept of food production. It is interesting to note that worldwide, coincident with an increasing dependence on any cereal, the overall health and quality of life of a population deteriorates in many ways. Many diseases and nutritional deficiencies or stresses leave evidence of their occurrence in the bones of the body. This it is possible for a paleopathologist to detect in the skeleton many of the unhealthful conditions individuals have experienced during their lives. Thanks to research with archaeological populations recovered from locations in the Americas, Europe, and Near East, it has been possible for scholars to arrive at some general observations that are contrary to one’s expectations. Most of the paleopathologies observed in both historic and prehistoric skeletal populations are related to nutritional stress. Foods lacking in minerals, basic fats, proteins, and amino acids and, more commonly, insufficient food over varyingly long periods of ten leave their marks.
Diseases that cause bone lesions, as well as others that leave no skeletal evidence, are more likely to attack during periods of nutritional stress. Even more conducive to infectious diseases are the unsanitary conditions attending sedentism, a living pattern that usually accompanies the practice of horticulture. When prehistoric people lived together in permanent or semi permanent housing in clustered situations, the incidence of tuberculosis increased markedly, in some Midwest farming populations, for example, over the Woodland incidence of the disease.” [[304]] [[305]] Maya Chap 4-6 (pictures); Mexico Chap 6 (pictures); Zapotec Chap 15 (pictures) [[305]] [[306]] Prehistory pg. 249, 300
“Warfare seems to have been common at that time, as the villages are palisaded and located on hills or steep stream banks where defense was easier. The communal longhouse exiseted by then, albeit smaller that the later Iroquois structure. Thus the essential elements of the Iroquois pattern- corn agriculture, villages palisaded in defensible positions on streams, an artistic treatment of tobacco pipes, bone-bundle burials, dogs sometimes used as food, and ceramics clearly ancestral to historic Iroquois pottery- were present by 1300 A.D.” [[306]] [[307]] Mexican History pg. 25-27; Prehistory pg. 294-297, 299, 318; Gods and Symbols pg. 42-44
Zapotec pg. 180, 188-191, 226: “It was apparently during Monte Alban II that “state ballcourts” in the shape of a Roman numeral I first appeared. It is difficult to put these courts in historic perspective, since we have little information on the ballgame itself.
As early as 1000 BC, some small figurines made at Mesoamerican villages seem to be wearing gloves, knee guards, and other equipment associated with a prehispanic ball game. This game was played with heavy balls made of latex from the indigenous rubber tree. Three such balls were preserved by waterlogging at El Manati in southern Veracruz, a site dating to 1000-700 BC.
This later type of court was called lachi by the Zapotec, and the game was called queye or quiye. While we do not know the rules by which it was played, it probably resebled the Aztec game called olamaliztli or ulama, in which the ball could not be touched with the hands; it was struck instead with the hips, elbows, and head as in modern soccer.
Why would the Zapotec state invest in the construction and standardization of I-shaped ballcourts, in effect promoting an “official” game? No one is sure, but some scholars believe that the ballgame played a role in conflict resolution between communities. It has been suggested that when two opposing towns competed in a state-supervised athletic contest, held on a standardized court at their regional administrative center, the outcome of the game might be taken as a sign of supernatural support for the victorious community. This, in turn, might lessen the likelihood that the two towns would actually go to war.”
Mexico pg. 112, 115-119, 121, 123, 136, 142, 146-147: “Above all, the inhabitants of El Tajin were obsessed with the ball game, human sacrifice, and death, three concepts closely interwoven in the Mesoamerican mind. The courts, which are up to 197 ft long, are formed by two facing walls, with stone surface either vertical or battered. Magnificent bas reliefs in some of them are witness of the drama of the game, with scenes showing mythology associated with it, and ceremonies in which the particapants are the players themselves, all wearing the appropriate paraphernalia.”
Maya pg. 99, 108-109, 114, , 116, 118, 163-164: “Ball courts seem to be present at many sites in the Central Area, but they are more frequent and better made in the southeast, at sites like Copan. These courts are of stucco-faced masonry, and have sloping playing sufaces. At Copan, three stone markers were placed on each side, and three set into the floor of the court, but the exact method of scoring in the game is obscure. Toward the western part of teh Central Area, in centers along the Usumacinta River, sweat baths are known, possibly adopted from Mexio where such structures can still be found in many highland towns.
Reliefs of skulls and manikin figures of skeletons are not uncommon. Their second obession was the rubber ball game. Secure evidence for the game comes from certain stone objects that are frequent in the Cotzumalhuapn zone and in fact over much of the Pacific Coast down to El Salvador. Of these, most typical are the U-shaped stone “yokes” which represented the heavy protective belts of wood and leather worn by the contestants; and thin heads or hachas with human faces, grotesque carnivores, macaws, and turkeys, generally thought to be markers for the zones of the court, but worn on the yoke during post game ceremonies. Both are sure signs of a close affiliation to the Classic cultures of the Mexican Gulf Coast, where such ballgame paraphernalia undoubtedly originated.” [[307]] [[308]] Gods and Symbols pg. 42-44 [[308]] [[309]] Mexican History pg. 25-27; Gods and Symbols pg. 42-44
Mexico pg. 115-119: (SAME AS NOTE 307 ABOVE)
“Other panels involve the beginning of the game, while in a final scene the losing captain is apparently being sacrificed by the victors, who brandish a flint knife over his heart: the game played in the courts of El Tajin was not lightly won or lost.” [[309]] [[310]] Mexican History pg. 25-27; Gods and Symbols pg. 42-44
Mexico pg. 115-119, 142: “In line with the claim that human sacrifce was introduced in the last phase of Tula by the Tezcatlipoca faction, there are several depictions of teh cuauhxicalli, the sacred ‘eagle vessel’ designed to recieve human hearts, as well as a tzompantli, the altar decorated with skulls and crossbones on which the heads of captives were displayed. In fact, the base of an actual tzompantli has been found just to the east of Ball Court 2, the largest at the site; fragments of human skulls littered its surface. In accordance with Mesoamerican custom, these were probably trophies from losers in a game that was ‘played for keeps’!” [[310]] [[311]] Mexican History pg. 25-27
Mexico pg. 115-119: “The Building of the Columns is the largest ‘palace’ complex at the site. The drums of the columns are carved with narrative scenes from the ceremonial life of the city. The most interesting of these depicts a procession of victorious warriors bringing stripped captives to the to the enthroned ruler, a personage with the calendrical name 13 Rabbit; before him lies the corpse of a disembowled victim. Similar names taken from the 260-day count are found here and elsewhere at El Tajin, but it is doubtful whether a writing system as advanced as those of the Zapotecs or Maya existed here.” [[311]] [[312]] Mexican History pg. 25-27; Prehistory pg. 306; Gods and Symbols pg. 42-44 [[312]] [[313]] Mexican History pg. 48-50; Prehistory pg. 319-320 [[313]] [[314]] Prehistory pg. 238, 247, 249, 261-263, 268, 270-278, 294-297, 299, 308, 319-320; Chiapas Artifacts pg. 199
Zapotec pg. 208-209, 216-221: “In the second half of Monte Alban III, referred as Period IIIb, Reyes Etla was an important Tier 2 or 3 center in the Etla region. One tomb there had its doorway flanked by two remarkable carved stone jambs. Each shows a Zapotec lord in jaguar or puma warrior costume, holding a lance in his hand. Their names are given as 5 Flower and 8 Flower. Each stands below the “Jaws of the Sky” and has a “hill sign” beneath his feet. These jamb figures may represent relatives or ancestors who guarded the tomb, suggesting that even the nobles of Tier 2-3 centers were persons of great importance.” [[314]] [[315]] Mormon 2:8; Moroni 8:27–29; 9:18-23 [[315]] [[316]] Mormon 2-6 (approximately 60 years from Zarahemla to Cumorah; about 25 years from Desolation to Cumorah) [[316]] [[317]] This section will show evidences that the destructions began in Yucatan, passed across the Mexican Highland, up through West Mexico, across the Northwest Mexico and the American Southwest and Midwest and up into the Northeast to Cumorah covering almost the entire continent of North America. [[317]] [[318]] Mormon 5:8–11; 6:1, 5-22; 8:7 [[318]] [[319]] Mexico pg. 107-112
“Both murals suggest some sort of opposition or juxtaposition between Eagles and Jaguars, perhaps symbolic of the knightly orders which we know from Post-Classic Mexico. Such an opposition is vividly depicted on the talud of Building B, on which is realistically painted a great battle in progress between jaguar-clad and feathered warriors, any one of whom might be at home on the reliefs of Seibal. There is little doubt that the artist had seen such a conflict, for he depicts such grisly details as a dazed victim, seated on the ground holding his entrails in his hands. The art historian Mary Miller believes that such a battle had actually taken place, perhaps on the swampy plains of southwestern Campeche, but that it had been recast in supernatural terms, in that some of the contestents are improbably given feet of eagles and jaguars.”
Maya 154-155: “It is now evident that the ninth century was a time of turmoil over much of Mesoamerica, with the power of Teotihuacan long since gone, and the old order in the Maya lowlands breaking down. In this power vacuum, the Putan, seasoned businessmen with strong contacts raging from central Mexico to the Caribbean coast of Honduras, must have played a very agressive role in a time of troubles, and their presence in the Mexican highlands may have played a formative role in what was to become the Toltec state.” [[319]] [[320]] Maya 154-155
(SAME AS NOTE 319 ABOVE)
Mexico pg. 107-112, 126-127: “Stange things began happening in central Mexico during and after the disintegration of Teotihuacan’s empire in the seventh century AD. One of these was the appearance of foreigners, almost certainly from the Gulf Coast lowlands and the Yucatan Peninsula, towards the end of the Classic period. The interrelationship of the highland Mexicans and the Maya has been established by archaeology, but this was usually the domination by the former of the latter, such as the takeover of Kaminalijuyu by Teotihuacanos. During the Early Classic, there must have been at least one enclave of Maya traders at Teotihuacan, and a fine Maya jade plaque in the British Museum is supposed to have been found at that stie. The Maya, with their advanced knowladge of astronomy and sophisticated writing system, probably exerted considerable intellecual and religious influence over the rest of Mesoamerica, and there is some evidence that the dreaded Tezcatlipoca, the great god of war and the royal house in Post-Classic Mexico, was of Maya origin.” [[320]] [[321]] Mexico pg. 107-112; Maya 24 (color picture), 154-155
(SAME AS NOTE 319 ABOVE) [[321]] [[322]] Mormon 1:10–12 [[322]] [[323]] Ancient Kingdoms pg. 112 [[323]] [[324]] Mormon 2:1–3 [[324]] [[325]] Teotihuacan pg. 3-4; Ancient Kingdoms pg. 107-108
Mexico pg. 105-106: “The city met its enc around AD 700 through deliberate destruction and burning by the hand of unknown invaders. It was mainly the heart of the city that suffered the torch, especially the palaces and temples on each side of the Avenue of the Dead, from the Pyramid of the Moon to the Ciudadela. Some internal crisis or long-term political and economic malaise, perhaps the distruption of its trade and tribute routes by a new polity such as the rising Xochiclaco state, may have resulted in the downfall, and it may be significant that by AD 600, at the close of the Early Classic, almost all Teotihuacan influence over the rest of Mesoamerica ceases. No more do the nobility of other states stock their tombs with the refined products of the great city.”
People pg. 491: “William Sanders has argued that Teotihuacan, and all had been powerful states at the time of the former’s collapse.
Whatever the cause of Teotihuacan’s collapse, its heyday marks the moment when one can begin to think of the Mesoamerican world in more than purely local and even regional, terms.” [[325]] [[326]] Mormon 2:3–5 [[326]] [[327]] Zacatecas pg. 1-2; La Quemada pg. 85-109; this region is called West Mexico in most papers, finding material on this area is difficult because so little research has been done until more recent times; more research is needed in this region.
Mexico pg. 145: “The deep interest of the central Mexicans in the Chichimec zone lying between them and the American Southwest went far beyond the mere search for new lands, however. The site of Alta Vista, near the town of Chalchihuites, Zacatecas, lies astride the Tropic of Cancer, about 390 miles northwest of Tula.” [[327]] [[328]] Mormon 2:5–16 [[328]] [[329]] Aztatlan pg. 1-5; more research is needed in this region. [[329]] [[330]] Mormon 2:8 [[330]] [[331]] Aztatlan pg. 4; more research is needed in this region. [[331]] [[332]] Mormon 2:16–20 [[332]] [[333]] Mormon 2:20–26 [[333]] [[334]] Warfare pg. 154-186; Chaco Canyon is a well-known site in NW Mexico, there are many books and internet sites dedicated to it exclusively.
Prehistory pg. 310-319: “Aside from the widest distribution ever achieved by Pueblo people, the Pueblo II era is notable for the occurrence of some distinctive local social systems that were apparently quite complex. These have been called “systems of regional integration.” The best known and by far the best studied of these distinctive regional subcultures is called the Chaco Phenomenon. It developed in the San Juan basin in northwestern New Mexico and impinged to some extent into extreme southwestern Colorado. The Phenomenon, centered in Chaco Canyon was short-lived, lasting about 200 years, from 900 A.D., or a little later, until just after 1100 A.D.
There are other details and ramifications comprising the Chaco Phenomenon as currently hypothesized. The reasons for origins of the phenomenon and its suggestion of control remain obscure but not for lack of proposed explanations. An older school of thought tends to view the exotic Mexican artifacts as having arrived en bloc. Such traits as copper bells, macaws, inlaid shell, core veneer architecture, the great kivas and tower kivas, and cylindrical jars, are interpreted as imports. These traits, along with the evidence of central authority such as the building of huge towns to a standard plan, are not seen elsewhere. The influence of small bands of priests or traders who brought attractive new objects and ideas from the more complex and sophisticated Mexican cultures is often cited. Whether persuasion, force, or religious awe of the glamorous strangers provided the leverage toward acceptance is never clear. The idea of extensive trade, especially in turquoise, with the south has also been invoked, and there is good evidence for it. Turquoise occurs in Toltec sites in quantity. The few copper bells or macaws also suggest a systematic northward trade traffic in those commodities, but not a very extensive one. Whatever the explanation, the complex of roads, architecture, and exotic objects still appears anomalous in the Pueblo setting. It has been proposed that the roads facilitated the transporting of the thousands of huge logs used as roof beams in the houses and kivas.
A second, later school sees the entire Chaco development as the complex end product of indigenous factors and influences to be analyzed and understood as a regional event and system. One popular theory is that by 700 A.D., cultigens were becoming a more significant part of the diet and the settlement of Chaco Canyon were arable land was plentiful increased to the point that by 900 A.D. all the prime horticultural lands in the wash or the valley were in use. But further population expansion, either through local increase or continued immigration, led to the exploitation of marginal lands away from the rich valley. The notoriously fickle southwestern summer rainfall and the violent, localized thunderstorms that fall capriciously over the San Juan Basin jeopardize farming somewhat. The crops in one district might prosper while nearby ones failed for lack of moisture.” [[334]] [[335]] Mormon 3:1–3 [[335]] [[336]] Prehistory pg. 310-314; almost every Anasazi site from this period has numerous kivas (e.g. Lowry ruins; Aztec ruins; Mesa Verde ruins; Chaco Canyon’s Pueblo Bonito, Casa Rinconada, Chettro Kettle, Pueblo del Arroyo, and Kin Kletso)
“The great kivas, as much as 50 feet deep in diameter, were sometimes 10 feet deep and roofed with a horizontal domed cribbing of logs. There was a raised square fireplace flanked by two large masonry vaults, that is, pits lined with masonry. The walls and the encircling bench were also of thick stone masonry. Four huge posts or stone pillars for central support of the high, cribbed roof were arranged in a square a few feet in from the peripheral bench. On the wall above the bench were usually empty when found. A few had cashes of special artifacts inside, however, and were plastered over. The great kivas were entered by a stairway. The crib roofs of the kivas required more than an estimated 300 heavy logs. Usually these logs were pine, fir, or spruce that came from many miles away in the mountains to the northeast and west. In a desert setting such as Chaco Canyon, the ritual or symbolic value of the large kivas must have been high for the excavation and masonry lining the of the kiva pit.” [[336]] [[337]] Moroni 7:1–5 [[337]] [[338]] Mormon 3:1–3; Moroni 8:1–9 [[338]] [[339]] Mormon 2:28–3:4 [[339]] [[340]] Tula pg. 42-43, 48-50; Mexican History pg. 38-39; Atlas pg. 105
Mexico pg. 131-144: “Like many other Post-Classic states, Toltec society seems to have been composed of disparate tribal elements which had come together for obscure reasons. One of these, which would appear to have been dominant, was called the Tolteca-Chichimeca. The other group went under the name Nonoalca, and according to some scholars was made up of sculptors and artisans from the old civilized regions of Puebla and the Gulf Coast, brought in to construct the monuments of Tula. The Toltca-Chichimeca, for their part, were probably the original Nahua-speakers who founded the Toltec state. As their name implies, they were once barbarians, perhaps semi-civilized Chichimeca originating on the fringes of Mesoamerica among the Uto-Aztecans of western Mexico, for although it was said that ‘they came from the interior of the plains, among the rocks,’ their level of culture was substantially higher that that of the ‘real’ Chichimeca.” [[340]] [[341]] Tula pg. 45; Gods and Symbols pg. 164-165 [[341]] [[342]] Tula pg. 45 [[342]] [[343]] Tula pg. 48-50 [[343]] [[344]] Mexico pg. 107-112
“Strange things began happening in central Mexico during and after the disintergration of Teotihuacan’s empire in the seventh century AD. One of these was the appearance of foreigners, almost certainly from the Gulf Coast lowlands of the Yucatan Peninsula, towards the end of the Classic period.
Xicallanco was an important trading town in southern Campeche controlled by the Putun, Maya-speaking seafaring merchants whose commercial interests ranged from teh Olmeca country, along teh coast of the entire Yucatan Peninsula, as far as the Carrabbean shore of Honduras.”
Maya pg. 151-164: “But what happened to the bulk of the population who once occupied the Central Area, apparently in the millions? This is one of the great mysteries of Maya archaeology, since we have little or no evidence allowing us to come up with a solution. The early Colonial chronicles in Yucatec Maya speak of a “Great Descent” and “Lesser Descent,” implying two mighty streams of refuges heading north from the abandoned cities inot Yucatan, and Linda Schele and Peter Mathews, like Sylvanus Morley before them, believe that this account relfects historical fact. Some may have migrated in a southerly direction, particularly into the Chiapas highlands. So far, however, this puative diaspora seems to have left no real traces in the archaeolgical record.” [[344]] [[345]] Mexico pg. 138-140
“The rear room had four square pillars, carved on all sides with Toltec warriors adorned with the sybols of the knightly orders. There, in the sactuary, once stood a stone altar supported by little atlantean figures. Also in the temple and in other parts of the ceremonial precinct wer peculiar scuptures called ‘chacmools,’ reclining personages bearing round dishes or receptacles for human hearts on their bellies; these were probably avartars of the Rain God.
Around the four sides of Pyramid B were bas reliefs sybolizing the warrior orders on which the strength of the empire depended: prowling jaguars and coyotes, and eagles eating hearts, interspered with strange composite beasts thought to represent Quetzalcoatl.
On the north side of the pyramid and parallel to it is the 131 ft long ‘Serpent Wall’, embellished with painted friezes, the basic motif of which is a serpent eating a human; the head has been reduced to a skull, and the flesh has been partially stripped from the long bones.”
Maya pg. 151-164: “The great city of Seibal on the Rio Pasion apparently recovered from its defeat at the hands of the far smaller Dos Pilas, but during the Terminal Classic it seems to have come under the sway of warriors (or warrior-traders) from a further afield. The evidence is to be found in the part of the site known as Group A; in its south plaza sits an unusual four-sided structure with four stairways. In front of each stariway is a stela, and a fith stands inside the temple.” [[345]] [[346]] Tula pg. 48-50
Mexico pg. 144-147: “Alta Vista itself is little more than a ceremonial center with a colonnaded hall on a defensible hill, but it is possible that this architectural trait, along with the tzompntli or skull rack, may have provided a Classic protype for these features at Tula.
In this trade, Alta Vista was an early intermediary. About AD 900, just as the Toltecs were coming to power, it and its hinterland were abandoned. Its successor as turquoise middleman may have been La Quemada, a very large hilltop fortress in the state of Zacatecas, 106 miles to the southwest of Alta Vista. To guard against Chichimec raids, a great stone wall girdles the summit, within which the bulk of the populace (perhaps a Toltec-dominated local tribe) lived, farming the surrounding countryside. Outside the wall, on the lower slopes of the hill, is the ceremonial center of La Quemada: a very odd 33 ft high pyramid built up of stone slabs, not truncated and lacking a stairway, along with a colonnaded hall recalling Alta Vista and Tula. On the summit are serveral platform-pyramids and a complex of walled courts surrounded by rooms.” [[346]] [[347]] Mormon 3:1 [[347]] [[348]] Warfare pg. 153-196 [[348]] [[349]] Mexico pg. 144-147
“The two-way nature of the Toltec contact with the Pueblo peoples can be seen at the site of Casas Gandes, Chihuahua, not far south of the border with New Mexico. The florescence of Casas Grandes was coeval with the late Tollan phase at Tula, and with early Aztec. While the population lived in Southwestern-style apartment houses, the Mesoamerican component can be seen in the presence of platform temple mounds, and I-shaped ball courts, and the cult of the Feathered Serpent. Warehouses filled with rare Southwestern minerals, such as turquoise, were found by Charles DiPeso, the excavator of Casas Grandes. What was traveling north? The Pueblo Indians have a deep ritual need for feathers from tropical birds like parrots and macawas, since these symoblize fertility and the heat of the summer sun. Special pens were discovered at the site in which scarlet macaws were kept, apparently brought there by the Toltecs to exchange for the wonderful blue-green turquoise, or perhaps to pay the natives of New Mexico for working the turquoise mines.
It is fairly clear that all these sites were invloved in the trasmission of Toltec traits into the American Southwest, in particular the conlonaded masonary building and the platform pyramid; the ball court and the game played in it; copper bells; perhaps the idea of masked dancers; and the worship of the Feathered Serpent, which still plays a role in the rituals of people like the Hopi and Zuni. It is also clear that these triats ran along a trading route, a ‘Turquoise Road,’ so to speak, analogous to the famous Silk Road of the Old World the bound civilized and ‘barbarian’ alike into a single cultural whole.” [[349]] [[350]] Casas Grandes pg. 290-301, 309, 482-501
Prehistory pg. 289-327: “Such a situation, it is theorized, led to the creation of a network of exchange in which towns or districts with good crops shared with their less-fortunate neighbors. The theory calls for central storage and redistribution centers and some specialized control to make the system work. The big towns are given the role of central storage and distribution.” [[350]] [[351]] Prehistory pg. 317
Mexico pg. 146 (144-147): “The two-way nature of the Toltec contact with the Pueblo peoples can be seen at the site of Casas Gandes, Chihuahua, not far south of the border with New Mexico. The florescence of Casas Grandes was coeval with the late Tollan phase at Tula, and with early Aztec. While the population lived in Southwestern-style apartment houses, the Mesoamerican component can be seen in the presence of platform temple mounds, and I-shaped ball courts, and the cult of the Feathered Serpent. Warehouses filled with rare Southwestern minerals, such as turquoise, were found by Charles DiPeso, the excavator of Casas Grandes. What was traveling north? The Pueblo Indians have a deep ritual need for feathers from tropical birds like parrots and macawas, since these symoblize fertility and the heat of the summer sun. Special pens were discovered at the site in which scarlet macaws were kept, apparently brought there by the Toltecs to exchange for the wonderful blue-green turquoise, or perhaps to pay the natives of New Mexico for working the turquoise mines.”
People pg. 326-327: “The dig showed that its inhabitants exchanged turquoise and painted pottery from the Southwest for marine shells and exotic bird feathers from Mexico. Local traditions connect Casas Grande with a settelement named Paqime, which was more of a Mexican town than an Indian pueblo.” [[351]] [[352]] Casas Grandes pg. 290-309, 482-501
Prehistory pg. 289-327: “Monks Mound dominated from its north end of a vast plaza of some 200 acres enclosed in a bastioned palisade or stockade of large posts. Along each side of the plaza were twelve or more platform and conical mounds with a single platform at the south end of the plaza. Outside the Monks Mound enclosure to north, south, east, and west were dozens of other mounds dominating other plazas. But there were four other large, but lesser mound groups clustered around smaller plazas. Everywhere over the entire bottom and on the valley bluffs to the east were sources of hamlets and farmsteads, which are believed to have supported the centers with foodstuffs and services.
The distribution of these big sites, their locations on water courses, and their very size lead some scholars to postulate that they were religious and administrative centers, peopled primarily by a powerful upper class that controlled trade and, possibly, population distribution and, of course, possessed absolute political and religious power.
There is no doubt that there was an elite Mississippian social class. This is attested by the rich mortuary offerings and the elaborate ceremonies with which the burials were made. Burials occurred on the tops of the pyramid mounds, a mortuary ritual that can be identified wherever the mound groups are found. The uniformity of occurrence has led to the interpretation that there were elite lineages and that their high status was ascribed by virtue of birth, because even children were sometimes accorded elaborate burial ceremony and grave goods. However, near or in the towns were large cemeteries, where lower-class citizens were buried. Here too, there is an occasional richly accompanied burial, but the objects are of a different nature, such as the tools or creations of a craftsman. Such persons are believed to have achieved a relatively high status through merit rather than birth.” [[352]] [[353]] Mormon 3:4–5 [[353]] [[354]] Mormon 3:4–6 [[354]] [[355]] Mexico pg. 146; it has been very difficult to find research on the sites of northern Durango and southern Chihuahua and Sonora; the site Zape or Sape depending on the literature is in about the right place geographically but the only book on the region I could find was very old and entailed only a surface reconnaissance of the site. A search of Journal Articles may prove fruitful. [[355]] [[356]] Mormon 3:4–4:19 [[356]] [[357]] Mormon 4:19–22 [[357]] [[358]] Mortuary Practices pg. 5-7, 75-76; Casas Grandes pg. 290-301, 484-485; Sierra Madre pg. 132 [[358]] [[359]] Ibid. [[359]] [[360]] Warfare pg. 197-276; Prehistory pg. 320-321 [[360]] [[361]] Mormon 4:19–5:2 [[361]] [[362]] Warfare pg. 197-276; Prehistory pg. 320-321 [[362]] [[363]] Mormon 2:7–8, 20–21; 3:5; 4:1-5, 11, 20-23; 5:3-8 [[363]] [[364]] Warfare pg. 197-276
People pg. 326-329: “At the same time that people concentrated in larger sites, there was depopulation of many areas of the northern Southwest. The reasons for these changes are imperfectly understood. It may be that the changes genterated by the developments in Chaco and elsewhere caused people to congregate more closely. Alternatively, it has been argued that some climatic and enviromental changes, as yet little understood, may have caused major shifts in the settlement pattern. More likely, a combination of enviromental, societal, and adaptive changes set in motion a period of turbulence and culture change.” [[364]] [[365]] Moroni 9:7–10 [[365]] [[366]] Mortuary Practices pg. 7; Warfare pg. 169-176 [[366]] [[367]] Mortuary Practices pg. 71-72; Warfare pg. 169-176 [[367]] [[368]] Mortuary Practices pg. 1, 71 [[368]] [[369]] Moroni 9:7–8 [[369]] [[370]] Warfare pg. 233 (80-81, 83, 161, 324) [[370]] [[371]] Mormon 5:3–4 [[371]] [[372]] Warfare pg. 200-225 [[372]] [[373]] Mormon 4:16–5:8; Mormon 8:1–9; Moroni 1:1–4 [[373]] [[374]] Sierra Madre pg. 132; SW Indians pg. 72 [[374]] [[375]] Mormon 5:3–4 [[375]] [[376]] Prehistory pg. 254-278, 289
“Most Mississippian sites and mounds are small, so the sheer size if the few well-known Mississippian sites is overwhelming. These sites are characterized by clusters of mounds, some of which are truncated pyramids, arranged around a plaza. There may be conical mounds adjacent, but they are arranged in on apparent pattern. Even today after centuries of erosion many sites reveal an encircling embankment; outside the palisade of posts atop the earthen embankment the borrow pit stood open as a moat. Villages were not always nearby or inside the palisade. Normally they were scattered though the farmlands in the valleys. These huge sites can be thought of as religious, administrative, or even economic centers such as are presaged in the Hopewellian sites and are common in Mexico and Central America.” [[376]] [[377]] Prehistory pg. 233-246 (The Mississippian grew out of the Hopewell)
“What can inferred from the above description? Whatever the reason, the central theme, the power of the interaction sphere lay in the mortuary ritual and the trappings that accompanied it. To call the force religious is to claim more than can be proved, but religion is a force that can flow across cultural and linguistic boundaries as an overlay or veneer upon the local cultures. To stretch the point, world history offers such obvious examples as the spread of Islam and Christianity. At any rate, a religious motivation for the Hopewellian cult is not totally unreasonable. Usually, religion implies a superordinate priesthood, that is, a class of specialists with superior status. Priest-chieftains combining both sacred and secular powers can be postulated. The presence of a priesthood suggests a stratified society, an idea supported by the rich grave offerings for a few of the dead. The huge earthen monuments and a probable artisan class suggest a measure of secular control over the community, perhaps resembling a corvee or labor tax. During Hopewell times, there was probably some intensification of the cultivation of native plants.” [[377]] [[378]] Prehistory pg. 254-278
“On festival or ritual days the plaza would be the scene of fiercely fought ball games akin to lacrosse or complicated dances done to the rhythm of drums and rattles and the music of many singers. Like the priests, the dancers would be colorfully dressed in rich costumes and ornaments. The Creek Busk or Green Corn festival of thanksgiving, held on the dance ground even into the twentieth century, probably preserves a faded vestige of the Mississippian splendor. Some of the rituals would have involved purification and long-drawn-out ceremonies of human sacrifice to one or another god, while the people from all supporting villages crowded the plaza to watch the dancers and the priests go in procession up the steep stairways to the summit of the mound, where the sacrificial climax was reached.
At other times, the scene at the plaza would involve the death and burial of a priest-ruler. These rituals also involved many days of prescribed processions, feasts, and sacrifice. As already noted, DuPratz saw and reported a Natchez chieftain’s burial ceremony in 1725. That mourning ceremony for Tattooed Serpent, Brother of the Sun, lasted for several days and involved all the Natchez villages. As part of the burial ceremony, the dead man’s two wives and his “speaker,” doctor, head servant, pipe bearer, and sister were ritually strangled. Several old women who, for one reason or another, had offered their lives were also strangled. The two wives were buried with the Tattooed Serpent in the temple, his speaker and one of the women were buried in front of the temple, and the others carried to their respective village temples for burial. His sister, also buried with him, was reported by DuPratz to have been reluctant to participate in the ceremony. As was customary, Tattooed Serpent’s house was burned. The burial of personages within and near houses and the subsequent destruction of those houses by fire are well attested archaeologically.” [[378]] [[379]] Prehistory pg. 263-266, 271-278
“At about 1200 A.D., when the Mississippian cultures were approaching the height of their strength, a complex of exotic artifacts appeared. The distribution of these objects in pan-Mississippian.
The objects are an exquisite expression of artistry combined with skilled craftsmanship. The artifacts were created in every medium: wood, shell, clay, stone, and hammered copper. The art is concerned with depicting animals, humans, mythical creatures, tools, and of motifs. The artifacts are not utilitarian but ornamental and are undoubtedly rich in conventional and symbolic meaning. As a subject for study they have attracted attention for a century. Much speculation has attended that study; the complex of artifacts is said to have been a death cult because of the skull, hand-eye, and other motifs. But the function of the artifacts served is not yet completely known.” [[379]] [[380]] Prehistory pg. 271-278
“The representations of human sacrifice in pipe sculpture, the daggers in the hands of some of the bird-man warriors or priests, severed heads, and many of the other symbols strongly suggest warfare or rituals of human sacrifice. Some of these artifacts and motifs are not new. Some seen to be a legacy from the Hopewell and even the Adena. On the other hand, the depiction of human sacrifice is interpreted by some as evidence of strong Mexican cultism, even perhaps of an increment of high-ranking individuals into the South. Others defend it as a climax phenomenon, developed autonomously in situ from the ceremonialism already evident throughout the East for some 2000 years. Some specialists in Southeast prehistory even deny cult or any coherent cluster of behavior surrounding the special objects. Instead they assert that the value of the cult artifacts is intrinsic. They hold that the wide dispersal of the objects, well beyond the Mississippian sphere of influence indicates that the rare exotics were created exclusively for trade.” [[380]] [[381]] Mormon 2:15 [[381]] [[382]] 2 Nephi 4:33–35; 28:30-32 [[382]] [[383]] Atlas pg. 56, 60; Mysteries pg. 180-183, 186-187; because carbon dating gives such late dates for the large Mississippian complexes some authors do not distinguish between those building the huge ceremonial centers and the wandering groups that followed. If these theories are correct then there were over 1400 years for the Indian population to rebound and the collapse of such a large society into groups of wandering tribes is a definite evidence of the Book of Mormon. [[383]] [[384]] Atlas pg. 56, 60; Mysteries pg. 180-183, 186-187 [[384]] [[385]] Mysteries pg. 187 [[385]] [[386]] Evidences pg. 7-8 quoting: Squire, E.G.; Antiquities of New York; 1851. [[386]] [[387]] Mormon 6:1–22 [[387]] [[388]] People pg. 120-149
“There can be little doubt that increased efficiency as a carnivore played an important role in the emergence of both archaic Homo sapiens and anatomically modern Homo sapiens sapiens. We explored current thinking about the emergence of H. sapiens sapiens in tropical Africa and hypothesized that anatomically modern humans spread from the tropics into North Africa and the Near East in about 90,000 BC. From there, H. sapiens may have intered Europe at the time of low sea level, crossing the land bridge that connected the Balkans with Turkey across the Bosphorus.”
Israel pg. 25: “Of the oldest known permanent settlements, far the most interesting to students of the Bible is that found in the lower levels of the mound of Jericho. As we have said, Jericho was first settled at least as far back as 8000 BC. But for many centuries little stood there save flimsy huts, which may represent no more than a long series of seasonal encampments. There were ultimately succeeded, however, by a permanent town which continued through many levels fo building in two distinct phases with a gap between, representing two successive Neolithic cultures before the invention of pottery. From the extreme depth of the remains (up to forty-five feet), it is evident that these cultures endured for centuries, beginning before the end of the eighth millennium BC and lasting at least till the end of the seventh. Nor can they be called primative. Through much of its history the town protected by massive fortification of stone. Houses were built of mud bricks of two distinct types, corresponding of the two phases of occupation mentioned above. In the later of these phases, house floors and walls were plastered and polished, and frequently painted; traces of reed mats which covered the floors have been found. Small clay figures of women and also domestic animals suggest the practice of the fertillity cult. Unique statues of clay on reed frames, discovered some years ago, hint that high gods may have been worshipped in Neolithic Jericho; in groups of three, these possibly represent that ancient triad, the divine family: father, mother, and son. Equally interesting are groups of human skulls (the bodies were buried elsewhere, as a rule under house floors) with the features modeled in clay and with shells for eyes.” [[388]] [[389]] Abraham 1:23–24 [[389]] [[390]] Israel pg. 27
“Meanwhile, sedentary life had also begun in Egypt. Traces of the presence of man in Egypt go back to the Early Paleolithic Age, when the Nile Delta lay under the sea and its valley was a swampy jungle inhabited by wild animals. We may assume that men had lived on the fringes of the valley ever since and had made their way into it to fish and to hunt, and subsequently to settle down. By the Neolithic Age, when the geography of Egypt had assumed roughly its present shape, we may suppose that villages, first temorary, then permanent, had begun to be established. But the transition to sedentary life cannot be documented in Egypt as it can in western Asia. The earlist permanent villages presumably lie under deep layers of Nile mud. The earliest village culture known to us is that of Fayum, followed by the slightly later one discovered at Merimde in the western Delta. These are Neolithic cultures after the invention of pottery- thus somewhat parallel to the pottery Neolithic of western Asia. Radiocarbon tests seem to place a Fayum in the latter half of the fifth millennium. At this time, although agriculture had begun to be developed, swamp with villages few and far between. Nevertheless, it is clear that in Egypt as elsewhere civilization had made its start- and some twenty-five hundred years before Abraham.” [[390]] [[391]] Israel pg. 24-27
“The earliest permanent villages known to us made their appearance toward toward the end of the Stone Age, as far as back as the seventh, and even the eigth, millennium BC. Before that, men for the most part lived in caves.
The presence of obsidian tools (probably from Anatolia), turquoise (from Sinai). and cowrie shells (from the seacoast) points to trade relationships, whether direct or indirect, extending over considerable distances. Neolithic Jericho is truly amazing. Its people- whoever they may have been- were in the very vanguard of the march toward civilization (dare on believe it?) some five thousand years before Abraham!
Village life continued to develop through the sixth millennium and into hte fifth, by which time villages and towns had been established almost everywhere.”
People pg. 151-155: “These and other Holocene climatic changes had profound effects in hunter-gatherer societies throughout the world, especially on the intensity of the food quest and complexity of their societies. Why had such changes not occurred earlier in pre-history? There had been climatic changes of similar, in not even greater, magnitude in early millennia, say during the early part of the last interglacial, some 128,000 years ago. The reason may be population density. Then, human populations were much smaller and a great deal of the world was uninhabited. It was possible for human populations living in large territories to move around freely, to adapt to new circumstances by shifting their home land, even over large distances. This ability enabled them to develop highly flexable survival strategies that took account of the constant fluctuations in food availability. If, for example, an African band had experienced two dry years in a row, it could move away of fall back on less nutritious edible foods, perhaps species that required more energy to harvest.” [[391]] [[392]] People pg. 248
“Deep-sea cores and pollen studies tell us that the Near Eastern climate was cool and dry from about 18,000 to 13,000 BC, during the late Weichsel. Sea levels dropped more than 300 feet; much of the interior was covered by dry steppe, with forest restricted to the Levant and Turkish coasts. Between 13,000 and 8000 BC, climatic conditions warmed up considerably, reaching a maximum about 3000 BC. Forests expanded rapidly at the end of the Ice Age, for the climate was still cooler than today and considerably wetter. Many areas of the Near East were richer in animal and plant species that they are now, making them highly favorable for human occupation.”
Israel pg. 27: “It was a period of amazing cultural flowering. Agriculture, vastly improved and expanded, made possible both better nourishment and the support of an increasing density o f population. Most of the cities were founded that were to play a part in Mesopotamian history for millenniums to come.” [[392]] [[393]] Joshua 2:1–6:27 [[393]] [[394]] Neolithic pg. 33-47; Grolier, Jericho
Israel pg. 25-26: (SAME AS NOTE 388 ABOVE) [[394]] [[395]] Neolithic pg. 33-47; Grolier, Jericho
Israel pg. 25-26: “These may have served some cultic purpose (possibly some form of ancestor worship), and certainly attest a marked artistic ability. Bones of dogs, goats, pigs, sheep, an oxen indicate that animals were domesticated, while sickels, querns, and grinders attest to the cultivation of ceral crops. From the size of the town and the paucity of naturally arable land around it, it has been inferred that a system of irrigation had developed.” [[395]] [[396]] Joshua 6:1–27 [[396]] [[397]] Neolithic pg. 33-47; Grolier, Jericho
Israel pg. 25-26: “On the Mediterranean coast, radiocarbon tests likewise indiate that the earliest settlement at Ras Shamra (again without pottery) reaches back into the seventh millennium. In Palestine, too, prepottery Neolithic settlements have been discoverd at various places, at least one of which (Bedia in Transjordan) is placed by radiocarbon tests in the early seventh millenium.” [[397]] [[398]] Neolithic pg. 33-47; Grolier, Jericho
Israel pg. 25-26: (SAME AS NOTE 388 ABOVE) [[398]] [[399]] Neolithic pg. 42-47
Israel pg. 25-26, 31-32: “The pottery, while not to be compared with the painted wares of Mesopotamia from an artistic point of view, shows technical excellence. Houses were built of sun dried, handmade bricks, often on stone foundations.
But it was in the Neolithic period that the transition from cave-dwelling to sedentary life, from a food-gathering to a food-producing economy, was completed and the building of permanent villages began to go foward. With this, since there could have been no civilization without it, one can say that the march of civilization had begun.
Bones of dogs, goats, pigs, sheep, and oxen indicate that animals were domesticated, while sickles, querns, and grinders attest to the cultivation of ceral crops.” [[399]] [[400]] Chiapas Burials; Mediterranean pg. 65; Neolithic pg. 42-44
Zapotec pg. 71-75: “At Tlapacoya, on the shores of Lake Chalco in the southern Basin of Mexico, Christine Niederberger excavated their remains of an Archaic group who she believes had already established “prolonged or permanent residency in the same site.” Her argument is that unusually rich environment of the Chalco lakeshore might have provided year-around food. No permanent houses were found at the site, however. And while plants and animals from the rainy season and the dry season were present in the refuse, the same was true at Guila Naquitz. All that is necessary to collect them is for a group to arrive in August (late rainy season) and stay until January (mid-dry season).”
Mexico pg. 41-58: “Houses were rectangular and about 20 ft (6 m) long, with slightly sunken floors of clay covered with river sand. The sides of vertical canes between wooden posts, and were daubed with mud, and white-washed; roofs were thatched.”
[[400]] [[401]] Israel pg. 25-26, 31-32, 40-41
“Though Palestine never developed a material culture remotely comparable to the cultures of the Euphrates and the Nile, the third millennium witnessed remarkable progress in that land too. Since this was broadly conincident with the heyday of Ebla, a connection is in every way likely. It was a time of great urban development, when population increased, cites were built and, presumably, city-states established. Many of the cites that later appear in the Bible are known from excavations to have been in existence: Jericho (rebuilt after a long abandonment), Megiddo, Beth-shan, Ai, Gezer, etc.” [[401]] [[402]] Israel pg. 31-32
“Although the fourth millennium in Palestine remains obscure at a number of points, it is clear that it witnessed the development of village life in various parts of the land, with many places apparently being settled for the first time. In this period Palestine seems to have fallen into two cultural provinces, one in the northern and centarl areas, the other in the south.” [[402]] [[403]] 1 Kings 11:41–12:20; 2 Chronicles 9:29–11:4 [[403]] [[404]] Israel pg. 31-32
(SAME AS NOTE 402 ABOVE) [[404]] [[405]] 2 Kings 15-17 [[405]] [[406]] Early Bronze pg. 85-90; Israel pg. 27-36; Mediterranean pg. 58-72 [[406]] [[407]] Early Bronze pg. 88-90
Israel pg. 40-41: “In Palestine the bulk of the third millennium falls into the period known by archaeologists as the Early Bronze. This period- or a transitional phase leading into it- began late in the fourth millennium, as the Prooliterate culture flourished in Mesopotamia and the Gerzean in Egypt, and continued till the closing centuries of the third. Though palestine never developed a material culture remotely comparable to the cultures of the Euphrates and the Nile, the third millennium witnessed remarkable progress in that land too. Since this was boradly coincident with the heyday of Ebla, a connection is every way likely. It was a time of great urban development, when population increased, cites were built and, presumably, city-states established.” [[407]] [[408]] 2 Kings 24; 2 Chronicles 36 [[408]] [[409]] Israel pg. 44
“In the latter part of the third millennium (roughly between the twenty-third and twentieth centuries), as we pass through the final phase of the Early Bronze Age into the first phase of the Middle Bronze- or perhaps enter a traditional period between the two- we encounter abundant evidence that life in Palestine suffered a major distruption at the hands of nomadic invaders who were pressing the land. City after city was destroyed (as far as is known every major city was), some with incredible violence, and the Early Bronze civilization was brought to an end. Similar disruption seems to have taken place in Syria. These newcomers did not rebuild and occupy the cities they had destroyed. Rather they (or the survivors of the Early Bronze culture) seem to have pursued a nomadic life on the fringes for a time; only gradually did they begin to build villages and settle down. By the end of the third millennium such villages are known to have existed especially in Transjordan in the Jordan valley, and southward in the Negeb; but they were small, poorly constructed, and without material pretensions. It was not until approximately the ninteenth century, when a fresh and vigorous cultral influence spread across the lands, that urban life can be said to have resumed.” [[409]] [[410]] 2 Kings 24-25; 2 Chronicles 36 [[410]] [[411]] Early Bronze pg. 88-90
Israel pg. 36-38: “In the twenty-fourth century, a dynasty of Semitic rulers seized power and created the first true empire in world history. The founder was Sargon, a figure whose origins are cloaked in myth. Rising to power in Kish, he overthrew Lugalzaggisi of Erech and subdued all Sumer as far as the Persian Gulf. Then, transferring his residence to Akkad (of unknown location, but near the later Babylon), he emabrked on a series of conquests which became legendary.” [[411]] [[412]] 2 Chronicles 36:20–21 (1-21); 2 Kings 25 [[412]] [[413]] Israel pg. 44
(SAME AS NOTE 409 ABOVE) [[413]] [[414]] Israel pg. 41-43, 48-49
“We have seen that in the twenty-fourth century power passed from the Sumerian city-states to the Semitic kings of Akkad, who created a great empire. After the conquests of Naramisn, however, the power of Akkad rapidly waned and soon after 2200 was brought to an end by the onslaught of a barbarian people called the Guti.” [[414]] [[415]] 2 Chronicles 36:22–23; Ezra 1-3 [[415]] [[416]] Israel pg. 54-55
“Beginning by the nineteenth century, however, western Palestine experienced a remarkable recovery under the impulse of a fresh and vigorous cultral influence that was spreading over the whole of Palestine and Syria; strong cites began once more to be built, and urban life to flourish, perhaps as new groups of immigrants arrived, and as increasing numbers of seminomads setteled down.” [[416]] [[417]] Israel pg. 41-64
“Many of the cites that later appear in the Bible are known from excavations to have been in existence: Jericho (rebuilt after a long abandonment), Megiddo, Beth-shan, Ai, Gezer, etc. (the Ebla texts are said to mention yet others, including Jerusalem). These cities, though scarcely magnificent, were suprisingly well built and strongly fortified, as the excavations show.” [[417]] [[418]] Israel pg. 64-66
“By this time, too, the partriarchal simplicity of Amorite seminomadic life had all but vanished. Cities were numerous, well constructed and, as we have seen, strongly fortified. There was a general increase in population, together with a marked advance in material culture. The city-state system characteristic of Palestine until the Isralite conquest seems to have been developed, with the land divided into various petty kingdoms, or provinces, each with its own ruler- who was no doubt subject to higher control from without. Society was feudal in structure, with wealth most unevenly divided; alongside the fine houses of partricians one finds the hovels of half-free serfs. Nevertheless the cities of the day give evidnce of a prosperity such as Palestine seldom knew in ancient times.” [[418]] [[419]] Israel pg. 107-120, 130-133
“In the Late Bronze Age, Egypt entered her period of Empire, during which she was unquestionably the dominat nation in the world. Architects of the Empire were the Pharaohs of the Eighteenth Dynasty, a house that was founded as the Hyksos were expelled from Egypt and that retained power for some two hundred and fifty years, bringing to Egypt a strength and a prestige unequaled in all her long history.” [[419]] [[420]] Israel pg. 114-115
“When Ramesses II died after a long and glorious reign, his successor was his thirteenth son, Marniptah, who was already past middle life. Marniptah was not allowed to live out his brief reign in peace. A time of of confusion was beginning which was to see all western Asia plunged into turmoil, and which the Ninteenth Dynasty did not survive.
Though Marniptah mastered the situation, he did not long survive his triumph. Then, after several rulers of no importance, the dynasty ended in a period of confusion about which little is known. We can scarcely doubt that during these disturbed years Egyptian control of Palestine virtually left off- a circumstance that surely aided Isreal in consolidating her position in that land.” [[420]] [[421]] Israel pg. 115-117
” ‘Amorite,’ on the other hand, was, as we have seen, an Akkadian word meaning ‘Westerner,’ various Northwest-Semitic peoples of Upper Mesopotamia and Syria, from among whom Israel’s own ancestors had come. These nomadic elements which had infiltrated Palestine at the end of the Early Bronze Age and had roamed and settled especially in the mountainous interior were established in Transjordan. But though there are passages where the Bible seems to perserve a distinction between the two peoples (e.g., Num, 13:29; Deut. 1:7, where the Amorites are placed in the mountians, the Canaanites by the sea), for the most part it uses the terms loosely if not synonymously. There is a justification for this in that, by the time of the conquest, the “Amorites,” having been in the land for centuries, had so thoroughly assimilated the language, social organization, and culture of Cannaan that little remained to distinguish one group from the other. The dominant pre-Israelite population was thus in race and language not different from Israel herself.” [[421]] [[422]] Israel pg. 137-143
“During the period of the Empire, as we have seen, Palestine was divided into a number of relatively small city-states, each of which was ruled by a king who, as the Pharaoh’s vassal, exercised control over the outlying towns and villages of his modest domain. Society was feudal in structure, consisting of a hereditary patrician class, a pesantry that was only half free, and numerous slaves, but apparently with very little of a middle class. Under such a system the lot of the poor was hard, and it scarcely improved as centuries of Egyptian taxation and misrule drained the land of its wealth. Moreover, the endless quarrels between city lords, which Egypt often chose to ignore, must have been disastrous for poor villagers, who were often unable to work their fields and were taxed and concripted to boot. The Amarna letters let us see the situation clearly. They also show us ‘Apiru making trouble from one end of the land to the other. As we have said, these ‘Apiru were not newcomers pressing in from the desert. Rather, they were rootless people without place in established society, who had either been alienated from it or never integrated within it, and who eked out an existence in remoter areas on its fringes; they readily turned into freebooters and bandits. Slaves, abused peasants, and ill-paid mercenaries would be tempted to run away and join them- i.e., to “become Hebrews.” Sometimes whole areas went over to them. We have seen how they succeeded in gaining control of a considerable domain centerd upon Schechem. The city lords feared these people, implored the Pharaoh for protection against them, and accused on another of consorting with them. Their fears were well grounded: the system of which they were a part was threatened.” [[422]] [[423]] Israel pg. 129-133 (107-143)
“The problem arises in part of the Bible itself, for the Bible does not present us with one single, coherent account of the conquest. According to the main account (Josh., chs, 1 to 12), the conquest represented a concerted effort by all Isreal, and was sudden, bloody, and complete.
Still we must reckon with the possibility that in certain cases there has been a telescoping of events in the Biblical tradition. The Israelite “conquest” of Palestine was actually a long drawn-out affair; it began with the partiarchal migrations far back in the Bronze Age, and it was not finally completed until the time of David. The Isreal that emerged drew together within its structure groups of traditions of conquests made by their ancestors as they came into the land, and it is conceivable that, as the normative conquest tradition took shape, events that took place at widely separated times may have been combined within it- under the rubric of “conquest”, one might say.” [[423]] [[424]] Israel pg. 129-133
“It has long been the fashion to credit the latter picture at the expense of the former. The narative of Joshua is part of a great history of Israel from Moses to the exile, comprising the books Dueteronomy-Kings and first composed probably late in the seventh century. Many think that the picture of an unified invasion of Palestine is the author’s idealization. They regard the narratives as a row of separate traditions, chiefly of an etiological character (i.e., developed to explain the origin of some custom or landmark) and of minimal historical value, originally unconnected with one another or, for the most part, with Joshua- who was an Ephraimite tribal hero who was secondarily made into the leader of a united Isreal. They hold that there was no violent conquest at all, but that the Israelite tribes occupied Palestine by a gradual, and for the most part peaceful, process of infiltration. But this understanding of the matter would seem to be as one-sided as the conventional one, which viewed the conquest as a single, massive, organized military operation. Both views doubtless contain elements of truth. But the actual events that established Israel on the soil of Palestine were assuredly vastly more complex than a simplistic presentation of either view would suggest.” [[424]] [[425]] Compare Israel pg. 114-117, 137-143 to Israel pg. 414-427; I would also recommend using a good encyclopedia and comparing cultures such as the Ptolemies to Egypt’s New Kingdom and the Seleucids to the Hittites. [[425]] [[426]] Israel pg. 114-115, 174-176 (this book becomes increasingly difficult to use as a reference after the Late Bronze because the author begins to intertwine the Bible with the archaeology and does not clearly state the sources for his interpretations); Grolier, Sea Peoples [[426]] [[427]] Israel pg. 114-115; Grolier, Sea Peoples
“Among the Peoples of the Sea, Marniptah lists Shardina, ‘Aqiwasha, Turusha, Ruka (Luka), and Shakarusha. These people, some of whom (Luka, Shardina) we have met as mercenaries at the battle of Kadesh, were of Aegean origin, as their names indicate: e.g., Luka are Lycians, ‘Aqiwasha(also the Ahhiyawa of western Asia Minor), are probably Acaeans; Shardina would subsequently give their name to Sardinina,…”↵

Zapotec pg. 92: “Finally, we are struck by our current lack of evidence for similar public buildings on the Gulf Coast of southern Veracruz and Tabasco. Thirty years ago that coastal plain, sometimes referred to as the Olmec region, was labeled “precocious” in its social evolution. The last two decades have shown that view to be partly true, partly hyperbole, and partly the result of our previous ignorance of Chiapas and Oaxaca. There were indeed villages in the Olmec region between 1400 and 1200 BC, but their pottery has recently been described as a “country-cousin version” of the more sophisticated ceramics at contemporary sites on the Chiapas Coast.”
Mexico pg. 62: “In contradiction to this hypothesis, some compelling evidence has been advanced by the linguists Lyle Campbell and Terence Kaufman strongly suggesting that the Olmecs spoke an ancestral form of Mixe-Zoquean. There are a large number of Mixe-Zoquean loan words, such as pom (‘copan incense’), associated with high-status activities and ritual typical of early civilization. Although the dominant language of the Olmec area was until recently a form of Nahua, this is generally believed to be a relatively late arrival; on the other hand, Popoloca, a member of the Mixe-Zoquean family, is still spoken along the eastern slopes of the Tuxtla Mountains, in the very region from which the Olmec obtained the basalt for their monuments. Since the Olmec wer the great, early, culture-bearing force in Mesoamerica, the case for Mixe-Zoquean is very strong.”
Maya pg. 63: “Who might have they been? It will be remembered from Chapter 1 that the most likely candidate for the language of the Olmecs was an early form of Mixe-Zoquean; languages belonging to this group are still spoken on the Isthmus of Tehuantapec and in western Chiapas. Many scholars are now willing to ascribe the earliest Long Count monumnets outside the Maya area prope to Mixe-Zoquean as well, adn a recent dicovery in southern Veracruz may provide confirmation. This is Stela I from La Majarra, a magnificent monumnet inscribed with two Bak’tun 8 dates corresponding repectively to AD 143 and 156. These are accompanied by a text of about 400 signs, in a script which is now called “Isthmian.”↵

–

INTRODUCTION

It may be helpful to read Introduction to scriptural archeology for an introduction to this article covering important background information on why archeological dating methods give screwed results and on the geographical alteration of the narrow neck of land.

(To clarify dates, throughout the rest of the text scriptural/historical dates are preceded by S/H; while archaeological dates, including carbon dates, are preceded by A/C. In printed versions, footnotes which reference scriptures are in red; footnotes which reference archaeological sources are in black).

Correlated timeline of archeological and scriptural dates

THE SCATTERING AT BABEL AND THE EARLY JAREDITE CULTURE. Archaeologists place the first modern humans in the Near East’s fertile crescent around 100,00 years ago ^[72], which, according to our calibrated timeline, is immediately after the Flood. From there man was “scattered . . . abroad . . . upon the face of all the earth . . .” (Genesis 11:8) ^[73]; scientists following the path of homo sapiens identify a major scattering between 40,000 and 70,000 years ago when modern man spread from the Near East to Europe, the Far East, Australia, and the Americas ^[74]. In America, studies of hereditary traits on the first group of PaleoIndians to reach America have concluded that they consisted of no more than a handful of families (S/H: around 2100 BC; A/C: around 40,000 years ago) ^[75]/ ^[76]. The two earliest major PaleoIndian cultures that developed from this handful of families, the Clovis Culture and the Folsom Culture , spread widely but sparsely from the Southwestern United States to cover most of the continental United States ^[77]/ ^[78].

OMER AND HIS HOUSEHOLD. As this early period in American Prehistory was coming to a close, a small group of families left the core area and settled “by the seashore” directly east of the hill Cumorah (Ether 9:1–13) ^[79]. The group of sites, in and around northeastern Massachusetts, are called the Bull Brook Complex by archaeologists ^[80]. Clovis points found at several of the sites tie it to the Southwest ^[81]. Building on excavations by D.S. Byers in the mid-50’s ^[82], archaeological societies in the Northeast have pieced together the history of the Bull Brook Complex ^[83]. Their findings and subsequent analysis have shown the interactions of a system of organized, interdependent groups with specialized work force networks ^[84]. It is recognized as containing the highest level of social structure in America at that time ^[85], which would be expected in a “refugee camp” of the royal household ^[86].

PRE-DEARTH JAREDITE CULTURE. . As Moroni attests, the next archaeological period saw the rise of a richer and more diversified culture ^[87]/ ^[88]. The Plano and Early Eastern Archaic Cultures fanned across the continent (S/H: around 1600-1200 BC; A/C: around 8500-6000 BC) ^[89]. Scientists have found the full spectrum of plants and animals corresponding to the days of Emer. According to Moroni, during the early Pre-Dearth Jaredite time period they had “all manner of cattle, of oxen, and cows, and of sheep, and of swine, and of goats, and also many other kinds of animals which were useful for the food of man.” ^[90]Archaeologists have found many species of American bison from this time period, which ruminants are classified by zoologists as wild cattle, oxen and cows (family Bovidae, genus Bos) ^[91]. Similarly, there are food remains of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain goats at many sites from this period ^[92]. Peccaries are animals from this period which are classified as swine and are in the same group as domestic pigs and hogs (sub-order Suina) ^[93]. The “many other kinds of animals” of Moroni’s list would include deer, elk, moose, caribou, and pronghorn ^[94]. Thanks to new site-investigation methods, scientists have found that fruits, grains and vegetables were part of the PaleoIndian diet ^[95]; the Darwinian view that the PaleoIndians were merely carnivorous stockers of megafauna is being abandoned. More careful analysis of early sites and artifacts is yielding increasing evidence of fine textiles ^[96], which means the people didn’t just wear rough animal hides. Moroni also mentions that horses, elephants, cureloms and cumoms were useful to man, and that elephants and cureloms and cumoms were “more especially” useful to man (Ether 9:19). Potential beasts of burden which have been found in association with PaleoIndians include horses, tapirs, mammoths, mastodons, giant bison, giant ground sloths, and camels ^[97]. Coincidentally, the horse and the tapir would not have been very useful as beasts of burden because the Ice Age variety existent at this time were only about the size of a dog ^[98]; hence, it was the elephants and cureloms and cumoms which were “more especially” useful to man.

THE GREAT DEARTH. Then the PaleoIndian culture was rocked. In the scriptures, we read of secret combinations infesting society, and then a chastening, in the form of a great dearth (Ether 9:30–35). Archaeologists attest that it was probably the worst famine in North American history. Mass extinction spread across America as the Ice Age came to a rapid and catastrophic close ^[99]. Excess hunting by starving people and severe environmental changes drove the megafauna to extinction ^[100]. Scientists have found that serpents were abundant at that time in the American Southwest (as they are today) and the closing of the Ice Age caused many varied migrations in snake species across North America ^[101]. The serpents and the drought divided the people in the north from the fauna, which escaped to the south ^[102]. When the climate finally recovered, the people instigated a revolution in agriculture ^[103]/ ^[104], since they had now lost their domesticated animals.

POST-DEARTH JAREDITE CULTURE. Moroni’s next exposition on culture comes in the days of Lib (Ether 10:18–28). My corresponding period is labeled by archaeologists as the Middle and Late Archaic. Often indistinguishable from one another, these two cultural periods represent a major advancement over the preceding culture ^[105]. Again the culture spread across North America from coast to coast ^[106]. There were villages, agriculture, and widespread trade networks ^[107]. South of the narrow neck, in the Mexican highland and beyond, the only inhabitants we find are organized hunting parties, which “coincidentally” brought spear points of North American manufacture and style ^[108]/ ^[109]. Scientists recognize metallurgy from this time period, and copper is the most common metal found ^[110]/ ^[111]. Many fine textiles have also survived from this period ^[112]/ ^[113]. Moroni says they made “all manner of tools to till the earth, both to plow and to sow, to reap and to hoe, and also to thrash” ^[114]. He also says they had, “all manner of tools with which they did work their beasts” (Ether 10:26–27). Most of the tools on this list have been found by archaeologists at sites dating to the Middle and Late Archaic ^[115]. New weapons were also invented and manufactured, although archaeologists currently view them only as hunting weapons ^[116]/ ^[117]. Another major industry of the Jaredites was wood exploitation ^[118]. A huge assortment of woodworking tools has been found at Archaic period sites across the Nation ^[119]. Truly this was a highly-developed culture—a time of great prosperity. How tragic that they lost it all because of secret combinations! ^[120]

THE DESOLATION OF THE JAREDITES. The desolation of the Jaredites began in the Southwest and climaxed in New York State ^[121]. It is witnessed archaeologically by a widespread “cremation” burial culture ^[122]. Continent-wide scientists find a change in burial customs from proper burials to cremation burials and “ceremonial” burning of homes and entire villages (Shiz and his army) ^[123]/ ^[124]. Archaeologists have also found evidence of large-scale “bundle burials,” which is the practice of bundling the disarticulated, defleshed bones of dead people in bags or cordages, and then either burying them or dumping them in the trash ^[125]. Surely it was a gruesome scene that the first Nephites to re-inhabit the desolate land northward were required to witness and clean up ^[126].

Correlated timeline of archeological and scriptural dates

THE ARRIVAL OF THE NEPHITES AND MULEKITES. The Jaredites were the sole inhabitants of America until two small groups of sea-going travelers crossed the Pacific (S/H: 600 BC; A/C: 3000 BC). As early as 1916 scholars had identified the general location of the two landing sites. G. Elliot Smith published an article with Science titled “The Origin of the Pre-Columbian Civilization of America” in which he detailed ethnological evidence of the landings and further showed how scholars of that day had attempted to cover up the findings because they lent support to the Bible and against Darwinism ^[127]. In his book, Articles of Faith, James E. Talmage describes the author’s findings: “Dr. Smith presents an impressive array of evidence pointing to the Old World and specifically to Egypt, as the source of many of the customs by which the American aborigines are distinguished. The article is accompanied by a map showing . . . two landing places on the west coast, one in Mexico and another near the boundary common to Peru and Chile, from which place the immigrants spread.” ^[128]Archaeological evidence has further refined these findings. Most archaeologists now agree to a South American landing, putting it a little further north, specifically in modern Ecuador ^[129](which “coincidentally” lies “a little south of the Isthmus of Darien” ^[130]). The location of the second landing spot is unknown; characteristic artifacts also point to the west coast of Mexico ^[131]— legend puts it at a place called “seven caverns” ^[132]. Both the Valdivia culture of Ecuador (the Lehites), and the Otomangue-speaking people of the Mexican highland (the Mulekites), brought the first true pottery to the Americas; in both cultures the pottery was already well-developed even at the earliest sites ^[133]. Both cultures are distinguished as being the first harvesters of cultigens (plants incapable of growing without human help), the most important cultigen being corn ^[134]. The architecture and burial customs of these two groups can easily be tied to the Old World. Square waddle and daub homes with storage pits in the floor dotted their lands ^[135]. Their temples and public buildings are extremely similar to those of Egypt and Israel. Subfloor burials and burial positions also match those of the Middle East ^[136].

EARLY MULEKITE CULTURE. The newly arrived Otomangue-speaking culture (Mulekites) began to spread across the Mexican highland (Zarahemla). Although they covered a large area, they lived in small scattered villages, and archaeologists recognize very little social structure among them ^{[137] [138]}.

EARLY LEHITE CULTURE. The Valdivia culture also fanned out over a large area, stylistic pottery has been traced from Ecuador up through Columbia and Panama into Coastal areas of Guatemala and Southern Chiapas ^[139]. When Nephi fled from his brothers ^[140], it seems that he led his followers to the central depression of Chiapas and settled in the Grijalva river valley. The first cultural layers there are of a unique, tight-knit group (Zoque/early Nephite), centered around Chiapa de Corzo (the land of Nephi), which remained separate from the surrounding cultures that were developing (Maya/Lamanite) ^[141]/ ^[142]. The Nephite culture began the seeds of civilization which later influenced all of Mesoamerica, and eventually all of North America ^[143]. Some of the Lamanites appear to have followed Nephi’s party; a group associated with the early Maya (Lamanites) settled further up in the Grijalva river valley ^[144]. Other groups remained in South America which over time developed very independent cultures ^[145]; apparently not associated with the history outlined in the Book of Mormon.

EARLY LAMANITE CULTURE. The Lamanites (early Maya) digressed and became a very primitive people ^[146]/ ^[147]. Archaeologists label them as “hunters and gatherers,” because they stocked the forests for game, lived in tents and temporary shelters, and practiced limited agriculture ^[148]/ ^[149]. They did some fishing, and they had very limited agriculture (primarily limited to picking wild fruits and edible roots) ^[150]. Archaeologists think it was because they did not have the technology, the scriptures teach that it was because they were lazy.

Warfare is evident as archaeologists find a large assortment of weapons, far exceeding the needs of mere hunters ^[151]. The early Maya (Lamanites) set up chiefdoms in each local community; at this early date they do not appear to have been a cohesive unit, but rather groups of village communities, competing and perhaps fighting with each other for resources ^[152] — apparently united only in their hatred toward the Nephites ^[153]. Laman and Lemuel seem to have taught their children the pagan practices they had learned in Jerusalem. Archaeologists find cultic artifacts associated with the worship of a fertility goddess; they also worshipped Chac, who is the Maya equivalent of Baal from the Old World ^[154]. In this early period we also see the beginnings of the Jaguar cult. The Maya made costumes from the coats of beasts of prey and used these costumes in religious rituals ^[155]/ ^[156]. Early Mayan vices match those Enos and Jarom attributed to the Lamanites: pornography in the form of nude ceramic figurines, idleness, and drunkenness (typically chicha, an alcohol made from corn) ^[157]/ ^[158].

The Formative

INTRODUCTION TO THE FORMATIVE. At the dawn of the formative period there were several major demographic shifts which set the stage for the developing cultures. First, King Mosiah I and his people left the Land of Nephi (Chiapa de Corzo) and traveled to Zarahemla (central Mexico) to join the Mulekites (S/H: around 200 BC; A/C: around 1400 BC) ^[159]. This is seen archaeologically as an influx of Mixe-zoquean culture brings new advances to central Mexico, and public buildings begin to appear in the larger villages ^[160].

THE PEOPLE OF ZENIFF. Back in Chiapa de Corzo (the land of Nephi), the surrounding culture (Maya/Lamanites) destroyed all traces of the departing group (Nephites) ^[161]/ ^[162]. Shortly, however, high culture returned to the valley ^[163]as Zeniff and his people arrive and begin to build anew many public buildings and restore the land ^[164]/ ^[165]. The new inhabitants of Chiapa de Corzo (people of Zeniff) were an ethnically distinct group which did not mix with the surrounding Maya (Lamanites) ^[166]/ ^[167]. Initially their culture was very similar to that of central Mexico (from which they had come), but the similarities decreased as time went on and they (the people of Zeniff, now led by King Noah) became extravagant in their prosperity. Lavishness dominates the architecture and material culture of this period ^[168]/ ^[169]. Just before Chiapa de Corzo returned to Mayan Culture (Lamanites), the people of the Grijalva depression gave birth to one of the richest and most influential Mesoamerican cultures of the pre-Christian era—the Olmecs (Amulonites) ^[170]/ ^[171].

THE AMULONITES AND THEIR INFLUENCE OVER THE LAMANITES. The Amulonite (Olmec) culture seems to have developed in the lowlands of Veracruz, Mexico. The simple farming village of San Lorenzo (probably Helam) ^[172]/ ^[173]suddenly began a massive public works effort using slave labor (probably the followers of Alma) {{174}}/ {{175}}. Soon a handful of great cities commenced, and Olmec influence spread to other lands {{176}}/ {{177}}. Olmec art and religious themes support an Amulonite correlation: powerful, dominating priests, were-jaguar babies, female dancers, and a plethora of demi-gods and idols {{178}}/ {{179}}. Throughout the Mayan lands, Olmec teachers began to train the Maya (Lamanites) in the language and learning of the Mexican highland people (the Nephites) {{180}}/ {{181}}. With this new education the Maya began to prosper and make many technological advances {{182}}/ {{183}}. New trade networks spread across southern Mexico, the Yucatan and Guatemala, and all roads passed through Olmec lands, which made them vastly rich and extremely influential {{184}}. Some archaeologists call the Olmecs the “mother culture” of Mesoamerica {{185}}.

THE FALL OF THE AMULONITES. As prophesied by Abinadi, the Amulonites (Olmecs) were soon devastated {{186}}/ {{187}}. Using a cesium magnetometer to detect buried basalt, Michael Coe, a professor of Anthropology at Yale University, and his group found mounds of monuments purposefully defaced, smashed and buried at San Lorenzo {{188}}. Other Olmec sites excavated in the area told the same story: seemingly the Maya (Lamanites) living among the Olmecs (Amulonites) in their gulf-coast empire revolted, defacing and smashing monuments, destroying buildings {{189}}/ {{190}}, and as the Book of Mormon teaches us, massacring the ruling class (the descendants of the priests of Noah) {{191}}. The great Olmecs suddenly disappeared, but their influence over the Maya was seen forever afterward. The sparsely-populated Mayan lands were soon covered with huge temples and city-centers with art and architecture reminiscent of the Olmec style {{192}}.

THE NEPHITES- ALMA THE ELDER AND KING MOSIAH II. Meanwhile, in central Mexico, Alma and his followers escaped to Zarahemla and established the church throughout the Mexican highland {{193}}, witnessed archaeologically by new temples and synagogues built throughout the land {{194}}. Then, several decades later, Mosiah II founded a new democratic government {{195}}, and each land began to build government buildings alongside the new temples (S/H: 91 BC; A/C: around 850 BC) {{196}}. Under the leadership of these inspired founders, the diverse societies of central Mexico integrated to become a very prosperous people {{197}}/ {{198}}. Unfortunately, in many communities this prosperity led to pride, social classes, and perversions, which are all quite visible in the material culture they left behind {{199}}/ {{200}}.

Pre-Classic

THE NEPHITES- CAPTAIN MORONI. These two great nations, the Nephites on the Mexican Plateau and the Lamanites (Maya) in Southern Mexico, Guatemala and Yucatan, began to experience greater conflicts {{201}}/ {{202}}. Foreseeing the coming challenges, Captain Moroni prepared his people and their lands {{203}}. First, the weak lands were fortified and the southern frontier was strengthened {{204}}/ {{205}}. Hilltop fortifications began to dot southern Mexico in Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Guerrero {{206}}/ {{207}}. Great urban fortresses were created {{208}}/ {{209}}. For example, at Monte Alban (Manti), researchers from the University of Michigan found that some leader (Moroni) inspired the people of the valley of Oaxaca to move to the top of a nearby hill in the former “no man’s land” between two warring nations, and there build a fortress with up to 10,000 inhabitants {{210}}. The site has natural cliffs surrounding the city, its temples and its public buildings on three sides; on the fourth side, excavators found a two-mile long wall of earth and stone which still stands almost 30 feet tall and 50-60 feet thick {{211}}/ {{212}}. No wonder Mormon venerated the leadership, courage and vision of Captain Moroni and the manner in which he prepared his people for war.

After Amalickiah’s first attack, a second phase of construction was begun in which fortified cities and hilltop fortresses were built throughout the land of Zarahemla {{213}}which appears to have stretched from Oaxaca to Jalisco and from southwestern Michoacan to northern Veracruz {{214}}. Also, the Book of Mormon records Moroni pushing the Lamanites out of the east wilderness and on the west, then building new cities in these areas in order to create a more defensible border {{215}}. Excavations in southern and western Oaxaca and Guerrero, as well as central Veracruz are now showing such movements of peoples and the construction of new large defensive cities and fortresses {{216}}.

During the time that fortifications were being built in the Mexican highland, a massive weapons production industry commenced throughout Mesoamerica, both in the Mexican Highland (Zarahemla) and in Maya (Lamanite) lands {{217}}/ {{218}}. To accommodate these war preparations, the peoples of the Mexican Highland (Nephites) made major breakthroughs in agriculture and built massive irrigation systems {{219}}. From that time forward, urbanization and trade specialization, with accompanying prosperity, enveloped the Nephite lands {{220}}/ {{221}}.

The great war of Moroni’s time, and the wars that followed, are seen archaeologically in demographic and cultural movements of this time period {{222}}, and in numerous monuments depicting warriors and captives in both Highland Mexico and Maya lands {{223}}. The Lamanites displaced and jumbled the Nephites numerous times {{224}}. There was also a great cultural mixing when groups of Lamanites converted to the Nephite religion and went to live among the Nephites {{225}}, and also when groups became captives {{226}}. Cities experienced occasional upheavals, but most of them changed hands without noticeable ruin {{227}}/ {{228}}.

THE NEPHITES- 57 BC TO AD 33. Time brought greater prosperity {{229}}, which led to ornamentation and extravagant housewares {{230}}. Robbers also infested the land during this period {{231}}—archaeologist have found that many of the graves of nobles and of wealthy people were broken into and the riches were stolen {{232}}. The Book of Mormon teaches that as wars continued numerous groups sought refuge and peace by migrating to far-away lands {{233}}. Archaeologists date the Adena people’s arrival in the Ohio River Valley at this time {{234}}. The Adena cleared the land of the carnage and waste the land’s former inhabitants (the Jaredites) had left {{235}}/ {{236}}, and they brought a new culture with the advancements and technologies of their Mexican homeland {{237}}. Others moved to the Southwestern United States, becoming the earliest Mogollon peoples {{238}}. Those who arrived in North America found a land covered with lakes and rivers—a much more lush environment than the one they had left {{239}}. The Southwest Cultures are famous for their dwellings of stone and cement; cultures of the East for tents; both cultures also built simple homes of scrawny wood poles and thatched walls and roof {{240}}. In a short time the continent was covered with hamlets and villages {{241}}/ {{242}}. The people soon turned to pagan and perverted practices, which spoiled their previously wholesome culture {{243}}/ {{244}}. There is evidence that the first Polynesians reached the Pacific Islands around this same time period {{245}}/ {{246}}.

–

THE NEPHITES- ZION. . The destruction at the time of Christ was discussed earlier. As the ash settled {{247}}/ {{248}}, a new culture spread across the land {{249}}/ {{250}}. In some ways, this new culture was more monolithic; in other ways it was more diverse. Throughout the Americas a new two-room temple replaced varying former styles {{251}}. A utopia of peace and prosperity is spoken of in legends {{252}}/ {{253}}. There is no evidence of weapons being used at this time {{254}}, and the murals, figurines, and architecture show designs of nature, lines of symmetry and harmony, and displays of pleasant animals and domestic life {{255}}. Gone are all signs of a military elite, governmental force, and coercion {{256}}. The Hopewell, the Anasazi, the Mogollon, Teotihuacan, the Maya—continent-wide, the traits are the same {{257}}. The great peace resulting “because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people” (4 Nephi 1:15).

The people were united in righteousness {{258}}, yet at the same time, the culture became more diverse, as the focus turned from making a profit to making quality products and upholding the ideals of family and community {{259}}. Local artisans replaced the mass-production and expansive trade networks of the preceding period {{260}}. Thus there was no need to travel extensively “on business,” so people could spend more time with their families. Family gardens replaced mass-produced food {{261}}. People ate a greater variety of food, but their food was of more local origin {{262}}. Analysis of skeletons shows that the people were healthier and enjoyed longer life spans than during the preceding period {{263}}. The arts flowered during this period {{264}}. The number and variety of musical instruments greatly increased {{265}}. Pottery and other goods became more useful and more beautiful, and less ornamental and extravagant {{266}}. A much greater variety of artifacts is found, but in much smaller quantities than before, and with much less waste {{267}}. The prosperity was great throughout all of the Americas and in all areas of human development, “because of their prosperity in Christ” (4 Nephi 1:23).

In the early classic period the church became very wealthy {{268}}. The people donated their time and skills to the creation and maintenance of beautiful temples and public centers {{269}}. The population exploded {{270}}, but at the same time, the cities became less dense as the communities were reorganized and the people spread out across the land {{271}}. Even the biggest “cities” were only lightly populated, yet they contained ceremonial centers and public buildings large enough to accommodate all the people of the surrounding villages {{272}}. Social classes disappeared, yet the standard of living increased everywhere {{273}}; And “they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God” (4 Nephi 1:17) {{274}}.
It was beautiful. Everything Mormon said was true. Then they lost it all. The line is not clear, but little by little it all slipped away. The late pre-classic ugliness returned, and this time it was even more vile.

THE NEPHITES- PRIDE. As the people became proud, they began to flaunt the wealth they had accumulated over many years of righteousness and prosperity {{275}}. In the archaeological record, we begin to find much larger houses than existed in the preceding period {{276}}, more decorated pottery {{277}}, personal ornamentation (including pearls and elaborate clothing) {{278}}/ {{279}}, extravagant burials of the dead {{280}}, and new long-distance trade networks {{281}}/ {{282}}. They painted murals showing images of power, with soldiers, weapons, kings, priests, slaves, and eventually human sacrifice {{283}}. They built new cities with defense in mind {{284}}, and the existing cities became more dense, decreasing in total area despite the fact that the population was still growing {{285}}/ {{286}}. We see evidence of the rise of social classes, with a new elite class and a definite peasant class {{287}}/ {{288}}. The social classes are most apparent in the big cities.

Political players began to build up monuments to themselves, often showing off their accomplishments {{289}}. We see a cultural split, as the people broke up into different groups {{290}}/ {{291}}. As displays of wealth and power emerged in society and later in government, the church was divided, as the people in every land sought to raise up their own version of Quetzalcoatl (Christ), and to join him with a new pantheon of gods and demigods {{292}}/ {{293}}. In the major ceremonial centers, a priestly class began to exercise power and influence {{294}}/ {{295}}. Temples and temple complexes became colossal and extravagant {{296}}, and often the priests raised themselves to the position of gods or claimed descent from the gods {{297}}. Priests and government leaders began to deform the skulls of their children, and to give themselves and their children tattoos and body paint, all in an effort to separate themselves and their children from the “commoners” {{298}}. Gated communities were developed to protect the elite from the lower class {{299}}.

On the eve of society’s collapse, the pride turned absolutely disgusting {{300}}. Most of the pottery and art became warped, lewd and pornographic {{301}}. Mass production fed trade networks which branched across the continent and resources were exploited on a massive scale {{302}}/ {{303}}. Food production became intense, and the general health of the people correspondingly deteriorated; the incidence of disease increased significantly and life expectancies dropped drastically {{304}}. Body piercing became the norm {{305}}, tobacco and drugs were used widely; smoking was done in smoke houses and in private homes, with cigarettes and with pipes {{306}}. Huge ball courts covered the land {{307}}, in some places ball players rose to the state of gods {{308}}. The ball games became very bloody {{309}}, and in many places they were accompanied with mass killing and human sacrificing of the winners or losers depending on the local religion {{310}}; in other areas the losers become the slaves of the winners’ rulers {{311}}. Many people wasted their income on various forms of gambling—they rooted on their favorite teams, or played games of chance with dice and bones {{312}}. In many areas the workmanship of the structures built during this period was poor, but it was covered with decorative plaster, and was elaborately finished {{313}}. Cultic symbols and status symbols are found everywhere {{314}}.

THE NEPHITES- DESTRUCTION. Truly this society was ripe for destruction {{315}}. The Book of Mormon tells us that the destruction took place quickly {{316}}. Archaeology tells us that it occurred on a massive scale {{317}}, larger than most probably ever imagined— although Mormon tried to help us understand {{318}}.

The great war appears to have been started in central Yucatan by a group which archaeologists call the Putun Maya {{319}}. As they gained power they continued west and north, and eventually attacked the Mexican highland {{320}}. Great murals tell the story of their advances; they were the eagle warriors of the jaguar cult (the Lamanites), and they sought to exterminate the cult of the feathered serpent named Quetzalcoatl (the Nephites) {{321}}. Eventually the great city of Zarahemla (Teotihuacan) was attacked, but the invaders were pushed back {{322}}/ {{323}}. Then, as Mormon relates, Zarahemla (Teotihuacan) was laid waste {{324}}. Archaeologists have uncovered the entire story: the great Teotihuacan was burned and looted, monuments were defaced, columns were toppled, temples were desecrated, and the luxurious palaces were left in ruin {{325}}.

The Lamanites’ pursuit of the Nephites can be followed from Teotihuacan to Western Mexico, to sites such as Alta Vista and Chalchihuites (perhaps Angola or the Land of David?) {{326}}/ {{327}}and then to the seashore, to Amapa and other sites in Nayarit and southern Sinaloa (probably the land of Joshua) {{328}}/ {{329}}, a land archaeologists have found was filled with robbers and Maya during this period {{330}}/ {{331}}. From there the Nephites continued their flight into the “land northward” {{332}}. It appears that the massacre stopped when the Nephites reached Chaco Canyon (Shem), in New Mexico and were able to fortify it {{333}}/ {{334}}. There the Nephites held back their pursuers and the bloodshed stopped for a season while God sent forth missionaries and prophets to give the people one last chance {{335}}. Archaeologists have found circular religious structures, called kivas, appearing throughout Anasazi lands during this period {{336}}, which perhaps shows that Mormon knew some success {{337}}, though his own testimony indicates that any success was short lived as the wickedness persisted {{338}}.

For ten years a peace treaty was in effect {{339}}; archaeology shows that the Maya (Lamanites) of Yucatan and Maya Chichimec of West Mexico came together and began building the great Toltec kingdom {{340}}. Toltec legend speaks of the war between Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, and Tezcatlipoca, the principal god of the Jaguar Cult {{341}}. The Toltecs boast Quetzalcoatl’s defeat and subsequent flight {{342}}. As the population of Tula was exploding {{343}}, archaeologists find an abandonment of Yucatan by that area’s elite {{344}}. Recruits by the thousands flooded out of Yucatan to their new blood-thirsty, warrior kingdom centered in the Mexican Highland {{345}}. Many were also moved to the battle line in Western Mexico, as archaeologists find a large influx of Toltec peoples with strong Maya ties building up fortresses and making war preparations {{346}}.

The kingdom of the Nephites centered in the Southwestern United States, and although they focused on defending the land for a short time {{347}}/ {{348}}, they soon turned their focus to the “god” of money {{349}}. Trade networks covered the Southwestern United States {{350}}, and turquoise, which was lusted after by the Toltecs, was mined on a huge scale to be traded for exotic Mesoamerican goods {{351}}. Ball courts, gated communities, lewd pottery and art, body painting, body piercing, gigantic cities, social classes—the signs of pride and wickedness—have been found by archaeologists throughout the Southwest United States and Northwest Mexico (the Nephite lands) {{352}}.

Then, at the end of this fragile moment of peace, destruction continued {{353}}. The blood-thirsty Lamanites (Toltecs) based in a city just south of our narrow neck of land (probably La Quemada) came up against the Nephite armies which were based in Desolation (Zape in northern Durango?) {{354}}/ {{355}}. The Lamanites were repulsed and counterattacked, but they soon swept Desolation and later Teancum (most likely Guasave on the Pacific Coast) {{356}}. From there the fleeing Nephites followed the turquoise trail to Boaz {{357}}, now known as Paquime or Casas Grandes in Chihuahua. Charles C. Di Peso, the first archaeologists to conduct large-scale excavations at the site, found signs of a great slaughter at Paquime {{358}}. Unburied dead bodies were strewn across the site, some had been shoved into the ducts of the water system, others sacrificed to pagan gods, but the majority were just left to rot and be preyed upon by wolves and vultures {{359}}. Mormon painfully records these same events, as he stood back, watching: “And (the Nephites) fled again from before (the Lamanites), and they came to the city Boaz; and there . . . the Nephites were driven and slaughtered with an exceedingly great slaughter; {{and}}their women and their children were again sacrificed unto idols” (Mormon 4:20–21).

The slaughter spread across the entire Southwestern United States {{360}}. Thousands of sites from this period have been found in which the site was either abandoned or burned or the people were slaughtered {{361}}/ {{362}}. In many places the people abandoned their scattered farms and gathered together to build great fortified cities to defend themselves, only to be massacred {{363}}/ {{364}}. But this was not a peaceful, righteous people being victimized. There is evidence of cannibalism among the Anasazi and other Southwestern Cultures (the Nephites) {{365}}/ {{366}}.

Archaeologists have found human bones in cooking vessels, necklaces made of human skin or bones, and mobiles made of human bones and skulls which seem to have been used as trophies—signs of status and prestige {{367}}. They have found apparent ceremonial assemblages of skulls which were presented to false gods {{368}}. At Salmon Ruin, New Mexico (possibly the tower of Sherrizah) {{369}} women and children were abandoned by their covenant protectors, and the children were burned alive, caught in the top of the tower {{370}}. There are countless archaeological and scriptural evidences of the deplorable state of the Anasazi/Nephites; their brutal mutilation and total annihilation are painful to read about.

The destruction in the Southwest climaxed at a line of sites from Mesa Verde, Colorado (probably Jordan {{371}}) to Albuquerque, New Mexico {{372}}. The entire Southwestern United States and Northwest Mexico was left desolate, except for a few small scattered groups of refugees who hid in caves {{373}}/ {{374}}. But the destruction continued.

The line of sites mentioned above was actually a line of defense built to protect the great expanse of the American Midwest {{375}}. The Nephites who covered the Midwest are called Mississippians by archaeologists. Highly influenced by Mesoamerica and the Southwest {{376}}, their culture had also passed through the cycle of simple and peaceful {{377}}to ugly and proud {{378}}. Their artwork from this period glorifies death and perversion {{379}}. There are carvings of goules, war dances, and the murdering of captives, and these are found alongside symbols of Christ (hands with marks appearing to symbolize the crucifixion) and symbols of Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, displaying decapitated heads as a symbol of his power {{380}}. These were not ignorant people suffering for the sins of their parents; they were in open rebellion against God {{381}}. They refused to repent and trust in God, but rather put their trust in the arm of flesh thinking that could protect their lives. It would not be and never has been {{382}}.

Soon after the cultures of the American Southwest were slaughtered, the Mississippian culture disappeared {{383}}. Huge ceremonial centers, like Cahokia in southern Illinois, built in the styles of the Mexican Highland, were suddenly depopulated without evidence of struggle or warfare—sites are not burned as in the Southwest, nor are the dead strewn across the landscape {{384}}. Because of the late carbon dates obtained from these sites some archaeologist have attempted to show that the people just redistributed themselves around the local area {{385}}. However, the Book of Mormon as well as the immense collections of arrowheads dating all the way back to the archaic found canvassing parts of New York State and the entire New England area speaks of a great desolation (The Book of Mormon states the final battles occurred in the “land of Comorah”, which likely encompasses a large portion of New England; not just around the current Hill Comorah as many have supposed) {{386}}/ {{387}}.

Truly God is unveiling his truth in the eyes of all the world. It remains for us to read with faith, work with strength, and repent of our pride. We must go forward in a definite way and bring to pass the covenants of the Father and build up the kingdom of God upon the earth; both in small and simple ways and by making preparations for works of greatness.

OLD WORLD (BIBLICAL) ARCHEOLOGY
After I had found many evidences of events in the Book of Mormon, and had developed a revised timeline for archaeology, I became curious as to whether my timeline would also work if I used it on Old World archaeology. I found many interesting “coincidences”. Following is a very brief account of a few of my findings. An entire paper on the subject will be forthcoming.

Evidence of pre-flood cultures appear to be entirely missing from the archaeological record. It is as if Earth’s baptism literally washed her clean. She contained no trace of the former sins of her inhabitants. Most of the early homo sapiens cultures that I would label Post-Flood are in the fertile crescent, and usually at a depth of between 30 and 50 feet below the surface {{388}}.

Early Egypt was below water as Abraham attests {{389}}/ {{390}}, and the earth was sparsely populated {{391}}. The climate during this period soon after the Flood was much milder and cooler than it is today, and the plants and animals from this period match those described in the Bible {{392}}. The desert climate would not come for many generations (after many droughts and curses). When we consider the depth at which these early cities are found, we realize that the only reason these sites have been found is that either the sites were continually inhabited until modern times, or the archaeologists were extremely lucky. Many early cities exist which have not yet been found as attested as by new sites which are continually popping up.

History really starts to take place after the Exodus. Let us consider Jericho. Using the “corrected” timeline we established by studying the Book of Mormon, and extrapolating our dates backward, we find that the Jericho of the Bible must be dated at around 7000-8000 BC. During this time period there was a Neolithic city at Jericho, surrounded with a great wall, and with a massive tower built right into the wall (possibly the house of Rahab/Pre-Pottery Neolithic A) {{393}}/ {{394}}. There is evidence that the people of the city were pagans, and that they were rich and proud {{395}}. The early city’s culture ends with the walls falling down and a new culture replacing Pre-Pottery Neolithic A, they are labeled Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (Sci- 6500 B.C.; Scr- 1450 B.C.) {{396}}/ {{397}}. Interestingly, the tower that was built into the wall survived to its full height into the next period (Rahab and her family were protected) {{398}}.
This new nation had simple beginnings; archaeologists call it a retrogression because of the decrease in riches and more simplified art. However, there were many advances: they had a united nation seen in the form of a new wide-spread monolithic culture, they began inhabiting many new lands and developing the land, they respected their dead ancestors, they had domesticated animals, and they built nice square plaster-floored homes {{399}}, which, “coincidentally,” were similar to the homes of the early Lehites and Mulekites {{400}}. After many years the nation became very wealthy (Pottery Neolithic A&B) {{401}}, and then, as we can tell by studying cultural artifacts, the nation was divided {{402}}. One group inhabited the north, and the other group lived in the south (Chalcolithic Period) {{403}}/ {{404}}.

The nation of Israel prospered during the entire period from the time it entered the Land of Canaan until the end of the Chalcolithic Period. Then suddenly the Kingdom of Israel in the north (the Ghassulian culture) was displaced, and new people from Syria and Southern Mesopotamia, labeled Proto-Urban A, were ushered into the region (Early Bronze Age) {{405}}/ {{406}}.

The Kingdom of Judah in the south continued to prosper {{407}}. However, she did not learn from watching Israel fall (she did not repent), and little over a century later, she was also destroyed {{408}}. At the end of the Early Bronze Age every major city in the south was destroyed and depopulated—some incredibly violently {{409}}. The Bible clearly teaches that this was done by the hand of God—his tool being a new empire he had risen up in southern Mesopotamia—the Kingdom of Babylon {{410}}. Archaeologists also find this new kingdom in Mesopotamia but they have called it the kingdom of Akkad {{411}}. Judah was left desolate. Only small scattered villages and groups of wandering nomads remained (Intermediate Bronze Age) {{412}}/ {{413}}.

When the Kingdom of Akkad (Babylon) fell {{414}}, Judah was repopulated by a vigorous new group of people which began to rebuild the land (Middle Bronze Age) {{415}}/ {{416}}. The people prospered and the entire region flowered {{417}}. The succeeding period also saw a continued prosperity, but under Indo-Aryan influence (Alexander the Great) {{418}}, followed by strong Egyptian (Ptolemaic) control (Late Bronze Age) {{419}}.

As the period continued, Egyptian power weakened {{420}}and a group of “adventurers” are noted as coming down from Syria and establishing an Amorite kingdom (Seleucids) {{421}}. Archaeologists then find evidence of an internal revolt that occurs, led by the ‘Apiru (Hasidim under Maccabeans), in which a war commences by a guerrilla-type group of warriors that rally the principally Hebrew (Jewish) community to rise up against the Amorites (Seleucids) {{422}}. Many wars follow with great destructions but the nation that remains in the end is obviously Israel. The carbon dates for these events (about 1300-1200 B.C.) lead scholars to believe this may be the time of the exodus and subsequent conquest of Palestine. Little or no archaeological evidence of Joshua or the exodus exists at this time, however, and the carbon dates assigned to the various cities’ destructions do not match the Bible which declares the conquest to have occurred around 1400 B.C. {{423}}These discrepancies have led many biblical scholars to abandon the literal interpretation of the Bible and create many diluted theories that minimalize the book {{424}}. Interpreting the archaeology as evidence of the Maccabean revolt on the other hand, as we are proposing, matches almost exactly {{425}}.

Next, archaeology shows the arrival of a new group of people called the “Sea People”. They ruled every land that touched the Mediterranean Sea {{426}}, and though their origin continues to evade scholars they know it was somewhere in the area of Sicily, Italy, or Greece (Rome) {{427}}. The people conquer lands matching Rome’s accomplishment in Greece, Turkey, Egypt and Palestine {{428}}.

Conclusions & Significance
Archaeologists and biblical scholars have long been at odds. As archaeology began to mount a horrendous amount of research, all placed by carbon dating, many biblical scholars began doubting the Bible. Scientific dates were given supremacy and new biblical scholars decided that the Bible was not completely accurate. They began trying to fit whatever they could into the archaeologists’ framework and discarded the rest as fable. The result was a great archaeological mess and a complete abandonment of the scriptures as the “Word of God” and absolute truth. Following the history of science and seeing societies turning away from God is very sad to read.

Now, our research seems to have discovered that the archaeologists are actually proving the Bible to be true and they don’t even know it because of the dating problem. So now, with the correlated time line created studying the Book of Mormon, we see the Book of Mormon proving the Bible to be true, which we are taught is one of its purposes (Mormon 7:8–9; 1 Nephi 13:38–41).

A future paper on Bible lands will show most all the fabulous stories of the Bible laid out in the dirt, just as the prophets said they happened, and just where the prophets said they happened. We will see that these wonderful stories which are disbelieved by most archaeologists, have actually been found by archaeologists!

These findings are of great importance. Our society has abandoned the scriptures. We have replaced the eighth article of faith with a new one that says: “We believe the scriptures to be the Word of God as far as they correspond with science; we believe science to be supreme truth on all subjects it chooses to address.” This cannot be. Geology, biology and archaeology cannot be allowed to replace the sure testimony we have of the creation. Psychology cannot be allowed to replace the reality of Christ as our healer. Any doctrine or teaching which denies Christ is not of God. Omitting God is denying God because God has clearly stated that he is the creator and he is the truth, the way, and the light so leaving him out is going against his word.

We need to see the scriptures for what they are—they are not exaggerated stories, and they are notjust stories told by old men who meant well but who were off on the details because they were limited to the scope of the learning of their own cultures. The scriptures are the word of God, told in truth by men who literally talked with him! They were written to warn the nations of the world to believe God and to fear God and to worship only him. The scriptural events happened just as we were taught when we were children. Moses was not just a Hebrew slave born in Egypt who had a limited understanding of time and a limited understanding of the size of the Earth, and of how the history of his people fit into the grand history of the earth. He had a deep understanding of these things because he learned them directly from God! When we realized that everything in the scriptures is literal, then suddenly we realize that we, as part of this great latter-day nation, must repent, or the destruction that has been prophesied will occur. We know that the proud and the learned who will not hearken to their Creator will be cast off forever. We must beware of those who perpetuate the Theology of Science and say there is no God because they have not seen him. These people deliberately discourage others from believing in God, and they do it using every imaginable discipline—history, archaeology, biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, and many other subjects. We must not allow people who live in sin, and therefore have not eyes to see, to lead us, for they will then be “blind leaders of the blind.” We must beware of the fanciful doctrines of Satan—precepts of men so wonderfully mingled with scripture that they appear to be true. We must beware of those who look beyond the mark. They despise plainness, and they “kill” the prophets with their words and their doctrines. God has taken his plainness away from them and has given them many things which they cannot understand, because they desired it.

A new generation is being raised up, and to them God will prove all his words, because they believe. God will show them how he changed the times and seasons in order to blind the minds of the proud and the learned, that they would not understand his marvelous workings. (D&C 121: 12) This generation will prove the scriptures to be true, every whit. Fools have mocked the words of Moses and Mormon and Moroni, but they shall mourn. God’s great work will go forth!

I would plead with everyone to make the scriptures a more integral part of your education. I would encourage anyone with problems to seek from the Word of God first and only believe other teachings as they compliment the teachings of the prophets. I would encourage students to first read God’s take on every issue before diving into your studies so that you can have the spirit of prophecy and discern between truth and the speculations of man. Science is wonderful, it is the process of seeking truth in the world around us, but it is not absolute truth, it is not infallible, and it is not the word of God. Search the scriptures specifically on the subjects you are studying and you will be overwhelmingly amazed at the wealth of information.

Selected Bibliography can be found here

Zapotec pg. 119: “In each case a small hamlet, unprepossessing at its founding, underwent a period of rapid and spectacular growth, becoming the demographic center of gravity for a network of smaller sites. Each emerging center- San Jose Mogote, Chalcatzingo, and San Lorenzo- not only dwarfed the other sites in its region but seems to have exerted a centripetal pull on its entire hinterland. All grew so fast that they must have encouraged immigration, not just normal growth; all emptied the surrounding region of artisans and concentrated them in the paramount chief village. All were aware of each other and perhaps even competitive; some clearly suffered occasional attacks that left their monuments defaced or their public buildings burned. ”
Mexico pg. 69-70, 74: “Like the earlier San Lorenzo, La Venta was deliberately destroyed in ancient times. Its fall was certanily violent, as twenty-four out of forty sculptured monuments were intentionally mutilated. This probably occured at the end of Middle Preclassic times, around 400-300 BC, for subseuently, following its abandonment as a center, offerings were made with pottery of Late Preclassic cast. As a matter of fact, La Venta may never have lost its signicance as a cult center, for among the very latest caches found was a Spanish olive jar of the early Colonial period, and Professor Heizer suspected that offerings may have been made in modern times as well.”
(SAME AS NOTE 187 ABOVE)
[[190]] [[191]] Alma 25:1–12 [[191]] [[192]] Mexico pg. 69-70, 74, 86-87
“The waterlogging has resulted in extraordinary preservation of otherwise perishable Olmec materials, all belonging to the fianl stages of the San Lorenzo phase, about 1200 BC. In 1988 and 1989, and archaeological team directed by Ponciano Ortiz of the University of Veracruz was able to study and conserve ten wooden figures, all ‘baby-faced’ just like Olmec hollow clay figurines, and each just under 20 inches high; all were little more than libless torsos, and most had been carefully wrapped in mats and tied up, before being placed with heads pointing in the direction of the hill’s summit. Other objects included polished stone axes, jade and serpentine beads, a wooden staff with a bird’s head on one end and a shark’s tooth (surely a bloodletter) on the other, and an obsidian knife with an asphalt handle. Most surprisingly, the archaeologists turned up a cache of three rubber balls; measuring from 3 to 5 inches in diameter, these are the only examples to have survived from the pre-Conquest Mesoamerica of what must have been a very common artifact. They confirm that the ball game is a least as old as the Olmec civilization.”
Maya pg. 50-55; 63-66; 78-79: “The lowland Maya almost always built their temples over older ones, so that in the course of centuries the earliest constructions would eventually come to be deeply buried within the towering accrections of Classic period rubble and plaster. Consequently, to prospect for Mamom temples in one of the larger sites would be extremely costly in time and labor.
But towards the close of the Late Preclassic, writing had begun to appear sporadically, and it deinitely celebrated the doings of great personages. A good example of this would be the greenstone pectoral at Dumbarton Oaks, said to be from Quintana Roo. A were-jaguar face on one side indicates that the object was orginally Olmec.” [[192]] [[193]] Mosiah 25:14–24 [[193]] [[194]] Mexico pg. 52-55
“The most notable advance in the Late Preclassic of central Mexico was the appearance of the temple-pyramid. The earliest temples of the highlands were thatch-roof, perishable structures not unlike the houses of the common people, erected within the community on low earthen platforms face with sun-hardened clay. There are a few slight indications that some such platforms once existed at Tlatilco. By the Late Preclassic, however, they had become almost universal, as the nuclei of enlarged villages and even towns. Towards the end of the period, clay facings for the platforms were occasionally replaced by retaining-walls of undressed stones coated with a thick layer of stucco, and the substructures themselves had become greatly enlarged, sometimes rising in several stages or tiers. Here we have, then, a definite progression from small villages of farmers with but household figurine cults, to hierarchical societies with rulers who coulo call the populace to build and maintain sizeable religious establishments.”
Zapotec pg. 108-110 (93-110): “Structures 1 and 2 were two of the most impressive buildings of the San Jose phase. Each appears to be the pyramidal platform for a wattle-and-daub public building, and their construction involved the first use of an adobe brick so far known for Oaxaca. Used mainly for small retaining walls within the earthen fill, these early adobes were circular in plan and plano-convex, or “bun-shaped,” in section.
Structure 2 was 1 m high and at least 18 m wide. Its sloping face had been built with boulders, some obtained locally and some brought in from at least 5 km away. Some of the latter were of limestone from west of the Atoyac River, while others were of travertine from east of the river. Two carved stones, one depicting a feline and one a raptorial bird, had fallen from a collapsed section of wall. The east face of the platform included two stone stairways which although narrow, are the earliest of their kind for the region.
Structure 1, above and to the west, rose in several stages that may have reached 2.5 m in height. Its facing was of smaller stones set in clay, somewhat rough-and-ready, but clearly masonry- the first stage in an architectural tradition brillinantly developed by the Zapotec.”
People pg. 485-486: “The diffusion of common art styles throughout Mesoamerica may have resulted both from an increased need for religious rituals to bring the various elements of society together and because [[194]] [[195]] Mosiah 29:37–47 [[195]] [[196]] Zapotec pg. 111-120
“The rival center of Huitzo built comparable structures during the Guadalupe phase. The earliest of these was Structure 4, a pyramidal platform 2 m high and more than 15 m wide, built of earth and faced with stones in the manner of Structure 8 at San Jose Mogote. Atop this platform, the architects of Huitzo built a series of buildings that may have been one-room temples. The best preserved of these was Structure 3, a large wattle-and-daub building on an adobe platform with a stairway. Built of bun-shaped adobes and fill, the platform was 1.3 m high and 11.5 m long. There were three steps to its wide stairway, each inset into the platform to strengthen it. The entire structure had been coated with lime plaster. In spite of all the small size of the Huitzo community relative to San Jose Mogote, its public architecture was as impressive as anything built at the latter site during the Guadalupe phase.”
Mexico pg. 52-55: “How grandiose some of these substructures were can be seen at Cuicuilco, located to the south of Mexico City near the National University, in an area covered by the Pedregal – a grim landscape of broken, soot-black lava witha sparce flora eking out its existence in rocky crevices. The principal feature of Cuicuilco is a round platform, 387 ft. in diameter and rising in four inwardly sloping tiers to a present height of 75 ft. Two ramps placed on either side of the platform provide access to the summit, which was crowned at one time by a cone-like contruction which brought the total height to about 90 ft. Faced with volcanic rocks, the interior of the surviving structure is filled with sand and rubble, with a total volume of 60,000 cubic meters.”
People pg. 485-486: “Monte Alban went on to develop into a vast ceremonial center with splendid public architecture; its settlement area included public buildings, terraces, and housing zones that extended over approximately 15 square miles. More than 2000 terraces all held one or two houses, and small ravines were dammed to pond valuable water supplies. Blanton suggests that between 30,000 and 50,000 people lived at Monte Alban between AD 200 and 700. Many very large villages and smaller hamlets lay within easy distance of the city. The enormous platforms on the ridge of Monte Alban supported complex layouts of temples and pyramid-temples, palaces, patios, and tombs. A hereditary elite seems to have ruled Monte Alban, the leaders of a state that had emerged in the Valley of Oaxaca by AD 200.” [[196]] [[197]] Mosiah 27:6–7 [[197]] [[198]] Zapotec chap 8-10; Tula pg. 23
Mexico pg. 46-58: “A word of caution, however- because of our first knowladge of these sites, the impression has been given that the Valley had more acnient Preclassic beginnings than elsewhere. On the contrary, that isolated basin was probably a laggard in cultural development until the Classic period, when it became and stayed the flower of Mexican cuivilization. Notwithstanding its later glory, the Valley was then a prosperous but provincial backwater, which occasionally received new items developed elsewhere.”
People pg. 485-486: “The evolution of larger settlements in Oaxaca and elsewhere was closely connected with the developlment of long-distance trade in obsedian and other luxuries such as seashells and stingray spines from the Gulf of Mexico. The simple barter networks for obsidian of earlier times evolved into sophisticated regional trading organizations in which village leaders controlled monopolies over sources of obsidian and its distribution. Magnetite mirrors, seashells, feathers, and ceramics were all traded on the highlands, and from the highlands ot the lowlands as well. Olmec pottery and other ritual objects began to appear in highland settlements between 1150 and 650 BC, many of them bearing the distinctive were-jaguar motif of the lowlands, which had an important place in Olmec comology.” [[198]] [[199]] Alma 1-4 [[199]] [[200]] Zapotec chap. 8-10
Mexico pg. 46-58: “At these two sites and elsewhere in the Valley the midden deposits are literally stuffed with thousands of fragments of clay figurines, all female, providing a lively view of the costume of the day, or its lack. Although nudity was apparently the rule, these little ladies have elaborate face and body painting in black, white, and red; headdresses and coiffures as shown were very fancy, wraparound turbans being most common. The technique of manufacture was about like that with which gingerbread men are made, features being indicated by a combination of punching and filleting. Significantly, no recognizable depictions of gods or goddesses have ever been identified in these villages, suggesting the possibility that the only cult was that of the figurines, which may have been objects of household devotion like the Roman lares, perhaps concerned with the fertility of the crops.”
People pg. 485-486: “There were marine fish spines, too, probably used in personal bloodletting ceremonies that were still practiced even in Aztec times. The Spanish described how Aztec nobles would gash themselves with knives or with the spines of fish or stingray in acts of mutilation before the gods, penances required of the devout. [[200]] [[201]] Alma 2:1–4:3; 16:1-11; 28:1-12; 43-60; battles increase in size, severity and frequency. [[201]] [[202]] Mexico pg. 77, 82-83, 86-87
“Most of the constructions that meet the eye at Monte Alban are of the Classic period. However, in the southwestern corner of the site, which is laid on a north-south axis, excavations have diclosed the Temple of the Danzantes, a stone-faced platform contemporary with the first occupation of the site, Monte Alban I. The so-called Danzantes (i.e. ‘dancers’) are basrelief figures on large stone slabs set into the outside of the platform. Nude men with slightly Olmecoid features (i.e. the down-turned mouth), the Danzantes are shown in strange, rubbery postures as though they were swimming or dancing in viscous fluid. Some are represented as old, bearded individuals with toothless gums or with only a single protuberant incisor. About 150 of these strange yet powerful figures are known as Monte Alban, and it might be reasonably asked exactly what their function was, or what they depict. The disorted pose of the limbs, the open mouth and closed eyes indicate that these are corpses, undoubltedly cheifs or kings slain by the earliest rulers of Monte Alban. In many individuals the genitals are clearly delineated, usually the stigma laid on captives in Mesoamerica where nudity was considered scandalous. Furthermore, there are cases of sexual mutilation depicted on some Danzantes, blood streaming in flowery patterns from the severed part. Evidence to corroborate such violence comes from one Danzante, which is nothing more than a severed head.”
Zapotec pg. 121-171:”Warfare, as the lines at the start of this chapter say, can “powerfully shape” chiefdoms. While Carnerio’s conlusions were based on Colombia’s Cauca Valley, what he says is equally true of the Valley of Oaxaca. Several lines of evidence indicate that warefare had begun to affect Roario society.
Chiefly warfare usually results from competition between paramounts, or between a paramount and his ambitious subcheifs. Paramounts try to aggrandize themselves by taking followers away from their rivals. Ambitious subchiefs try to replace the paramount at the top of the hierarhcy.”
Maya pg. 63, 75: “Some of the Late Preclassic tombs at Tik’al prove that the Chikanel elite did not lag behind the nobles of Miraflores in wealth and honor. Burial 85, for instance, like all the others enclosed by platform substructures and covered by a primative corbel vault, contained a single skeleton. Suprisingly, this individual lacked head and thigh bones, but from the richness of the goods placed with him it may be guessed that he must have perished in battle and been depoiled by his enemies, his mutilated body being later recovered by his subjects.” [[202]] [[203]] Alma 48:8–10; 49:13; 52:6 [[203]] [[204]] Alma 48:8–10 [[204]] [[205]] [[205]] [[206]] Alma 48:8–10; 49:13; 52:6 [[206]] [[207]] Zapotec chap. 10-11; see note on endnote 203
“The founding of Monte Alban also changed the demography of the central Valley of Oaxaca, including the 80-km area that had been no-man’s-land during the Rosario phase. The central valley had only five small Rosario villages. By Monte Alban Ia, that figure had risen to 38 villages, and by Monte Alban Ic it had exploded to 155 villages and small towns. In effect, the entire demographic center of gravity of the valley had shifted from Elta to the region surrounding the Monte Alban.
Settlement Pattern Project estimates it at 50,000. One-third of that poplulation lived at Monte Alban; in addition, three-quaters of the population increase between Monte Alban Ia and Ic had taken place within 20 km of the city. Below Monte Alban were 744 communities. A few villages with populations estimated at less than 150.” [[207]] [[208]] Alma 48:8–10; 49; 50:1-16 [[208]] [[209]] [[209]] [[210]] Zapotec Figure 128, 157, pg. 142-154
“During the Monte Alban Ia- which probably began by 500 BC and ended by 300 BC- there were 261 sites in the Valley of Oaxaca. Some 192 of these, including Monte Alban itself, were brand new settlements. Despite this unprecedented redistribution of the valley’s population, strong continuities in ceramics and architecture from Rosario to Monte Alban Ia indicate that we are dealing with villages of fewer than 100 persons. In contrast, Monte Alban’s estimated population exceeded 5000. This was a very high percentage of the valley’s population, which we estimate to be between 8000 and 10,000.
The founding of Monte Alban also changed the demography of the central Valley of Oaxaca, including the 80-km area that had been a no-man’s-land during the Rosario phase. The central valley had only five small Rosario villages. By Monte Alban Ia, that figure had risen to 38 villages, and by Monte Alban Ic it had exploded to 155 villages and small towns. In effect, the entire demographic center of gravity of the valley had shifted from Etla to the region surrounding Monte Alban.” [[210]] [[211]] Alma 50:7–11; 58:1-30 [[211]] [[212]] Zapotec pg. 150-151 [[212]] [[213]] Alma 50:1–24 [[213]] [[214]] [[214]] [[215]] Alma 50:7–16 [[215]] [[216]] [[216]] [[217]] Alma 43:16–21; 50:1-6 (Alma 43-62) [[217]] [[218]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 194-195
Mexico pg. 58, 69: “An earlier school of thought held that this shaft-tomb sculpture was little more than a kind of genre art: realistic, anecdotal, and with no more reigious meaning than a Dutch interior. This view has been vigorously challenged by the ethnologist Peter Furst, who has worked closely with the contemporary Huichol Indians of Nayarit, almost certainly the descendants of the people who made the tomb figures. Among the Huichol and their close relatives, the Cora, religious practitioners are always shamans, powerful specialists who effect cures and maintain the well-being of their people by battling against demons and evil shamans. Professor Furst noted that the warriors with clubs from Nayarit and Jalisco tombs are down on one knee, the typical fighting stance of the shaman. The Nayarit house models are interpreted by him not just as two-storey village dwellings, but as chthonic dwellings of the dead: above would be the house of the living, below is the house of the dead. Such a belief is consonant not only with Huichol ideas about death and the soul, but also with the supernatural concepts of Southwestern Indians like the Hopi.” [[218]] [[219]] Zapotec pg. 135-138, 146-150, 169-170
“The southern Tehuacan Valley is a hot, dry area where the probability of insufficient rainfall for most kinds of farming is 80 percent. It does, however, have the protential for irragation. That potential is perhaps best exemplified by the Arroyo Lencho Diego, a steep-sided canyon investigated by Richard S. MacNeish, Richard Woodbury, James A. Neely, and Charles Spencer.
Canal irrigation has a long history in the Valley of Oaxaca, but its use increased dramatically in Monte Alban Ic. Almost cerainly that escalation resulted from the need to provision the city of Monte Alban. It is not so much the Atoyac River that was used for canal irrigation in ancient Oxaca, but its smaller tributaries in the piedmont. Many of those streams can, with a relatively low espenditure of manpower, have part of their water diverted into small canals by the use of brush-and-boulder dams. All such systems are small, usually serving the lands of one or two communities. The Valley of Oxaca is therefore a region of numerous small canal systems, rather than one large system. In contrast to regions like southern Mesopotamia, the north coast of Peru, or even the nearby Tehuacan Valley, central Oaxaca is not an area conducive to models of “dospotic control” of downsteam polities by upstream polities. The Atoyac River, the larges watercourse in the valley, creates a strip of periodically flooded yuh kohp in which canal irrirgation is usually unnecessary.”
Mexico pg. 81: “Toward the close of the Middle Preclassic, the Zapotec of the Valley were practicing several forms of irrigation. At Hierve el Agua, in the mountains east of the Valley, there has been found an artificially terraced hillside, irrigated by canals coming from permanent sprigns charged with calcareous waters that have in effect created a fossilized record from their deposits.” [[219]] [[220]] Alma 50:17–24; 62:46-52; Helaman 6:6–13, 16–17; 11:20; 3 Nephi 6:4 [[220]] [[221]] Chiapas Burials pg. 71-72; Chiapas Artifacts pg. 194-196
Zapotec chap. 11-12: “One unintended consequence of bringing together thousands of people in a new city can be an explosion of arts and crafts, especially if many of those people are forced to abandon agriculture. Several urban relocations in archaic Greece “created enviroments in which intellectual life flourished. Early Monte Alban was such an enviroment, and its sponsorship of craftspeople penetrated even to the towns in its hinterland. What emerged during Monte Alban I was an art style distinct from that of any region, a style so closely associated with the Valley of Oaxaca that it is generally referred to as Zapotec.
In Monte Alban Ia, there were 261 communities in the valley; 192 of these, like Monte Alban itself, were newly founded. Monte Alban, with 365 ha of Early Period I sherds and an estimated population in excess of 5000, was the only community in Tier I. Many formely large communities of the Etla region, including San Jose Mogote, had been drained of population during the Monte Alban synoikism.” [[221]] [[222]] Mexico pg. 77-81
“Yet whatever we call it, it can hardly be denied that during the Early and Middle Preclassic, there was a powerful, unitary religion which had manifested itself in an all-pervading art style; and that this was the offical ideology of the first complex society or societies to be seen in this part of the New World. Its rapid spread has been variously linkened to that of Christianity under the Roman Empire, or to that of westernization (or ‘modernization’) in toady’s world. Wherever Olmec influence or the Olmecs themselves went, so did civilized life.” [[222]] [[223]] Mexico pg. 77-88
“By that time, it had full-fledged masonary buildings of a public nature; in a corridor connecting two of these, Kent Flannery and Joyce Marcus found a bas-relief threshold stone showing a dead captive with stylized blood flowing from his chest, so placed that anyone entering or leaving the corridor would have to tread on him. Between his legs is a glyphic group possibly representing his name, ‘I Earthquake’ in the 260-day ritual calendar.”
(SAME AS NOTE 202 ABOVE)
Maya pg. 63-79: “The Izapan art style consists in the main of large, ambitiously conceived but somewhat cluttered scenes carried out in bas-relief. Many of the activities shown are profane, such as richly attired person decapitaing a vanquished foe, but there are deities as well.”
Zapotec chap 10-12:”Sixteenth-century documents tell us that when later Mesoamerican societies raided one another, a main objective was to burn their enemies’ temple. So common was this practice that a picture of a burning temple became an iconographic convention for raiding among Aztec.
Monument 3 makes possible the following inferences about the Rosario pahse. (1) The 260-day calendar clearly existed by this time. (2) The use of Xoo, a known Zapotec day-name, relates the hieroglyphis to an archaic form of the Zapotec language. (3) The carving makes it clear that Rosario phase sacrifice was not limited to drawing one’s own blood with stingray spines; it now included human sacrifice by heart removal. (4) Since I Earthquake is shown naked, even stripped of whatever ornaments he might have worn, he fits our sixteenth-century discriptions of prisoners taken in battle. This carving of a prisoner, combined with the burning of the temple, suggests that by 600 BC the well-known Zapotec pattern of raiding, temple burning, the capture of enemies for sacrifice had begun. (5) Many later Mesoamerican peoples, including the Maya, set carvings of their enemies where they could be literally and metaphorically “trod upon.” The horizontal placement of Monument 3 suggests that it, too, was designed for that visual metaphor.”
[[223]] [[224]] Alma 51:22–28; 56:13-15; Alma 62:38; Helaman 1:14–34; 4:1-18; 3:12-4:1 [[224]] [[225]] Alma 27:13–27; Helaman 5:13–20, 49–52; 6:1-7 [[225]] [[226]] Alma 62:26–29 [[226]] [[227]] Alma 48-62 [[227]] [[228]] Zapotec chap 10-12; defensive sites and evidences of warfare are numerous but the only destructions seem to be the occasional burning of a wood building, most stone structures seem to have been unharmed by the wars which is consistent with the Book of Mormon.
Mexico pg. 82: “Monte Alban is the greatest of all Zapotec sites, and was constructed on a series of eminences about 1,300 ft above the Valley floor, at the close of the Middle Preclassic, about 500-450 BC, when San Jose Mogote’s fortunes waned. Probably the main reason for its preeminence is its strategic hilltop location near the juncture of the Valley’s three arms. It lies in the heart of the region still occupied by the Zapotec peoples; since there is no evidence for any major disruption in central Oaxaca until the beginning of the Post-Classic, about AD 900, archaeologists feel reasonably certain that the inhabitants of that language.” [[228]] [[229]] Alma 62:46–52; Helaman 6:6–13, 16–17; 11:20; 3 Nephi 6:4 [[229]] [[230]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 194-196
Zapotec pg. 155-171: “There are several elite houses at Monte Negro. Like the Rosario phase elite residences at San Jose Mogote, each consisted of an open patio surrounded by three or four rooms with adobe walls. The Monte Negro houses, however, had stone foundations two courses high, and each room had at least two columns supporting its roof. The courtyards were paved with flagstones, and there were drains below some buildings.
Monte Negro’s elite households have been compared to the Roman inpluvium residence, in which an inner paved court trapped rain runoff and channeled it to subterranean reservoirs. While more elegant than those of the Rosario phase, the Monte Negro houses fall short of the later palaces at Monte Alban. Like so much in Late Monte Alban I, they seem transitional between the house of a chief and the palace of a king.
While the largest of the elite residences at Monte Negro lies along the east-west street, several others are connected to temples by secret passageways or roofed corridors. These corridors- which made it possible for members of important families to enter and leave the temple without being seen by lower-staus persons- appear to be forerunners of the Monte Alban II passageways, tunnels, and roofed stairways of Monte Alban and San Jose Mogote. The implications of such special entrances for the elite are twofold. First, they indicate that rank differences were still associated with differential access to the supernatural. Second, they suggest an escalation in rank to the point where chiefly individuals did not have to use the same stairways and entrances as more lowly individuals.”
Mexico pg. 83-88: “The development from the first phase of the site to Monte Alban II, which is terminal Preclassic and therefore dates from about 200 BC to AD 150, was peaceful and gradual. In the southernmost plaza of the site was erected Building J, a stone-faced contruction in the form of a great arrowhead pointing southwest. The peculiar orintation of this building has been examined by the asronomer Anthony Aveni and the architect Horst Hartung, who have pointed out important alignments with the bright star Capella. Withing Building J is a complex of dark, narrow chambers which have been roofed over by leaning stone slabs to meet at the apex. The exterior of the building is set with a great many inscribed stone slabs all bearing a very similar text. These Monte Alban II inscriptions generally consist of an upside-down head with closed eyes and elaborate headdress, below a stepped glyph for ‘mountain’ or ‘town’; over this is the same of the place, seemingly given phonetically in rebus fasion. In its most complete form, the text is accompanied by the symbols for year, month, and day. There are also various yet-untranslated glyphs. Such inscriptions were correctly interpreted by Alfonso Caso as records of town conquests, the inverted heads being the defeated kings. It is certain that all are in the Zapotec langauage.”
Maya pg. 63-79: “In lieu of easily worked building stone, which was unavailable in the vicinity, these platforms were built from ordinary clay and basketloads of earth and household rubbish. Almost certainly the temples themselves were thatched-roof affairs supported by upright timbers. Apparently each successive building operation took place to house the remains of an exalted person, whose tomb was cut down from the top in a series of stepped rectangles of decreasing size into the earlier temple platform, and then covered over with a new floor of clay. The function of Maya pyramids as funerary monuments thus harks back to Preclassic times.”
[[230]] [[231]] Helaman 1:7–12; 2:2-13; 6:15-41; 7:1-6; 8:1, 26-28; 3 Nephi 1:27–30; 2:11-4:33 [[231]] [[232]] Chiapas Burials pg. 73
Maya pg. 70: “The corpse was wrapped in finery and covered from head to toe with cinnabar pigment, then laid on a wooden litter and lowered into the tomb. Both sacrificed adults and children accompanied the illustrious dead, together with offerings of an astonished richness and profusion. In one tomb, over 300 objects of the most beautiful workmanship were placed with the body or above the timber roof, but ancient grave-robbers, probably acting after noticing the slump in the temple floor caused by the collapse of the underlying tomb, had filched from the corpse the jades that which once covered the chest and head. Among the finery recovered were the remains of a mask or headdress of jade plaques perhaps once fixed to a background of wood, jade flares which once adorned the ear lobes of the honored dead, bowls carved from chlorite-schist engraved with Miraflores scroll designs, and little carved bottles fo soapstone and fuchsite.” [[232]] [[233]] Alma 63:4–9; Helaman 3:3–14 [[233]] [[234]] Prehistory pg. 230-235
“The Hopewell culture is one of the many called Middle Woodland. It seems to have appeared in Illinois by about 2300 B.P. The southern manifestations lasted until 400 A.D. and later. The Ohio Hopewell probably grew out of the strong local Adena pattern, so the elaborate mortuary complex called Classic Hopewell actually developed in Ohio. That complex of traits and its associated relationships has been called the Hopewell Interaction Sphere, a phase that takes account of a cluster of traits, artifacts, burial mounds- a mortuary cult or religion rooted in veneration of the dead- that can be recognized almost everywhere east of the Mississippi.” [[234]] [[235]] Omni 1:20–22; Mosiah 8:7–11; 21:25-27; Alma 22:29–31; Helaman 3:6 [[235]] [[236]] Prehistory pg. 141, 143, 173, 340
“In western California, there was evidently a much greater concern with the dead. Many were buried in mounds, others in extensive cemeteries. An analysis of the grave goods of these many cemeteries has led some scholars to suggest that there was in California a social complexity quite unlike the simple egalitarian societies usually posited for most of the western Arachaic and quite at variance with the simple and relatively stable technology the archaeology reveals.
Burial, Bundle: Reburial of defleshed and disarticulated bones tied or wrapped together in a bundle.” [[236]] [[237]] Prehistory pg. 223-235
“The Hopewell culture is one of the many called Middle Woodland. It seems to have appeared in Illinois by about 2300 B.P. The southern manifestations lasted until 400 A.D. and later. The Ohio Hopewell probably grew out of the strong local Adena pattern, so the elaborate mortuary complex called Classic Hopewell actually developed in Ohio. That complex of traits and its associated relationships has been called the Hopewell Interaction Sphere, a phase that takes account of a cluster of traits, artifacts, burial mounds- a mortuary cult or religion rooted in veneration of the dead- that can be recognized almost everywhere east of the Mississippi.”
“note21”> [[237]] [[238]] SW Indians pg. 46-52; Warfare pg. 119-121
Prehistory pg. 299-303: “First defined in 1936 the Mogollon tradition possibly developed out of the Chiricahua and San Pedro Archaic. It seems to have acquired maize before 1 A.D., but pottery came considerably later at about 300 A.D. Once erroneously believed to have had maize by 4000 B.P. and ceramics by 2300 B.P, the Mongollon time span has been reduced by the later research to less that half of those figures.
Usually the Mogollon is divided into four or five periods. The Pine Lawn-Georgetown begins about 300 A.D. and lasts until about 650 A.D., to be followed by San Francisco, Three Circle, and Reserve, which ends at 1100 A.D. With the end of the Reserve phase, the simplicity of the Mogollon is lost and heavy increments of Anasazi concepts-aboveground masonry dwellings, black-on-white pottery, some religious ideas, and increasing village size- essentially change the Mogollon into what is today called the Western Pueblo Tradition.” [[238]] [[239]] Mosiah 8:8; Alma 50:29; Helaman 3:3–6; Mormon 6:4 [[239]] [[240]] Prehistory chap 5-6 early dates; SW Indians pg. 46-58 [[240]] [[241]] Helaman 3:3–14 [[241]] [[242]] Prehistory chap 5-6 early dates; SW Indians pg. 46-58 [[242]] [[243]] Helaman 3:3–14; 6:6; 7:1-3 [[243]] [[244]] Warfare chapter 4; SW Indians pg. 46-52
Prehistory pg. 230-235: “Many were destroyed by fire; the outlines formed by postholes are frequently encountered under the mounds, as if the burning of a house was the first step in construction of a burial mound. It has been suggested that the Adena “houses” were actually mortuary structures called charnel houses were bodies were defleshed and stored until the major ceremony: the burning of the house, placement of bodies in the crypts, and the building of the initial mounds.
A few examples of an unusual artifact have been reported. It’s the upper jaw of a wolf, cut so that the incisors and canines are intact on a kind of handle made by carving the palate to a spatulate form. It probably was part of an animal mask; the user would have had his upper incisors removed, putting the spatula in his mouth through the opening thus created. Human skulls thus mutilated have also been found, lending some credence to the idea.” [[244]] [[245]] Alma 63:5–8 [[245]] [[246]] Grolier, Fiji; Grolier, Western Samoa; Grolier, Easter Island; Grolier, French Polynesia [[246]] [[247]] 3 Nephi 8:19–23 [[247]] [[248]] Ancient Maya pg. 51 [[248]] [[249]] 4 Nephi 1:1–18 [[249]] [[250]] Ancient Kingdoms pg. 85-91; Atlas pg. 104-105 [[250]] [[251]] Chiapas #9 pg. 8
Zapotec pg. 193-194: “Between the next two building stages, a second room was built in front of the previously existing one. The back walls of this outer chamber, which was 27 m in extent, abutted the sides of the inner room. That inner room was now given two doorways on either side, one of which led to a stairway. By stage G2- perhaps 150-100 BC- the floor of the inner room had been raised 15 cm above the floor of the outer room.” [[251]] [[252]] 4 Nephi 1:2–18 [[252]] [[253]] Mexican History pg. 16-18; BofM Evidence pg. 95-99; Atlas pg. 104-105 [[253]] [[254]] Mexican History pg. 16-18 [[254]] [[255]] Ancient Kingdoms pg. 95; Mexican History pg. 16-18; Prehistory pg. 240-242; Chiapas Artifacts pg. 196-198; Atlas pg. 104-105 [[255]] [[256]] Ancient Kingdoms pg. 95; Mexican History pg. 16-18; Chiapas Artifacts pg. 196-198 [[256]] [[257]] Ancient Kingdoms pg. 85-91; Atlas pg. 104-105 [[257]] [[258]] 4 Nephi 1:1–18 [[258]] [[259]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 196-198
Prehistory pg. 238-245: “The presence of skillfully manufactured objects seems to point to an artisan class. The finely wrought objects not only were beautiful, but also may have had extra value because of their cost in effort both to import and to manufacture. Their mere possession would no doubt give the owners prestige, and their innate properties may have included sacred or symbolic values beyond whatever other values they may have had. The splendor of the Ohio center was never equaled elsewhere, but a few specific Ohio artifact types are found all over the interaction sphere. They are the single and double cymbal ear spools of copper, they Busycon shell bowls, copper panpies, and mica mirrors; those are only items found in graves in all of the eight traditions. But some uniformly styled pottery types were common in all areas.” [[259]] [[260]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 196-198; Prehistory pg. 243; Chiapas Burials pg. 73-74 [[260]] [[261]] Mexican History pg. 16
Prehistory pg. 293: “The Hohokam were generally restricted to deserts of the southern Basin and Range province along the lower Salt and middle Gila rivers and used these waters for large-scale irrigation. The modern city of Phoenix, Arizona, is built upon the ruins of many Hohokam settlements and complex system of irrigation ditches that made life possible. The major canals of the Hohokam system underwent constant repair and modification. The biotic recourses in these valleys were undoubtedly much restricted, as they are today. The summer heat is intense. Faunal resources are scarce, but many edible plant species occur, including fruits of several cacti and beans from tree legumes such as acacia and mesquite. Rainfall is low except to the east, and of the three traditions the Hohokam were probably the most dependent on their fields for food.
As described above, the southwestern cultures represent a complex subsistence pattern of balanced gardening and gathering in a land where farming is difficult, if not impossible. The environmental settings of the three traditions range from Colorado’s green mesas to the sere wastes of Arizona’s deserts. All depended on the careful use of limited water. There has long been general consensus that all three traditions evolved from the local Archaic cultures after stimulus from an unspecified Mexican source.” [[261]] [[262]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 198 [[262]] [[263]] Chiapas Burials pg. 74 [[263]] [[264]] Mexico pg. 89-91; Maya pg. 81
“On the basis of a technology that was essentially Neolithic- for metals were unknown until after AD 900- the Mexicans raised fantastic numbers of buildings, deocrated them with beautiful polychrome murals, produced pottery and figurines in unbelieveable quantitiy, and covered everything with sculptures. Even mass production was introduced, with the inovation (or importation from South America) of the clay mold for making figurines and incense burners.” [[264]] [[265]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 197-198 [[265]] [[266]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 196-198; Prehistory pg. 279, 299; Chiapas Burials pg. 73-74
Zapotec pg. 172: “Monte Alban II had the most colorful and distinctive pottery seen in Oaxaca since the San Jose phase. Burnished gray ware remained popular, but it was joined by waxy red, red-on-orange, red-on-cream, black, and white-rimmed black vessels, many of whose shapes and colors reflect an exchange of ideas with neighboring Chiapas. The distinctiveness of this pottery makes it relatively easy to identify on the surface of the ground, and some 518 communities of this period have been identified in the Valley of Oaxaca.” [[266]] [[267]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 196-198
Prehistory pg. 245: “The grave goods were numerous but not particularly flamboyant. There were pottery vessels, many turtle carapace dishes, several busycon shell bowls, awls, projectile points, scraps of mica, mussel shell spoons, numerous lumps of much oxidized pyrite, eagle and falcon jaws, beaver incisors, bone and antler scrap, and some cobble hammers or anvil stones. An interesting note was that many of the crania had perforated left parietal bones. The excavators speculate that these individuals may have been sacrificed as part of the burial ceremony. The pottery particularly shows marked similarity to the Illinois Hopewell variant, leading the assignment of the Norton group to an Illinois expansion, rather than to the nearer Ohio Hopewell climax.” [[267]] [[268]] Ancient Kingdoms pg. 98-99; Prehistory pg. 243; Mexican History pg. 20-21; Atlas pg. 104-105 [[268]] [[269]] Teotihuacan pg. 1-2; Mexican History pg. 16-17; Atlas pg. 105 [[269]] [[270]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 197 [[270]] [[271]] Morelos pg. 135-150; Teotihuacan pg. 2; Mexican History pg. 16-17; Chiapas Artifacts pg. 1997
Zapotec pg. 172-175: “For one thing, the ring of 155 settlements that had surronded Monte Alban during Late Period I was now gone. The central region of the Valley of Oaxaca, once densely populated, was now reduced to 23 communities. This suggests that Monte Alban no longer needed to concentrate farmers, warriors, and laborers within 15 km of the city, because its rulers could now count on the support of the entire valley.
In addition, there no longer seems to be any ambiguity about a four-tiered hierarchy of communities in the valley. Monet Alban, now covering 416 ha, was the only “city,” or occupant of Tier I; its population is estimated at 14,500.”
Mexico pg. 91: “Very clearly, the Classic florescence saw the intensification of sharp social cleavages thoughout Mexico, and the consolidation of elite classes. It has long been assumed on a priori grounds that the mode of government was theocratic, with a priestly group exercising temporal power. In lieu of actual documents from the period, there is little for or against this idea to be gained from archaeoligical record. At any rate, below the intellecutal group which held the political reins was a peasantry which had hardly changed an iota from Preclassic times. Apart from the post-Conquest introduction of animal husbandry and steel tools, and old village-farming way of life has hardly been altered until today.”
[[271]] [[272]] Mexican History pg. 16; Mayas pg. 1, 3
Zapotec pg. 172-175: “Two other settlements, classified as Tier 2 centers on the basis of size, do not seem to have been surrounded by comparable cells of large villages. Magdelena Apasco seems to have been a town in the San Jose Mogote cell. Scuhilquitongo, a hilltop center near the upper Atoyac River, may have served to defend the northern entrance to the valley. (A smaller mountaintop center, El Choco, may have defended the pass where the Atoyac River exits the valley on its way south.)” [[272]] [[273]] Atlas pg. 105; Chiapas Artifacts pg. 198 [[273]] [[274]] 4 Nephi 1:2–3, 15–17 [[274]] [[275]] 4 Nephi 1:23–24 [[275]] [[276]] Prehistory pg. 282, 294
“The Monroe phase was characterized by distinctive rectangular houses with vertical wall posts in a straight line, three center supports (for gabled roofs, as sometimes in the Mississippian), and a fireplace toward the narrow entry ramp. The entry ramp sloped down to meet the sunken floor of the lodge. A striking fact about the Monroe villages was their compactness, in contrast to the randomness of earlier settlements. The houses were located uniformly with the long axis oriented southwest-northeast and with the entryway toward the southwest.
The village is large. House lodges even now number more than one hundred; the erosion of the Missouri has destroyed an unknown number. The dominant house type was a rectangular structure built of vertical posts or poles with an entryway opening to the west. Houses were large, averaging 30 by 33 feet. The roof was supported by central posts or pillars arranged down the midline of the house. The covering for the houses is not definitely known, but they are believed to have been roofed with sod. The vertical walls were of wattle and daub. A most impressive component of the village was the encircling fortification, an earthen embankment behind which small posts set about 12 inches apart formed a palisade. Ten projecting bastions were equally spaced along its sides and at the two western shores.”
Zapotec pg. 208-209: “The Zapotec cocui, or hereditary lord, and his xonaxi, or royal wife, lived in residential palaces fitting the historic description of the yoho quehui, or “royal house.” Many of these were residents 20-25 m on one side, divided into 10-12 rooms arranged around an interior patio. Typical features were L-shaped corner rooms, some with apparent sleeping benches. Privacy was provided by a “curtian wall” just inside the main doorway, which screened the interior of the palace from view. Doors were probably closed with elegant weavings, or even brightly colored feather curtians. In some Zapotec palaces, no two rooms have their floors at exactly the same level. This might have been a way of ensuring that the coqui’s head was higher than anyone else’s, even when he was asleep.”
[[276]] [[277]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 199; Chiapas Burials pg. 74-75; Mexican History pg. 43-48
Prehistory pg. 247, 271-272, 294: “The objects are an exquisite expression of artistry combined with skilled craftsmanship. The artifacts were created in every medium: wood, shell, clay, stone, and hammered copper. The art is concerned with depicting animals, humans, mythical creatures, tools, and weapons, using a dozens of themes and scores of motifs. The artifacts are not utilitarian but ornamental and are undoubtedly rich in conventional and symbolic meaning. As a subject for study they have attracted attention for a century. Much speculation has attended that study; the complex artifacts is said to have been a death cult because of the skull, hand-eye, and other motifs”
Zapotec pg. 208-209: “As for the rulers themselves, they are often depicted in ceramic sculpture- seated on thrones or crosslegged on royal mats, weighed down with jewelry and immense feather headdresses. Rulers evidently had a variety of masks, so many that one wonders if their faces were ever seen by commoners. Rulers in many cultures have disguised themselves to maintain the myth that they were not mere mortals, and Zapotec kings seem to have had numerous costumes depending on the occasion. Their ties to Lightning were reinforced by jade or wooden masks depicting the powerful face of Cociyo; their roles as warriors were reinforced by wearing a mask made from the facial skin of a flayed captive.
A magnificent example of the latter can be seen in the funerary urn from Tomb 103, a royal burial beneath a palace at Monte Alban. The Zapotec ruler sits on his throne in the guise of a warrior, holding a staff or war club in his right hand. In his left he grasps the hair of an enemy’s severed head, as he peers through the dried skin of a flayed enemy’s face. His headdress, featuring the plumes of birds from distant cloud forests, covers not only his head but also the back of his throne. Jade spools in his earlobes, a massive jade necklace, and a kilt covered with tubular sea shells add to his elegance. Note that, in the tradition of the figurines of 850-700 BC, the sculptor has paid great attention to every detail of the lord’s sandals, right down to the tying of the laces.” [[277]] [[278]] 4 Nephi 1:24 [[278]] [[279]] Chiapas Artifacts pg. 199
Prehistory pg. 238, 249, 262-263, 294-297, 299, 308, 319-320: “In the mounds were rich caches of goods, not always with the burials. The cached objects were created from exotic materials, both local Ohio items and imported ones. Mica, in sheets or cutout geometric or animal forms, was a commonly used mineral. Copper, recovered in free sheets and nuggets from the Lake Superior sources, was used for ear spools, headdresses, masks, bracelets, beads, chest ornaments, celts, and panpies. Pearls were used as beads for anklets and armlets and were sewn on garments.
The potters were only one of the artisan groups. Shellworkers engraved and carved Busycon shell with the columella removed for ornaments and pendants, and used the columella to make knobbed hairpins; tubular disc-shaped, and globular beads; and other ornaments as well. Other skilled craftsmen made bracelets, beads, headdresses, and a few hairpins for the copper produced locally in Tennessee and northern Georgia, and decorated thin sheets of hammered copper with a repousse technique.”
Zapotec pg. 208-209: “As for the rulers themselves, they are often depicted in ceramic sculpture- seated on thrones or crosslegged on royal mats, weighed down with jewelry and immense feather headdresses. Rulers evidently had a variety of masks, so many that one wonders if their faces were ever seen by commoners. Rulers in many cultures have disguised themselves to maintain the myth that they were not mere mortals, and Zapotec kings seem to have had numerous costumes depending on the occasion. Their ties to Lightning were reinforced by jade or wooden masks depicting the powerful face of Cociyo; their roles as warriors were reinforced by wearing a mask made from the facial skin of a flayed captive.
A magnificent example of the latter can be seen in the funerary urn from Tomb 103, a royal burial beneath a palace at Monte Alban. The Zapotec ruler sits on his throne in the guise of a warrior, holding a staff or war club in his right hand. In his left he grasps the hair of an enemy’s severed head, as he peers through the dried skin of a flayed enemy’s face. His headdress, featuring the plumes of birds from distant cloud forests, covers not only his head but also the back of his throne. Jade spools in his earlobes, a massive jade necklace, and a kilt covered with tubular sea shells add to his elegance. Note that, in the tradition of the figurines of 850-700 BC, the sculptor has paid great attention to every detail of the lord’s sandals, right down to the tying of the laces.” [[279]] [[280]] Prehistory pg. 262, 271-272
“In western California, there was evidentily a much greater concern with the dead. Many were buried in mounds, others in extensive cemeteries. An analysis of the grave goods of these many cemeteries has led some scholars to suggest that there was in California a social complexity quite at variance with the simple and relatively stable technology the archaeology reveals.”
Zapotec pg. 185-188, 209-216; Zapotec pg. 210-216: “One of the most famous Zapotec royal burials is Monte Alban’s Tomb 104, believed to date to the middle of Period III. Its elaborate facade includes a niche with a large funerary sculpture. The latter has a headdress containing two jaguar or puma heads, huge ear ornaments, a large pectoral with marine shells, and a bag of incense in one hand.
Inside the main chamber of the tomb was a single skeleton, fully extended face up. At its feet was the funerary urn, flanked by four accompanists or “companion figures.” The chamber had been equipped with five wall niches, many of which were filled with pottery; dozens of additional vessels were stacked on the floor. The pottery was extremely varied in form and function- in effect, a couple “table setting” for a Zapotec lord or lady. Included were bowls and vases, bridgespout jars, ladles, “sause boats,” and a stone mortar of the type now used for making guacamole or chili sause. There were also figures of humans.
Running the wall of the chamber was a mural. At the left (the south wall of the chamber) we see a male figure holding an incense bag in one hand. Next comes a niche in the wall with an “offering box” and a parrot painted above it. Then come two hieroglyphic compounds, 2 Serpent and 5 Serpent; below them is another “offering box.” On the back wall of the tomb (the west side) are three niches and a complex painting that features a human face (probably and ancestor) below the “Jaws of the Sky.” The date (or day-name) 5 Turquoise appears to the left of the jaws.
At the far right (north wall of the tomb) we see another male figure with an incense bag. Above a niche in this wall we see the “heart as sacrifice” and above that the glyphs for I Lightning, and to the left we see the dates or day-names 5 Owl and 5 Lightning. A feathered speech scroll is associated with 5 Owl. All these names probably refer to important royal ancestors of the individual in the tomb.
Finally, the door of the main chamber was closed by a large stone, carved on both sides. We see the hieroglyphic inscription of the inner surface of the door. The inscription shares several day-names with the mural inside the chamber. On the right side appear the glyphs 6 Turquoise, a glyph designated “Glyph I” by Alfonso Caso, and a human figurine showing the same stiff posture seen in the jade statues beneath an earlier temple at San Jose Mogote. On the left side appears the large glyph 7 Deer, flanked by smaller glyphs for 6 Serpent, 7 “Glyph I,” and four small cartouches accompanied by the number 15. In the center of the stone we have an abbreviated “Jaws of the Sky” and the glyph 5 Turquoise. Below this we find a buccal mask in profile, and the same glyph for I Lightning seen on the north-wall mural of the tomb chamber.
The repetition of the names 5 Turquoise and I Lightning on the mural and door stone suggests that these individuals were very important. Together with the funerary urns, the scores of ceramic offerings, and the elaborate construction of the tomb, these references to ancestors were an integral part of royal burial ritual.” [[280]] [[281]] 4 Nephi 1:46 [[281]] [[282]] Zapotec pg. 224-225
“Period IIIa, because of its distinctively decorated pottery, shows up strongly on surface survey. This is fortunate, since it makes it easier to show the significant changes in settlment pattern that took place between Monte Alban II and IIIa. Those changes included substantial increases in population, great shifts in the demographic center of gravity of the Valley of Oaxaca, and increased use of defensible localities.” [[282]] [[283]] Mexican History pg. 17-18, 36-39;
Zapotec pg. 208-221: “Also set in the walls of the South Platform are six stelae showing prionsers with arms tied behind their backs. While some are dressed in little more than a breech-clout, others wear the kind of full animal costume given to warriors who had distinguished themselves in battle. Each captive stands on a place glyph naming the region from which he came; unforunately, the regions have not as yet been securely identified. If the destiny of Early Period III sites on densible hilltops can be used as a guide, we suspect that regions south and east of the Valley of Oaxaca were the scene of considerable warfare during Early Period III.”
Mexico pg. 129: “Following in the wake of the disturbances and intrusions of alien peoples which brought to a close the civilizations of the Classic during the ninth century AD was a seemingly new mode of organized life. Although there is ample evidence for warfare in such Classic cultures as Teotihuacan and Monte Alban, the Post-Classic saw a greatly heightend emphasis on militarism, in fact, a glorification of war in all its aspects. There was now an upstart class of tough professional warriors, grouped into military orders which took theri names from the animals from which they may have claimed a kind of totemic descent: coyote, jaguar, and eagle. Wars were the rule of the day, those unfrotunate enough to be captured destined for sacrifice to the gods. Human sacrifice can hardly be considered a new element in Mesoamerican life, but for the first time we have widespread evidence for the tzompantli, the skull rack on which heads were skewered for public display. As a result of these marital activities, there was extensive contruction of strongpoints and the fortification of towns.” [[283]] [[284]] Mexican History pg. 17-18
Zapotec pg. 216-221, 224: “The hidden scenes of Teotihuacan visitors were placed at the four corners of the South Platform. Under three of those, the builders of the platform placed offering boxes with standardized dedicatory caches. These cashes show that the carved stones were part of the Early Monte Alban III platform, sicne the boxes contain offerings of that period. No offering was placed under the south-east corner, apparently because bedrock was deeper there and more construction fill was required.”
Mexico pg. 129: “Throughout Mexico, this was a time which saw a great deal of confusion and movement of peoples, amalgamating to form small, aggressive, conquest states, and splitting up with as much speed as they had risen. Even tribes of distinctly different speech sometimes came together to form a single state- as we know from their annals, for we have entered the realm of history. Naturally, such new conditions are mirrored in Post-Classic art styles, which are thoroughly saturated with the martial psychology of the age. In general they are harder, far more abstract, and less exuberant than those of the Classic period. It is the kind of strong, static art produced by artisans guided by Spartan, not Athenian, ideals.” [[284]] [[285]] Mormon 1:6–7 [[285]] [[286]] Teotihuacan pg. 2-3; Morelos pg. 135-150; Prehistory pg. 254-256; Ancient Kingdoms pg. 100-101
Zapotec pg. 224: “The population of the Valley of Oaxaca rose to an estimated 115,000 persons during Monte Alban IIIa. This growth was accompanied by tumultuous changes in the distribution of population throughout the valley. Of the 1075 known communities, 510 (or nearly half) were now in the Tlacolula subvalley.”
Maya pg. 152: “We know from the downfall of past civilizations such as the Roman and Khmer empires that it is fruitless to look for single causes. But most of the Maya archaeologists can now agree that three factors were paramount in the downfall: 1) endemic internecine warefare, 2) overpopulation and accompanying enviromental collapse, and 3) drought. All three probably played a part, but not necessarily all together in the same time and in the same place. Warefare seems to have become a real problem earlier than the two.
On can only conclude that by the end of the eighth century, the Classic Maya population of the southern lowlands had probably increase beyond the carrying capacity of the land, no matter what system of agriculture was in use. There is mounting evidence for massive deforestation and erosion throughout the Central Area, only alleviated in a few favorable zones by dry slope terracing. In short, overpopulation and enviromental degradation had adbanced to a degree only matched by what is happening in many of the poorest tropical countries today. The Maya apocolypse, for such it was, surely had ecological roots.” [[286]] [[287]] 4 Nephi 1:24–26 [[287]] [[288]] ; Prehistory pg. 247, 261, 268, 270-272
Zapotec pg. 216-221: “Whatever the reason, the stelae commissioned by 12 Jaguar display two types of royal propaganda: vertical and horizontal. The message on the public faces of his monuments- showing his inaugural scene, his captives, and his heroic predecessor- traveled “vertically” from the ruler down to the commoners. The message of support from Teotihuacan, carved on the hidden edges of the same stelae, traveled “horizontally” from the ruler to his fellow nobles, did not need to be seen by commoners.” [[288]] [[289]] Mexican History pg. 18; Chiapas Burials pg. 74-75;
Zapotec pg. 216-224: “For many ancient Mesoamerican states, the inauguration of a new ruler was a time for elaborate ritual and royal propaganda. Inauguration rituals sent the ideological message that kingship and the state would continue in a just, orderly, predictable manner under a deserving new ruler.
Mesoamerican groups such as the Aztec, Mixtec, and Maya tried to designate the old ruler’s successor in advance of the former’s death. Between the time of that designation and his or her actual assumption of the throne, the future ruler was expected to engage in a series of important activities. He or she might travel to consult the leaders of other ethnic groups; raid enemy communities to get captives for sacrifice; mark off the boundaries of the polity to reinforce them; and perform some act of piety, like building a new temple or visiting a shrine.
The classic Zapotec were no exception to this pattern. Sometime during Early Period III, a ruler named 12 Jaguar was inaugurated at Monte Alban. Part of his inauguration ritual included the dedication of a massive pyramidal structure, the South Platform of the Main Plaza, for whose construction (or enlargement) he sought to take credit. In preparation for his inauguration, he commissioned a carved stone monument which shows him seated on his throne. He also had taken a number of captives for sacrifice, six of whom are depicted on other stone monuments. He seems to have documented his right to rule by using a monument that refers to a previous Zapotec ruler, perhaps claming him as an ancestor. Finally, he commissioned carved scenes of eight visitors from Teotihuacan, a city in the Basin of Mexico which was a powerful contemporary of Monet Alban. These scenes show Teotihucanos visiting Monte Alban in what may be a demonstration of support for the new ruler. Dedicatory caches were placed beneath three corner stones bearing these scenes.” [[289]] [[290]] 4 Nephi 1:35–39 [[290]] [[291]] Mexican History pg. 18, 24-27, 31-43
Prehistory pg. 246-247: “In New York, the Point Peninsula Tradition begins with the Squawkie Hill phase, where cult artifacts are found in mounds. In fact the typical rocker stamping is very extensive in the Northeast, being found well beyond the Hopewellian diagnostics. After about 250 A.D. the Hopewell Traditon traits disappear there. It is about the time that the cultures of the Midwest and East developed stronger regional differences, with many local sequences replacing the more uniform culture characteristic of Hopewell dominance. Even so, as in the widespread dentate pottery decoration, vestiges of Hopewell ancestry can be noted. In New York, for example, the development of late Point Peninsula into Owasco and even historic Iroquois can be tied through a few ceramic traits to Hopewell.”
Zapotec pg. 222-224: “The golden age of Zapotec civilization can be divided into phases, called Monte Alban IIIa and IIIb. While far radiocarbon samples from either phase have been run, the available dates (and traded pottery from other regions) suggest that IIIa falls roughly between A.D. 200 and 500, while IIIb falls roughly between 500 and 700.
Period IIIa, because of its distinctively decorated pottery, shows up strongly on surface survey. This is fortunate, since it makes it easier to show the significant changes in settlement pattern that took place between Monte Alban II and IIIa. Those changes included substantial increases in population, great shifts in the demographic center of gravity of the Valley of Oaxaca, and increased use of defensible localities.
Period IIIb, in contrast, had relatively drab pottery which is difficult to distinguish from that of subsequent phase, Monte Alban IV. When large Period IIIb sites are excavated, they often contain pottery types traded from the Maya region, types whose ages are well established. On surface survey, however, Periods IIIb and IV are difficult to separate unless one has a very large sample of pottery.”
Mexico pg. 113, 115, 119, 120-126, 126-127: “Down the Gulf Coast plain, new civilizations appeared in the Early Classic which in some respects reflect continuity from the Olmec tradition of the lowlands, as well as intrusive elements ultimately derived from Teotihuacan. The site of Cerro de las Mesas lies in the middle of the former Olmec territory, in south-central Veracruz, approximately 15 miles from the Bay of Alvarado, on a broad band of high land above the swamps of the Rio Blanco. The site is the ceter of an area dotted with earthen mounds.”
Maya pg. 84, 88-89, 97, 100: “Shortly after AD 400, the highlands fell under Teotihuacan domination. A intrusive group of central Mexicans from that city apparently seized Kaminaljuyu and built for themselves a miniature version of their captial. An elite class ruling over a captive population of Maya descent, they were swayed by native cultural tastes and traditions and became “Mayanized” to the extent that they imported from the Central Area pottery and other wares with which to stock their tombs. The Esperanza culture which arose at Kaminalijuyu during the Early Classic, then, is a kind of hybrid.”
[[291]] [[292]] 4 Nephi 1:26–28 [[292]] [[293]] Mexican History pg. 36-39
Mexico pg. 100-103, 124-125: “In Karl Taube’s view, as we have seen, the presiding deity of the Teotihuacan pantheon was the Spider Woman, the patroness of our own world; she was probably the equivalent of the later Aztec Toci, ‘Our Grandmother.’ Many of the other gods of the complete Mexican pantheon are already clearly recognizable at Teotihuacan. Here were worshipped the Rain God (‘Tlaloc’ to the Aztecs) and the Feathered Serpent (the later ‘Quetzalcoatl’), as well as the Sun God, the Moon Goddess, and Xipe Totec (Nahuatl for ‘Our Lord the Flayed One’), the last-named being the symbol of the annual renewal of vegetation with the onset of the rainy season. Particularly common are incense burners fo the Old Fire God, a creator divinity and the probable consort of the Spider Woman. A colossal statue represents the Water Goddess (in Nahuatl, Chalchiuhtlicue, ‘Her Skirt Is of Jade’), but there is an even larger statue, weighing almost 200 metric tons and now in front of the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City; found in an unfinished state on the slopes of Tlaloc Mountain, it is identified in the popular Mexican consciousness with that deity, but its exact identification is unknown. At any rate, it should be noted that almost all the gods venerated in this great urban captital were intimatley connected with the well-being of maize, with their staff of life.”
People pg. 487: “A hereditary elite seems to have ruled Monte Alban, the leaders of a state that had emerged in the Valley of Oaxaca by AD 200. Their religious power was based on ancestor worship, a pantheon of art least 39 gods, grouped around major themes of ritual life. The rain god and lightning were associated with the jaguar motif; another group of deities was linked with the maize god, Pitao Cozabi. Nearly all these gods were still worshiped at the time of the Spanish contact, although Monte Alban itself was abandoned after AD 700, at approximately the same time as another great ceremonial center, Teotihuacan, in the Valley of Mexico, began to decline.” [[293]] [[294]] 4 Nephi 1:26–34 [[294]] [[295]] Gods and Symbols pg. 136-137
Zapotec pg. 208-210: “By A.D. 200 the Zapotec had extended their influence from Quioteopec in the north to Ocelotepec and Chiltepec in the south. Their noble ambassadors had presented gifts to the rulers of Chiapa de Corzo and established a Zapotec enclave at Teotihuacan in the Basin of Mexico. Monte Alban had become the largest city in the southern Mexican highlands and would remain so fa the next 500 years. That half millennium, from A.D. 200-700, has been called the “golden age of Zapotec civilization.”
People pg. 490, 496: “By AD 600, Teotihuacan probably was governed by a secular ruler who was looked upon as a divine king of some kind. A class of nobels controlled the kinship groups that organized the bulk of the city’s huge population.
Copan is just on of many sites where archaeologists have documented the complicated political and social history of Maya civilization. The public monuments erected by the Classic Maya emphasize not only the king’s role as shaman, as the intermediary with the Otherworld, but also his position as family patriarch. Genealogical texts on stelae legitimize his decent, his close relationship to his often long-deceased parents. Maya kings used both the awesome regalia of their office and elaborate rituals to stress their close identity with mythical ancestral gods. This was a way in which they asserted their kin relationship and political authority over subordinate leaders and every member of society.
The king believed himself to have a divine covenant with the gods and ancestors, a covenant that was reinforced again and again in elaborate private and public rituals. The king was often depicted as the World Tree, the conduit by which humans communicated with the Otherworld. Trees were the living enviroment of Maya life and a metaphor for human power. So the kings of the Maya were a forest of symbolic human World Trees within a natural, forested landscape.” [[295]] [[296]] Maya chap 4-6
“Paricularly impressive are its six temple-pyramids, veritable skyscrapers among buildings of their class. From the level of the plaza floor to the top of its roof comb, Temple IV, the mightiest of all, measures 229 ft in height. Teh core of Tik’al must be its great plaza, flanked on west and east by two of these temple-pyramids, and on the north by the acropolis already mentioned in connection with its Late Preclassic and Early Classic tombs, and on the southby the Central Acropolis, a palace complex. Some of the major architecural groups are connected to the Great Plaza and with each other by broad causeways, over which many splendid processions must have passed in the days of Tik’al’s glory. The palaces are so impressive, their plastered rooms often still retaining in their vaults the sapodilla-wood spanner beams which had only a decorative function.”
Zapotec chap 13-15: “Not all temples were of the two-room type; some were left open on all sides. An example is Building II of Monte Alban, described by Ignacio Benal as “a small temple with five pillars in the front and another five in the back… It never had side walls and in fact was open to the four winds.” On the south side of this “open” temple, excavators found the entrance to a tunnel which allowed priests to enter and leave the building unseen, crossing beneath the eastern half of the Main Plaza to a building on the plaza’s central spine.
Structure 36, the oldest temple, dated to early Monte Alban II. It measured 11 x 11 m and was slightly T-shaped, the inner room slightly smaller than the outer. Both columns flanking the inner doorway, and all four columns flanking the outer doorway, were made from the trunks of baldcypress trees. So well does cypress wood preserve that identifiable fragments of it were still present in the column bases.
One model of a temple from the Tlacolula subvalley is particularly interesting, as its doorway is shown as having been closed with a feather curtain. Such curtains were luxurious furnishings made by sewing together thousands upon thousands of feathers from brightly colored birds; they may also have been used to close the doors of palaces.”
Mexico chap 6: “The palace compounds were the residences of the lords of the city, such as those uncovered at the zones called by the modern names Xolalpan, Tetitla, Zacuala, and Atetelco, or the magnificent ‘Quetzal-Butterfly’ Palace near the Pyramid of the Moon. Typical of the palace layout might be Xolalpan, a rectangular complex of about fourty-five rooms and seven forecourts; these bourder four platforms, which are arranged around a cenral court. The court was depressed below the general ground level and was open to the sky, with a small altar in the center. While windows were lacking, several of the rooms had smaller sunken courts very much like the Roman atria, into which light and air wer admitted throuh the roof, supported by surrounding columns. The rainwater in the sunken basins could be drained off when desired. All palaces known were one-storied affairs, with flat roofs built from beams adn small sticks and twigs, overlaign by earth and rubble. Doorways were rectangular and covered by a cloth.” [[296]] [[297]] People pg. 490, 496: (SAME AS NOTE 295 ABOVE)
Zapotec pg. 208-210: “The Zapotec cocui, or hereditary lord, and his xonaxi, or royal wife, lived in residential palaces fitting the historic description of the yoho quehui, or “royal house.” Many of these were residents 20-25 m on one side, divided into 10-12 rooms arranged around an interior patio. Typical features were L-shaped corner rooms, some with apparent sleeping benches. Privacy was provided by a “curtain wall” just inside the main doorway, which screened the interior of the palace from view. Doors were probably closed with elegant weavings, or even brightly colored feather curtains. In some Zapotec palaces, no two rooms have their floors at exactly the same level. This might have been a way of ensuring that the coqui’s head was higher than anyone else’s, even when he was asleep.
As for the rulers themselves, they are often depicted in ceramic sculpture- seated on thrones or crosslegged on royal mats, weighed down with jewelry and immense feather headdresses. Rulers evidently had a variety of masks, so many that one wonders if their faces were ever seen by commoners. Rulers in many cultures have disguised themselves to maintain the myth that they were not mere mortals, and Zapotec kings seem to have had numerous costumes depending on the occasion. Their ties to Lightning were reinforced by jade or wooden masks depicting the powerful face of Cociyo; their roles as warriors were reinforced by wearing a mask made from the facial skin of a flayed captive.
A magnificent example of the latter can be seen in the funerary urn from Tomb 103, a royal burial beneath a palace at Monte Alban. The Zapotec ruler sits on his throne in the guise of a warrior, holding a staff or war club in his right hand. In his left he grasps the hair of an enemy’s severed head, as he peers through the dried skin of a flayed enemy’s face. His headdress, featuring the plumes of birds from distant cloud forests, covers not only his head but also the back of his throne. Jade spools in his earlobes, a massive jade necklace, and a kilt covered with tubular sea shells add to his elegance that, in the tradition of the figurines of 850-700 BC, the sculptor has paid great attention to every detail of the lord’s sandals, right down to the tying of the laces.
An earlier generation of scholars assumed that these spectacular urns, usually found in royal tombs, depicted “gods.” Today we believe that most of them represent venerated ancestors of the main individuals in the tomb. Some urns bear glyphs with names taken from the 260- day calendar. Supernatural like Lightning, being immortal, were not named for days in Zapotec calendar. It is also the case that the figures on most urns, even when grotesquely masked, are undeniably human behind their disguises.
In cosmology it is always crucial to distinguish between actual supernatural beings- depicted in Mesoamerica by combining parts of different animals, so as to create something obviously “unnatural”- and real humans who had metamorphosed into the heroes and heroines of legend. The latter were humans who had acquired, through death and heredity, some of the attributes of the supernatural. We suspect that Zapotec funerary urns- many of which are one-of-a-kind masterpieces made to accompany rulers in their tombs- provided a venue to which the pee, or animate spirit, of these heroes and royal ancestors could return. This would allow the deceased ruler to continue to consult with his or her important ancestors, much as we think the women of the early village period invoked their ancestors through figurines.” [[297]] [[298]] Maya pg. 195 (see also pictures of sculptures and murals throughout Chap. 5); (see also pottery from any region, especially Mimbre Culture in Southwest)
“Immediately after birth, Yuateacan mothers washed their infants and then fastened them to a cradle, their little heads compressed between two boards in such a way that after two days a permanent fore-and-aft flattening had taken place which the Maya considered a mark of beauty. As soon as possible, the anxious parents went to consult with a priest so as to learn the destiny of their offspring, and the name which he or she was to bear until baptism.
The Spanish Fathers were quite astounded that the Maya had a baptismal rite, which took place at an auspicious time when there were a number of boys and girls between the ages of three and twelve in the settlement. The ceremony took place in the house of a town elder, in the presence of their parents who had observed various abstinences in honor of the occasion. The children and their fathers remained inside a cord held by four old and venerable men representing the Chaks or Rain Gods, while the priest performed various acts of purifaction and blessed the candidates with incense, tobacco, and holy water. From that time on the elder girls, at least, were marriageable.
In both highlands and lowlands, boys and young men stayed apart from their families in special communal houses where they presumably learned the arts of war, and other things as well, for Landa says that the prostitutes were frequent visitors. Other youthful diversions were gambling and the ball game. The double standard was present among the Maya, for girls were strictly brought up by their mothers and suffered grievious punishments for lapes of chastity. Marriage was arranged by go-betweens and, as among all peoples with exogamous clans or lineages, there were strict rules about those whom alliances could or could not be made- particularly taboo was marriage with those of the same paternal name. Monogamy was the general custom, but important men who could afford it took more wives. Adultry was punished by death, as among the Mexicans.
Ideas of personal comeliness were quite different from ours, although the friars were much impressed with the beauty of the Maya women. Both sexes had their frontal teeth filed in various patterns, and we have many ancient Maya skulls in which the incisors have benn inlaid with small plaques of jade. Until marraige, young men painted themselves black (and so did warriors at all times); tattooing and decorative scarification began after wedlock, both men and women being richly elaborated from the waist up by these means. Slightly crossed eyes were held in great esteem, and parents attempeted to induce the condition by hanging small beads over the noses of their children.”
Prehistory pg. 306-308: “Initial Basketmaker II is now dated at about the time of Christ, persisting until about 500 A.D. Its identifying traits are familiar, being those cited for the Archaic culture and remindful of the material from Tularosa Cave. The sites are most often to be found in caves, alcoves, or overhangs. In such situations, the perishable artifacts are preserved, as are the bodies of the dead. The practice of skull deformation which later proved popular, had not yet appeared.
Other additions to the Pueblo I trait list include cotton cloth, jacal construction, and the practice of cranial deformation- steeply angled flattening of the optical area- resulting probably from the use of a ridged cradleboard. Both the cotton and the cranial flattening appear in earlier Mongollon.”
Zapotec pg. 105-106: “Now let us turn to another attribute that cannot reflect achievement: deliberate cranial deformation. At the time of the Spanish Conquest it was considered a sign of nobility, like the wearing of quetzal plumes and jade earplugs. Cranial deformation must be done early in life, while the skull is still growing and it bones still separated by cartilage. For the ancient Maya, cranial deformation took place shortly after birth. The sixteenth-century Spaniard Diego de Landa says “four of five days after the infant was born, they placed it stretched out upon a little bed, made of sticks of osier and reeds; and there with its face upwards, they put its head between which they compressed it tightly, and here they kept it suffering until at the end of several days, the head remained flat and molded.”
Some sixteenth-century Aztec informants revealed that “When the children are very young, their heads are soft and can be molded in the shape that you see ours to be, by using two pieces of wood hollowed out in the middle. This custom, given to our ancestors by the gods, gives us a noble air.”
Cranial deformation results from actions taken by one’s parents, long before one is old enough to have achieved anything; thus, if cranial deformation reflects high rank, it must be inherited high rank. Two types of deformation were practiced in early Mesoamerican villages. Tabular deformation, the most common, was caused by pressing the skull between a fixed occipital cradleboard and a free board on the forehead. Annular deformation was caused by tying a band around the head. Each type of deformation could be erect or oblique, depending of the angle at which it was applied.
Tabular deformation was the most common type in the San Jose phase, and could occur with either sex; some of the men buried with Lightning vessels were so deformed. One teenage girl from San Jose Mogote, however, showed annular deformation, a practice still rare at this time. It is possible that she was a bride from another ethnic region, where annular deformation was more common. The girl’s burial position- face up, arms folded on her chest- was also atypical for that residential ward.
We believe that certain children inherited the right to have their skulls deformed, and that certain male children inherited the right to be buried with Earth or Sky motifs. Because such burials were not always accompanied by impressive sumptuary goods, one cannot make a simplistic claim of “chiefly burials” for them. We suspect that these were children born into the descent groups from which future leaders were likely to come. However, not everyone born into such a group automatically became a leader. Almost certainly, to receive truly elegant burial gifts, one had to add achievement to one’s high-status pedigree.” [[298]] [[299]] Mysteries pg. 184-186
Prehistory pg. 247-249, 261, 268-271, 282: “Monks Mound dominated from its north end of a vast plaza of some 200 acres enclosed in a bastioned palisade or stockade of large posts. Along each side of the plaza were twelve or more platform and conical mounds with a single platform at the south end of the plaza. Outside the Monks Mound enclosure to north, south, east, and west were dozens of other mounds dominating other plazas. But there were four other large, but lesser mound groups clustered around smaller plazas. Everywhere over the entire bottom and on the valley bluffs to the east were sources of hamlets and farmsteads, which are believed to have supported the centers with foodstuffs and services.
The distribution of these big sites, their locations on water courses, and their very size lead some scholars to postulate that they were religious and administrative centers, peopled primarily by a powerful upper class that controlled trade and, possibly, population distribution and, of course, possessed absolute political and religious power.
There is no doubt that there was an elite Mississippian social class. This is attested by the rich mortuary offerings and the elaborate ceremonies with which the burials were made. Burials occurred on the tops of the pyramid mounds, a mortuary ritual that can be identified wherever the mound groups are found. The uniformity of occurrence has led to the interpretation that there were elite lineages and that their high status was ascribed by virtue of birth, because even children were sometimes accorded elaborate burial ceremony and grave goods. However, near or in the towns were large cemeteries, where lower-class citizens were buried. Here too, there is an occasional richly accompanied burial, but the objects are of a different nature, such as the tools or creations of a craftsman. Such persons are believed to have achieved a relatively high status through merit rather than birth.” [[299]] [[300]] 4 Nephi 1:24–46; Mormon 1:13–19 [[300]] [[301]] Prehistory pg. 294-298, 300, 318
Mexico pg. 117, 119: “Other panels involve the beginning of the game, while in a final scene the losing captain is apparently being sacrificed by the victors, who brandish a flint knife over his heart: the game played in the courts of El Tajin was not lightly won or lost. The central panels on either side of the court concern the sacred drink pulque, and maguey plants from which this intoxicating beverage was made; over one of these, the Tajin version of the Mexican rain god Tlaloc presides, while on its counterpart opposite, this same god replenishes a pool of pulgue with blood taken from his own penis, watched by deity with a fish headdress.”
Maya pg. 104, 106, 110-112: [[301]] [[302]] 4 Nephi 1:46 [[302]] [[303]] Prehistory pg. 236-243, 318-320; Tula pg. 46
Zapotec pg. 224: “Period IIIa, because of its distinctively decorated pottery, shows up strongly on surface survey. This is fortunate, since it makes it easier to show the significant changes in settlement pattern that took place between Monte Alban II and IIIa. Those changes included substantial increases in population, great shifts in the demographic center of gravity of the Valley of Oaxaca, and increased use of defensible localities.
Period IIIb, in contrast, had relatively drab pottery which is difficult to distinguish from that of the subsequent phase, Monte Alban IV (roughly A.D. 700-1000). When large Period IIIb sites are excavated, they often contain pottery types traded from the Maya region, types whose ages are well established. On surface survey, however, Periods IIIb and IV are difficult to separate unless one has a very large sample of pottery.”
Mexico pg. 91, 103-105, 144-147: “On the basis of a technology that was essentially Neolithic- for metals were unknown until after AD 900- the Mexicans raised fantastic numbers of buildings, decorated them with beatiful poychrome murals, produced pottery and figurines in unbelievable quantity, and covered everything with sculptures. Even mass production was introduced, with the invention (or importation from South America) of the clay mold for making figurines and incense burners.
Yet it may be fruitless to look at the Valley of Teotihuacan alone for the secret of the capital’s remarkable success, for the city that we have described held sway over most of the central highlands of Mexico during the Early Classic, and perhaps over much of Mesoamerica. Like the later Aztec state, it may have depended as much on long-distance trade and tribute as upon local agricultural production. Teotihuacan influence and probably control in some instances were strong even in regions remote from the capital, such as the Gulf Coast, Oaxaca, and the Maya area. Elegant vases of pure Teotihuacan manufacture are found in the buirals of nobels all over Mexico at this time, and the art of the Teoihuacnaos dominated the germinating styles of the other high civilizations of Mesoamerica. Six hundred and fifty miles to the southeast, in the highlands of Guatemala on the outskirts of the modern capital of that republic, a little ‘city’ has been found that is in all respects a minature copy of Teotihuacan.
Those hardy pioneers who during Toltec times pushed up northwest along the eastern flanks of the Sierra Madre into Chichimec country, sowing their crops in what had once been barren ground, necessarily were forced to live a frontier life. As a matter of fact, this entension of cultivation into the barbarian zone had begun as far back as the Early Classic period, but it is not until the Post-Classic taht one can see any major results, when a series of strongpoints was constructed.
The deep interest of the central Mexicans in the Chichmec zone lying between them and the American Southwest went far beyond the mere search for new lands, however. The site of Alta Vista, near the town of Chalchihuites, Zacatecas, lies astride the Tropic of Cancer, about 390 miles northwest of Tula. It was taken over by Teotihuacan (or Teotihuacan-controlled) people about AD 350, and was exploited all through the Classic for the richness of its local mines, probably, as Professor Dihel thinks, through slave labor. Over 750 mines are known in the area, from which came such rare minerals as malachite, cinnabar, hematite, and rock crystal, which were exported to Teotihuacan for processing into elite artifacts. Alta Vista itself is little more than ceremonial center with a colonnaded hall on a defensible hill, but it is possible that this architectural trait, along with the tzompantli or skull rack, may have provided a Classic prototype for these features at Tula.
At some time in the Classic, turquoise deposits were discovered and exploited in New Mexico, in all likelihood by the Pueblo farming cultures that had old roots there. From there turquoise was taken to Alta Vista and worked into mosaics and similar objects, for export into central Mexico. Trace element analysis, carried out through neutron activation by Dr. Garman Harbottle at the Brookhave National Laboratory, has resulted in very precise data on the turquoise trade between Mesoamerica and the American Southwest, which greatly expanded with the onset of the Early Post-Classic, by which time the major source at Cerrillos, New Mexico, was under the control of the people responsible for the great apartment houses of Chaco Canyon.
In this trade, Alta Vista was an early intermediary. About AD 900, just as the Toltecs were coming to power, it and its hinterland were abandoned. Its successor as turquoise middleman may have been La Quemada, a very large hilltop fortress in the state of Zacatecas, 106 miles to the southwest of Alta Vista. To guard against Chichimec raids, a great stone wall girdles the summit, within which the bulk of the populace (perhaps a Toltec-dominated local tribe) lived, farming the surrounding countryside. Outside the wall, on the lower slopes of the hill, is the ceremonial center of La Quemada: a very odd 33 ft high pyramid built up of stone slabs, not truncated and lacking a stairway, along with a colonnaded hall recalling Alta Vista and Tula. On the summit are serveral platform-pyramids and a complex of walled courts surrounded by rooms.
The two-way nature of the Toltec contact with the Pueblo peoples can be seen at the site of Casas Gandes, Chihuahua, not far south of the border with New Mexico. The florescence of Casas Grandes was coeval with the late Tollan phase at Tula, and with early Aztec. While the population lived in Southwestern-style apartment houses, the Mesoamerican component can be seen in the presence of platform temple mounds, and I-shaped ball courts, and the cult of the Feathered Serpent. Warehouses filled with rare Southwestern minerals, such as turquoise, were found by Charles DiPeso, the excavator of Casas Grandes. What was traveling north? The Pueblo Indians have a deep ritual need for feathers from tropical birds like parrots and macawas, since these symoblize fertility and the heat of the summer sun. Special pens were discovered at the site in which scarlet macaws were kept, apparently brought there by the Toltecs to exchange for the wonderful blue-green turquoise, or perhaps to pay the natives of New Mexico for working the turquoise mines.
It is fairly clear that all these sites were invloved in the trasmission of Toltec traits into the American Southwest, in particular the conlonaded masonary building and the platform pyramid; the ball court and the game played in it; copper bells; perhaps the idea of masked dancers; and the worship of the Feathered Serpent, which still plays a role in the rituals of people like the Hopi and Zuni. It is also clear that these triats ran along a trading route, a ‘Turquoise Road,’ so to speak, analogous to the famous Silk Road of the Old World the bound civilized and ‘barbarian’ alike into a single cultural whole.
A similar movement of Toltec traits took place in the southeastern United States at the same time, probably via the people living on the other side of the cental plateau, but little is known of the archaeology of that region. In Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and Illinois, sites with huge temple mounds and ceremoninal plazas, and their associated pottery and other artifacts, show Toltec influence. Suffice it is to say here that most of the more spectacular aspects of the late farming cultures of the United State blend native elements with cultrual traits from Early Post-Classic Mexico.
The ‘Turquoise Road’ continued to flourish throughout the Post-Classic period, right until the coming of the Spainards, who found the mineral of little monteray value. Dr. Harbottle and the archaeologist Phil Weigand have demonstrated that eventually there were many mines in operation in the Southwest and over the border into Mexico, and that the Pueblo peoples were exporting this substance as highly polished tesserae down into central Mexico on routes which ran on both sides on the western Sierra Madre. The ultimate outpost of this vast mercantile exchange was Chichen Itza, where a complete tezcacuitlapilli mirror was discovered resting on a red-painted jaguar throne inside the city’s famous Castillo pyramid; on its reverse side was a turquoise mosaic featuring four encircling Fire Serpents, exactly as depicted on Tula’s warrior atlantids.”
Maya pg. 83-101: Few of the pottery vessels from the Esperanza tombs are represented in the rubbish strewn around Kaminalijuyu, from which it is clear that they were intended for the use of the invading class alone. Some of these were actually imported from Teotihuacan itself, probably carried laboriously over the intervening 800 or 900 miles on back racks such as those still used by native traders in the Maya highlands.” [[303]] [[304]] Prehistory pg. 258-260
“The discussion of maize as a staple food requires review in the context of the much larger concept of food production. It is interesting to note that worldwide, coincident with an increasing dependence on any cereal, the overall health and quality of life of a population deteriorates in many ways. Many diseases and nutritional deficiencies or stresses leave evidence of their occurrence in the bones of the body. This it is possible for a paleopathologist to detect in the skeleton many of the unhealthful conditions individuals have experienced during their lives. Thanks to research with archaeological populations recovered from locations in the Americas, Europe, and Near East, it has been possible for scholars to arrive at some general observations that are contrary to one’s expectations. Most of the paleopathologies observed in both historic and prehistoric skeletal populations are related to nutritional stress. Foods lacking in minerals, basic fats, proteins, and amino acids and, more commonly, insufficient food over varyingly long periods of ten leave their marks.
Diseases that cause bone lesions, as well as others that leave no skeletal evidence, are more likely to attack during periods of nutritional stress. Even more conducive to infectious diseases are the unsanitary conditions attending sedentism, a living pattern that usually accompanies the practice of horticulture. When prehistoric people lived together in permanent or semi permanent housing in clustered situations, the incidence of tuberculosis increased markedly, in some Midwest farming populations, for example, over the Woodland incidence of the disease.” [[304]] [[305]] Maya Chap 4-6 (pictures); Mexico Chap 6 (pictures); Zapotec Chap 15 (pictures) [[305]] [[306]] Prehistory pg. 249, 300
“Warfare seems to have been common at that time, as the villages are palisaded and located on hills or steep stream banks where defense was easier. The communal longhouse exiseted by then, albeit smaller that the later Iroquois structure. Thus the essential elements of the Iroquois pattern- corn agriculture, villages palisaded in defensible positions on streams, an artistic treatment of tobacco pipes, bone-bundle burials, dogs sometimes used as food, and ceramics clearly ancestral to historic Iroquois pottery- were present by 1300 A.D.” [[306]] [[307]] Mexican History pg. 25-27; Prehistory pg. 294-297, 299, 318; Gods and Symbols pg. 42-44
Zapotec pg. 180, 188-191, 226: “It was apparently during Monte Alban II that “state ballcourts” in the shape of a Roman numeral I first appeared. It is difficult to put these courts in historic perspective, since we have little information on the ballgame itself.
As early as 1000 BC, some small figurines made at Mesoamerican villages seem to be wearing gloves, knee guards, and other equipment associated with a prehispanic ball game. This game was played with heavy balls made of latex from the indigenous rubber tree. Three such balls were preserved by waterlogging at El Manati in southern Veracruz, a site dating to 1000-700 BC.
This later type of court was called lachi by the Zapotec, and the game was called queye or quiye. While we do not know the rules by which it was played, it probably resebled the Aztec game called olamaliztli or ulama, in which the ball could not be touched with the hands; it was struck instead with the hips, elbows, and head as in modern soccer.
Why would the Zapotec state invest in the construction and standardization of I-shaped ballcourts, in effect promoting an “official” game? No one is sure, but some scholars believe that the ballgame played a role in conflict resolution between communities. It has been suggested that when two opposing towns competed in a state-supervised athletic contest, held on a standardized court at their regional administrative center, the outcome of the game might be taken as a sign of supernatural support for the victorious community. This, in turn, might lessen the likelihood that the two towns would actually go to war.”
Mexico pg. 112, 115-119, 121, 123, 136, 142, 146-147: “Above all, the inhabitants of El Tajin were obsessed with the ball game, human sacrifice, and death, three concepts closely interwoven in the Mesoamerican mind. The courts, which are up to 197 ft long, are formed by two facing walls, with stone surface either vertical or battered. Magnificent bas reliefs in some of them are witness of the drama of the game, with scenes showing mythology associated with it, and ceremonies in which the particapants are the players themselves, all wearing the appropriate paraphernalia.”
Maya pg. 99, 108-109, 114, , 116, 118, 163-164: “Ball courts seem to be present at many sites in the Central Area, but they are more frequent and better made in the southeast, at sites like Copan. These courts are of stucco-faced masonry, and have sloping playing sufaces. At Copan, three stone markers were placed on each side, and three set into the floor of the court, but the exact method of scoring in the game is obscure. Toward the western part of teh Central Area, in centers along the Usumacinta River, sweat baths are known, possibly adopted from Mexio where such structures can still be found in many highland towns.
Reliefs of skulls and manikin figures of skeletons are not uncommon. Their second obession was the rubber ball game. Secure evidence for the game comes from certain stone objects that are frequent in the Cotzumalhuapn zone and in fact over much of the Pacific Coast down to El Salvador. Of these, most typical are the U-shaped stone “yokes” which represented the heavy protective belts of wood and leather worn by the contestants; and thin heads or hachas with human faces, grotesque carnivores, macaws, and turkeys, generally thought to be markers for the zones of the court, but worn on the yoke during post game ceremonies. Both are sure signs of a close affiliation to the Classic cultures of the Mexican Gulf Coast, where such ballgame paraphernalia undoubtedly originated.” [[307]] [[308]] Gods and Symbols pg. 42-44 [[308]] [[309]] Mexican History pg. 25-27; Gods and Symbols pg. 42-44
Mexico pg. 115-119: (SAME AS NOTE 307 ABOVE)
“Other panels involve the beginning of the game, while in a final scene the losing captain is apparently being sacrificed by the victors, who brandish a flint knife over his heart: the game played in the courts of El Tajin was not lightly won or lost.” [[309]] [[310]] Mexican History pg. 25-27; Gods and Symbols pg. 42-44
Mexico pg. 115-119, 142: “In line with the claim that human sacrifce was introduced in the last phase of Tula by the Tezcatlipoca faction, there are several depictions of teh cuauhxicalli, the sacred ‘eagle vessel’ designed to recieve human hearts, as well as a tzompantli, the altar decorated with skulls and crossbones on which the heads of captives were displayed. In fact, the base of an actual tzompantli has been found just to the east of Ball Court 2, the largest at the site; fragments of human skulls littered its surface. In accordance with Mesoamerican custom, these were probably trophies from losers in a game that was ‘played for keeps’!” [[310]] [[311]] Mexican History pg. 25-27
Mexico pg. 115-119: “The Building of the Columns is the largest ‘palace’ complex at the site. The drums of the columns are carved with narrative scenes from the ceremonial life of the city. The most interesting of these depicts a procession of victorious warriors bringing stripped captives to the to the enthroned ruler, a personage with the calendrical name 13 Rabbit; before him lies the corpse of a disembowled victim. Similar names taken from the 260-day count are found here and elsewhere at El Tajin, but it is doubtful whether a writing system as advanced as those of the Zapotecs or Maya existed here.” [[311]] [[312]] Mexican History pg. 25-27; Prehistory pg. 306; Gods and Symbols pg. 42-44 [[312]] [[313]] Mexican History pg. 48-50; Prehistory pg. 319-320 [[313]] [[314]] Prehistory pg. 238, 247, 249, 261-263, 268, 270-278, 294-297, 299, 308, 319-320; Chiapas Artifacts pg. 199
Zapotec pg. 208-209, 216-221: “In the second half of Monte Alban III, referred as Period IIIb, Reyes Etla was an important Tier 2 or 3 center in the Etla region. One tomb there had its doorway flanked by two remarkable carved stone jambs. Each shows a Zapotec lord in jaguar or puma warrior costume, holding a lance in his hand. Their names are given as 5 Flower and 8 Flower. Each stands below the “Jaws of the Sky” and has a “hill sign” beneath his feet. These jamb figures may represent relatives or ancestors who guarded the tomb, suggesting that even the nobles of Tier 2-3 centers were persons of great importance.” [[314]] [[315]] Mormon 2:8; Moroni 8:27–29; 9:18-23 [[315]] [[316]] Mormon 2-6 (approximately 60 years from Zarahemla to Cumorah; about 25 years from Desolation to Cumorah) [[316]] [[317]] This section will show evidences that the destructions began in Yucatan, passed across the Mexican Highland, up through West Mexico, across the Northwest Mexico and the American Southwest and Midwest and up into the Northeast to Cumorah covering almost the entire continent of North America. [[317]] [[318]] Mormon 5:8–11; 6:1, 5-22; 8:7 [[318]] [[319]] Mexico pg. 107-112
“Both murals suggest some sort of opposition or juxtaposition between Eagles and Jaguars, perhaps symbolic of the knightly orders which we know from Post-Classic Mexico. Such an opposition is vividly depicted on the talud of Building B, on which is realistically painted a great battle in progress between jaguar-clad and feathered warriors, any one of whom might be at home on the reliefs of Seibal. There is little doubt that the artist had seen such a conflict, for he depicts such grisly details as a dazed victim, seated on the ground holding his entrails in his hands. The art historian Mary Miller believes that such a battle had actually taken place, perhaps on the swampy plains of southwestern Campeche, but that it had been recast in supernatural terms, in that some of the contestents are improbably given feet of eagles and jaguars.”
Maya 154-155: “It is now evident that the ninth century was a time of turmoil over much of Mesoamerica, with the power of Teotihuacan long since gone, and the old order in the Maya lowlands breaking down. In this power vacuum, the Putan, seasoned businessmen with strong contacts raging from central Mexico to the Caribbean coast of Honduras, must have played a very agressive role in a time of troubles, and their presence in the Mexican highlands may have played a formative role in what was to become the Toltec state.” [[319]] [[320]] Maya 154-155
(SAME AS NOTE 319 ABOVE)
Mexico pg. 107-112, 126-127: “Stange things began happening in central Mexico during and after the disintegration of Teotihuacan’s empire in the seventh century AD. One of these was the appearance of foreigners, almost certainly from the Gulf Coast lowlands and the Yucatan Peninsula, towards the end of the Classic period. The interrelationship of the highland Mexicans and the Maya has been established by archaeology, but this was usually the domination by the former of the latter, such as the takeover of Kaminalijuyu by Teotihuacanos. During the Early Classic, there must have been at least one enclave of Maya traders at Teotihuacan, and a fine Maya jade plaque in the British Museum is supposed to have been found at that stie. The Maya, with their advanced knowladge of astronomy and sophisticated writing system, probably exerted considerable intellecual and religious influence over the rest of Mesoamerica, and there is some evidence that the dreaded Tezcatlipoca, the great god of war and the royal house in Post-Classic Mexico, was of Maya origin.” [[320]] [[321]] Mexico pg. 107-112; Maya 24 (color picture), 154-155
(SAME AS NOTE 319 ABOVE) [[321]] [[322]] Mormon 1:10–12 [[322]] [[323]] Ancient Kingdoms pg. 112 [[323]] [[324]] Mormon 2:1–3 [[324]] [[325]] Teotihuacan pg. 3-4; Ancient Kingdoms pg. 107-108
Mexico pg. 105-106: “The city met its enc around AD 700 through deliberate destruction and burning by the hand of unknown invaders. It was mainly the heart of the city that suffered the torch, especially the palaces and temples on each side of the Avenue of the Dead, from the Pyramid of the Moon to the Ciudadela. Some internal crisis or long-term political and economic malaise, perhaps the distruption of its trade and tribute routes by a new polity such as the rising Xochiclaco state, may have resulted in the downfall, and it may be significant that by AD 600, at the close of the Early Classic, almost all Teotihuacan influence over the rest of Mesoamerica ceases. No more do the nobility of other states stock their tombs with the refined products of the great city.”
People pg. 491: “William Sanders has argued that Teotihuacan, and all had been powerful states at the time of the former’s collapse.
Whatever the cause of Teotihuacan’s collapse, its heyday marks the moment when one can begin to think of the Mesoamerican world in more than purely local and even regional, terms.” [[325]] [[326]] Mormon 2:3–5 [[326]] [[327]] Zacatecas pg. 1-2; La Quemada pg. 85-109; this region is called West Mexico in most papers, finding material on this area is difficult because so little research has been done until more recent times; more research is needed in this region.
Mexico pg. 145: “The deep interest of the central Mexicans in the Chichimec zone lying between them and the American Southwest went far beyond the mere search for new lands, however. The site of Alta Vista, near the town of Chalchihuites, Zacatecas, lies astride the Tropic of Cancer, about 390 miles northwest of Tula.” [[327]] [[328]] Mormon 2:5–16 [[328]] [[329]] Aztatlan pg. 1-5; more research is needed in this region. [[329]] [[330]] Mormon 2:8 [[330]] [[331]] Aztatlan pg. 4; more research is needed in this region. [[331]] [[332]] Mormon 2:16–20 [[332]] [[333]] Mormon 2:20–26 [[333]] [[334]] Warfare pg. 154-186; Chaco Canyon is a well-known site in NW Mexico, there are many books and internet sites dedicated to it exclusively.
Prehistory pg. 310-319: “Aside from the widest distribution ever achieved by Pueblo people, the Pueblo II era is notable for the occurrence of some distinctive local social systems that were apparently quite complex. These have been called “systems of regional integration.” The best known and by far the best studied of these distinctive regional subcultures is called the Chaco Phenomenon. It developed in the San Juan basin in northwestern New Mexico and impinged to some extent into extreme southwestern Colorado. The Phenomenon, centered in Chaco Canyon was short-lived, lasting about 200 years, from 900 A.D., or a little later, until just after 1100 A.D.
There are other details and ramifications comprising the Chaco Phenomenon as currently hypothesized. The reasons for origins of the phenomenon and its suggestion of control remain obscure but not for lack of proposed explanations. An older school of thought tends to view the exotic Mexican artifacts as having arrived en bloc. Such traits as copper bells, macaws, inlaid shell, core veneer architecture, the great kivas and tower kivas, and cylindrical jars, are interpreted as imports. These traits, along with the evidence of central authority such as the building of huge towns to a standard plan, are not seen elsewhere. The influence of small bands of priests or traders who brought attractive new objects and ideas from the more complex and sophisticated Mexican cultures is often cited. Whether persuasion, force, or religious awe of the glamorous strangers provided the leverage toward acceptance is never clear. The idea of extensive trade, especially in turquoise, with the south has also been invoked, and there is good evidence for it. Turquoise occurs in Toltec sites in quantity. The few copper bells or macaws also suggest a systematic northward trade traffic in those commodities, but not a very extensive one. Whatever the explanation, the complex of roads, architecture, and exotic objects still appears anomalous in the Pueblo setting. It has been proposed that the roads facilitated the transporting of the thousands of huge logs used as roof beams in the houses and kivas.
A second, later school sees the entire Chaco development as the complex end product of indigenous factors and influences to be analyzed and understood as a regional event and system. One popular theory is that by 700 A.D., cultigens were becoming a more significant part of the diet and the settlement of Chaco Canyon were arable land was plentiful increased to the point that by 900 A.D. all the prime horticultural lands in the wash or the valley were in use. But further population expansion, either through local increase or continued immigration, led to the exploitation of marginal lands away from the rich valley. The notoriously fickle southwestern summer rainfall and the violent, localized thunderstorms that fall capriciously over the San Juan Basin jeopardize farming somewhat. The crops in one district might prosper while nearby ones failed for lack of moisture.” [[334]] [[335]] Mormon 3:1–3 [[335]] [[336]] Prehistory pg. 310-314; almost every Anasazi site from this period has numerous kivas (e.g. Lowry ruins; Aztec ruins; Mesa Verde ruins; Chaco Canyon’s Pueblo Bonito, Casa Rinconada, Chettro Kettle, Pueblo del Arroyo, and Kin Kletso)
“The great kivas, as much as 50 feet deep in diameter, were sometimes 10 feet deep and roofed with a horizontal domed cribbing of logs. There was a raised square fireplace flanked by two large masonry vaults, that is, pits lined with masonry. The walls and the encircling bench were also of thick stone masonry. Four huge posts or stone pillars for central support of the high, cribbed roof were arranged in a square a few feet in from the peripheral bench. On the wall above the bench were usually empty when found. A few had cashes of special artifacts inside, however, and were plastered over. The great kivas were entered by a stairway. The crib roofs of the kivas required more than an estimated 300 heavy logs. Usually these logs were pine, fir, or spruce that came from many miles away in the mountains to the northeast and west. In a desert setting such as Chaco Canyon, the ritual or symbolic value of the large kivas must have been high for the excavation and masonry lining the of the kiva pit.” [[336]] [[337]] Moroni 7:1–5 [[337]] [[338]] Mormon 3:1–3; Moroni 8:1–9 [[338]] [[339]] Mormon 2:28–3:4 [[339]] [[340]] Tula pg. 42-43, 48-50; Mexican History pg. 38-39; Atlas pg. 105
Mexico pg. 131-144: “Like many other Post-Classic states, Toltec society seems to have been composed of disparate tribal elements which had come together for obscure reasons. One of these, which would appear to have been dominant, was called the Tolteca-Chichimeca. The other group went under the name Nonoalca, and according to some scholars was made up of sculptors and artisans from the old civilized regions of Puebla and the Gulf Coast, brought in to construct the monuments of Tula. The Toltca-Chichimeca, for their part, were probably the original Nahua-speakers who founded the Toltec state. As their name implies, they were once barbarians, perhaps semi-civilized Chichimeca originating on the fringes of Mesoamerica among the Uto-Aztecans of western Mexico, for although it was said that ‘they came from the interior of the plains, among the rocks,’ their level of culture was substantially higher that that of the ‘real’ Chichimeca.” [[340]] [[341]] Tula pg. 45; Gods and Symbols pg. 164-165 [[341]] [[342]] Tula pg. 45 [[342]] [[343]] Tula pg. 48-50 [[343]] [[344]] Mexico pg. 107-112
“Strange things began happening in central Mexico during and after the disintergration of Teotihuacan’s empire in the seventh century AD. One of these was the appearance of foreigners, almost certainly from the Gulf Coast lowlands of the Yucatan Peninsula, towards the end of the Classic period.
Xicallanco was an important trading town in southern Campeche controlled by the Putun, Maya-speaking seafaring merchants whose commercial interests ranged from teh Olmeca country, along teh coast of the entire Yucatan Peninsula, as far as the Carrabbean shore of Honduras.”
Maya pg. 151-164: “But what happened to the bulk of the population who once occupied the Central Area, apparently in the millions? This is one of the great mysteries of Maya archaeology, since we have little or no evidence allowing us to come up with a solution. The early Colonial chronicles in Yucatec Maya speak of a “Great Descent” and “Lesser Descent,” implying two mighty streams of refuges heading north from the abandoned cities inot Yucatan, and Linda Schele and Peter Mathews, like Sylvanus Morley before them, believe that this account relfects historical fact. Some may have migrated in a southerly direction, particularly into the Chiapas highlands. So far, however, this puative diaspora seems to have left no real traces in the archaeolgical record.” [[344]] [[345]] Mexico pg. 138-140
“The rear room had four square pillars, carved on all sides with Toltec warriors adorned with the sybols of the knightly orders. There, in the sactuary, once stood a stone altar supported by little atlantean figures. Also in the temple and in other parts of the ceremonial precinct wer peculiar scuptures called ‘chacmools,’ reclining personages bearing round dishes or receptacles for human hearts on their bellies; these were probably avartars of the Rain God.
Around the four sides of Pyramid B were bas reliefs sybolizing the warrior orders on which the strength of the empire depended: prowling jaguars and coyotes, and eagles eating hearts, interspered with strange composite beasts thought to represent Quetzalcoatl.
On the north side of the pyramid and parallel to it is the 131 ft long ‘Serpent Wall’, embellished with painted friezes, the basic motif of which is a serpent eating a human; the head has been reduced to a skull, and the flesh has been partially stripped from the long bones.”
Maya pg. 151-164: “The great city of Seibal on the Rio Pasion apparently recovered from its defeat at the hands of the far smaller Dos Pilas, but during the Terminal Classic it seems to have come under the sway of warriors (or warrior-traders) from a further afield. The evidence is to be found in the part of the site known as Group A; in its south plaza sits an unusual four-sided structure with four stairways. In front of each stariway is a stela, and a fith stands inside the temple.” [[345]] [[346]] Tula pg. 48-50
Mexico pg. 144-147: “Alta Vista itself is little more than a ceremonial center with a colonnaded hall on a defensible hill, but it is possible that this architectural trait, along with the tzompntli or skull rack, may have provided a Classic protype for these features at Tula.
In this trade, Alta Vista was an early intermediary. About AD 900, just as the Toltecs were coming to power, it and its hinterland were abandoned. Its successor as turquoise middleman may have been La Quemada, a very large hilltop fortress in the state of Zacatecas, 106 miles to the southwest of Alta Vista. To guard against Chichimec raids, a great stone wall girdles the summit, within which the bulk of the populace (perhaps a Toltec-dominated local tribe) lived, farming the surrounding countryside. Outside the wall, on the lower slopes of the hill, is the ceremonial center of La Quemada: a very odd 33 ft high pyramid built up of stone slabs, not truncated and lacking a stairway, along with a colonnaded hall recalling Alta Vista and Tula. On the summit are serveral platform-pyramids and a complex of walled courts surrounded by rooms.” [[346]] [[347]] Mormon 3:1 [[347]] [[348]] Warfare pg. 153-196 [[348]] [[349]] Mexico pg. 144-147
“The two-way nature of the Toltec contact with the Pueblo peoples can be seen at the site of Casas Gandes, Chihuahua, not far south of the border with New Mexico. The florescence of Casas Grandes was coeval with the late Tollan phase at Tula, and with early Aztec. While the population lived in Southwestern-style apartment houses, the Mesoamerican component can be seen in the presence of platform temple mounds, and I-shaped ball courts, and the cult of the Feathered Serpent. Warehouses filled with rare Southwestern minerals, such as turquoise, were found by Charles DiPeso, the excavator of Casas Grandes. What was traveling north? The Pueblo Indians have a deep ritual need for feathers from tropical birds like parrots and macawas, since these symoblize fertility and the heat of the summer sun. Special pens were discovered at the site in which scarlet macaws were kept, apparently brought there by the Toltecs to exchange for the wonderful blue-green turquoise, or perhaps to pay the natives of New Mexico for working the turquoise mines.
It is fairly clear that all these sites were invloved in the trasmission of Toltec traits into the American Southwest, in particular the conlonaded masonary building and the platform pyramid; the ball court and the game played in it; copper bells; perhaps the idea of masked dancers; and the worship of the Feathered Serpent, which still plays a role in the rituals of people like the Hopi and Zuni. It is also clear that these triats ran along a trading route, a ‘Turquoise Road,’ so to speak, analogous to the famous Silk Road of the Old World the bound civilized and ‘barbarian’ alike into a single cultural whole.” [[349]] [[350]] Casas Grandes pg. 290-301, 309, 482-501
Prehistory pg. 289-327: “Such a situation, it is theorized, led to the creation of a network of exchange in which towns or districts with good crops shared with their less-fortunate neighbors. The theory calls for central storage and redistribution centers and some specialized control to make the system work. The big towns are given the role of central storage and distribution.” [[350]] [[351]] Prehistory pg. 317
Mexico pg. 146 (144-147): “The two-way nature of the Toltec contact with the Pueblo peoples can be seen at the site of Casas Gandes, Chihuahua, not far south of the border with New Mexico. The florescence of Casas Grandes was coeval with the late Tollan phase at Tula, and with early Aztec. While the population lived in Southwestern-style apartment houses, the Mesoamerican component can be seen in the presence of platform temple mounds, and I-shaped ball courts, and the cult of the Feathered Serpent. Warehouses filled with rare Southwestern minerals, such as turquoise, were found by Charles DiPeso, the excavator of Casas Grandes. What was traveling north? The Pueblo Indians have a deep ritual need for feathers from tropical birds like parrots and macawas, since these symoblize fertility and the heat of the summer sun. Special pens were discovered at the site in which scarlet macaws were kept, apparently brought there by the Toltecs to exchange for the wonderful blue-green turquoise, or perhaps to pay the natives of New Mexico for working the turquoise mines.”
People pg. 326-327: “The dig showed that its inhabitants exchanged turquoise and painted pottery from the Southwest for marine shells and exotic bird feathers from Mexico. Local traditions connect Casas Grande with a settelement named Paqime, which was more of a Mexican town than an Indian pueblo.” [[351]] [[352]] Casas Grandes pg. 290-309, 482-501
Prehistory pg. 289-327: “Monks Mound dominated from its north end of a vast plaza of some 200 acres enclosed in a bastioned palisade or stockade of large posts. Along each side of the plaza were twelve or more platform and conical mounds with a single platform at the south end of the plaza. Outside the Monks Mound enclosure to north, south, east, and west were dozens of other mounds dominating other plazas. But there were four other large, but lesser mound groups clustered around smaller plazas. Everywhere over the entire bottom and on the valley bluffs to the east were sources of hamlets and farmsteads, which are believed to have supported the centers with foodstuffs and services.
The distribution of these big sites, their locations on water courses, and their very size lead some scholars to postulate that they were religious and administrative centers, peopled primarily by a powerful upper class that controlled trade and, possibly, population distribution and, of course, possessed absolute political and religious power.
There is no doubt that there was an elite Mississippian social class. This is attested by the rich mortuary offerings and the elaborate ceremonies with which the burials were made. Burials occurred on the tops of the pyramid mounds, a mortuary ritual that can be identified wherever the mound groups are found. The uniformity of occurrence has led to the interpretation that there were elite lineages and that their high status was ascribed by virtue of birth, because even children were sometimes accorded elaborate burial ceremony and grave goods. However, near or in the towns were large cemeteries, where lower-class citizens were buried. Here too, there is an occasional richly accompanied burial, but the objects are of a different nature, such as the tools or creations of a craftsman. Such persons are believed to have achieved a relatively high status through merit rather than birth.” [[352]] [[353]] Mormon 3:4–5 [[353]] [[354]] Mormon 3:4–6 [[354]] [[355]] Mexico pg. 146; it has been very difficult to find research on the sites of northern Durango and southern Chihuahua and Sonora; the site Zape or Sape depending on the literature is in about the right place geographically but the only book on the region I could find was very old and entailed only a surface reconnaissance of the site. A search of Journal Articles may prove fruitful. [[355]] [[356]] Mormon 3:4–4:19 [[356]] [[357]] Mormon 4:19–22 [[357]] [[358]] Mortuary Practices pg. 5-7, 75-76; Casas Grandes pg. 290-301, 484-485; Sierra Madre pg. 132 [[358]] [[359]] Ibid. [[359]] [[360]] Warfare pg. 197-276; Prehistory pg. 320-321 [[360]] [[361]] Mormon 4:19–5:2 [[361]] [[362]] Warfare pg. 197-276; Prehistory pg. 320-321 [[362]] [[363]] Mormon 2:7–8, 20–21; 3:5; 4:1-5, 11, 20-23; 5:3-8 [[363]] [[364]] Warfare pg. 197-276
People pg. 326-329: “At the same time that people concentrated in larger sites, there was depopulation of many areas of the northern Southwest. The reasons for these changes are imperfectly understood. It may be that the changes genterated by the developments in Chaco and elsewhere caused people to congregate more closely. Alternatively, it has been argued that some climatic and enviromental changes, as yet little understood, may have caused major shifts in the settlement pattern. More likely, a combination of enviromental, societal, and adaptive changes set in motion a period of turbulence and culture change.” [[364]] [[365]] Moroni 9:7–10 [[365]] [[366]] Mortuary Practices pg. 7; Warfare pg. 169-176 [[366]] [[367]] Mortuary Practices pg. 71-72; Warfare pg. 169-176 [[367]] [[368]] Mortuary Practices pg. 1, 71 [[368]] [[369]] Moroni 9:7–8 [[369]] [[370]] Warfare pg. 233 (80-81, 83, 161, 324) [[370]] [[371]] Mormon 5:3–4 [[371]] [[372]] Warfare pg. 200-225 [[372]] [[373]] Mormon 4:16–5:8; Mormon 8:1–9; Moroni 1:1–4 [[373]] [[374]] Sierra Madre pg. 132; SW Indians pg. 72 [[374]] [[375]] Mormon 5:3–4 [[375]] [[376]] Prehistory pg. 254-278, 289
“Most Mississippian sites and mounds are small, so the sheer size if the few well-known Mississippian sites is overwhelming. These sites are characterized by clusters of mounds, some of which are truncated pyramids, arranged around a plaza. There may be conical mounds adjacent, but they are arranged in on apparent pattern. Even today after centuries of erosion many sites reveal an encircling embankment; outside the palisade of posts atop the earthen embankment the borrow pit stood open as a moat. Villages were not always nearby or inside the palisade. Normally they were scattered though the farmlands in the valleys. These huge sites can be thought of as religious, administrative, or even economic centers such as are presaged in the Hopewellian sites and are common in Mexico and Central America.” [[376]] [[377]] Prehistory pg. 233-246 (The Mississippian grew out of the Hopewell)
“What can inferred from the above description? Whatever the reason, the central theme, the power of the interaction sphere lay in the mortuary ritual and the trappings that accompanied it. To call the force religious is to claim more than can be proved, but religion is a force that can flow across cultural and linguistic boundaries as an overlay or veneer upon the local cultures. To stretch the point, world history offers such obvious examples as the spread of Islam and Christianity. At any rate, a religious motivation for the Hopewellian cult is not totally unreasonable. Usually, religion implies a superordinate priesthood, that is, a class of specialists with superior status. Priest-chieftains combining both sacred and secular powers can be postulated. The presence of a priesthood suggests a stratified society, an idea supported by the rich grave offerings for a few of the dead. The huge earthen monuments and a probable artisan class suggest a measure of secular control over the community, perhaps resembling a corvee or labor tax. During Hopewell times, there was probably some intensification of the cultivation of native plants.” [[377]] [[378]] Prehistory pg. 254-278
“On festival or ritual days the plaza would be the scene of fiercely fought ball games akin to lacrosse or complicated dances done to the rhythm of drums and rattles and the music of many singers. Like the priests, the dancers would be colorfully dressed in rich costumes and ornaments. The Creek Busk or Green Corn festival of thanksgiving, held on the dance ground even into the twentieth century, probably preserves a faded vestige of the Mississippian splendor. Some of the rituals would have involved purification and long-drawn-out ceremonies of human sacrifice to one or another god, while the people from all supporting villages crowded the plaza to watch the dancers and the priests go in procession up the steep stairways to the summit of the mound, where the sacrificial climax was reached.
At other times, the scene at the plaza would involve the death and burial of a priest-ruler. These rituals also involved many days of prescribed processions, feasts, and sacrifice. As already noted, DuPratz saw and reported a Natchez chieftain’s burial ceremony in 1725. That mourning ceremony for Tattooed Serpent, Brother of the Sun, lasted for several days and involved all the Natchez villages. As part of the burial ceremony, the dead man’s two wives and his “speaker,” doctor, head servant, pipe bearer, and sister were ritually strangled. Several old women who, for one reason or another, had offered their lives were also strangled. The two wives were buried with the Tattooed Serpent in the temple, his speaker and one of the women were buried in front of the temple, and the others carried to their respective village temples for burial. His sister, also buried with him, was reported by DuPratz to have been reluctant to participate in the ceremony. As was customary, Tattooed Serpent’s house was burned. The burial of personages within and near houses and the subsequent destruction of those houses by fire are well attested archaeologically.” [[378]] [[379]] Prehistory pg. 263-266, 271-278
“At about 1200 A.D., when the Mississippian cultures were approaching the height of their strength, a complex of exotic artifacts appeared. The distribution of these objects in pan-Mississippian.
The objects are an exquisite expression of artistry combined with skilled craftsmanship. The artifacts were created in every medium: wood, shell, clay, stone, and hammered copper. The art is concerned with depicting animals, humans, mythical creatures, tools, and of motifs. The artifacts are not utilitarian but ornamental and are undoubtedly rich in conventional and symbolic meaning. As a subject for study they have attracted attention for a century. Much speculation has attended that study; the complex of artifacts is said to have been a death cult because of the skull, hand-eye, and other motifs. But the function of the artifacts served is not yet completely known.” [[379]] [[380]] Prehistory pg. 271-278
“The representations of human sacrifice in pipe sculpture, the daggers in the hands of some of the bird-man warriors or priests, severed heads, and many of the other symbols strongly suggest warfare or rituals of human sacrifice. Some of these artifacts and motifs are not new. Some seen to be a legacy from the Hopewell and even the Adena. On the other hand, the depiction of human sacrifice is interpreted by some as evidence of strong Mexican cultism, even perhaps of an increment of high-ranking individuals into the South. Others defend it as a climax phenomenon, developed autonomously in situ from the ceremonialism already evident throughout the East for some 2000 years. Some specialists in Southeast prehistory even deny cult or any coherent cluster of behavior surrounding the special objects. Instead they assert that the value of the cult artifacts is intrinsic. They hold that the wide dispersal of the objects, well beyond the Mississippian sphere of influence indicates that the rare exotics were created exclusively for trade.” [[380]] [[381]] Mormon 2:15 [[381]] [[382]] 2 Nephi 4:33–35; 28:30-32 [[382]] [[383]] Atlas pg. 56, 60; Mysteries pg. 180-183, 186-187; because carbon dating gives such late dates for the large Mississippian complexes some authors do not distinguish between those building the huge ceremonial centers and the wandering groups that followed. If these theories are correct then there were over 1400 years for the Indian population to rebound and the collapse of such a large society into groups of wandering tribes is a definite evidence of the Book of Mormon. [[383]] [[384]] Atlas pg. 56, 60; Mysteries pg. 180-183, 186-187 [[384]] [[385]] Mysteries pg. 187 [[385]] [[386]] Evidences pg. 7-8 quoting: Squire, E.G.; Antiquities of New York; 1851. [[386]] [[387]] Mormon 6:1–22 [[387]] [[388]] People pg. 120-149
“There can be little doubt that increased efficiency as a carnivore played an important role in the emergence of both archaic Homo sapiens and anatomically modern Homo sapiens sapiens. We explored current thinking about the emergence of H. sapiens sapiens in tropical Africa and hypothesized that anatomically modern humans spread from the tropics into North Africa and the Near East in about 90,000 BC. From there, H. sapiens may have intered Europe at the time of low sea level, crossing the land bridge that connected the Balkans with Turkey across the Bosphorus.”
Israel pg. 25: “Of the oldest known permanent settlements, far the most interesting to students of the Bible is that found in the lower levels of the mound of Jericho. As we have said, Jericho was first settled at least as far back as 8000 BC. But for many centuries little stood there save flimsy huts, which may represent no more than a long series of seasonal encampments. There were ultimately succeeded, however, by a permanent town which continued through many levels fo building in two distinct phases with a gap between, representing two successive Neolithic cultures before the invention of pottery. From the extreme depth of the remains (up to forty-five feet), it is evident that these cultures endured for centuries, beginning before the end of the eighth millennium BC and lasting at least till the end of the seventh. Nor can they be called primative. Through much of its history the town protected by massive fortification of stone. Houses were built of mud bricks of two distinct types, corresponding of the two phases of occupation mentioned above. In the later of these phases, house floors and walls were plastered and polished, and frequently painted; traces of reed mats which covered the floors have been found. Small clay figures of women and also domestic animals suggest the practice of the fertillity cult. Unique statues of clay on reed frames, discovered some years ago, hint that high gods may have been worshipped in Neolithic Jericho; in groups of three, these possibly represent that ancient triad, the divine family: father, mother, and son. Equally interesting are groups of human skulls (the bodies were buried elsewhere, as a rule under house floors) with the features modeled in clay and with shells for eyes.” [[388]] [[389]] Abraham 1:23–24 [[389]] [[390]] Israel pg. 27
“Meanwhile, sedentary life had also begun in Egypt. Traces of the presence of man in Egypt go back to the Early Paleolithic Age, when the Nile Delta lay under the sea and its valley was a swampy jungle inhabited by wild animals. We may assume that men had lived on the fringes of the valley ever since and had made their way into it to fish and to hunt, and subsequently to settle down. By the Neolithic Age, when the geography of Egypt had assumed roughly its present shape, we may suppose that villages, first temorary, then permanent, had begun to be established. But the transition to sedentary life cannot be documented in Egypt as it can in western Asia. The earlist permanent villages presumably lie under deep layers of Nile mud. The earliest village culture known to us is that of Fayum, followed by the slightly later one discovered at Merimde in the western Delta. These are Neolithic cultures after the invention of pottery- thus somewhat parallel to the pottery Neolithic of western Asia. Radiocarbon tests seem to place a Fayum in the latter half of the fifth millennium. At this time, although agriculture had begun to be developed, swamp with villages few and far between. Nevertheless, it is clear that in Egypt as elsewhere civilization had made its start- and some twenty-five hundred years before Abraham.” [[390]] [[391]] Israel pg. 24-27
“The earliest permanent villages known to us made their appearance toward toward the end of the Stone Age, as far as back as the seventh, and even the eigth, millennium BC. Before that, men for the most part lived in caves.
The presence of obsidian tools (probably from Anatolia), turquoise (from Sinai). and cowrie shells (from the seacoast) points to trade relationships, whether direct or indirect, extending over considerable distances. Neolithic Jericho is truly amazing. Its people- whoever they may have been- were in the very vanguard of the march toward civilization (dare on believe it?) some five thousand years before Abraham!
Village life continued to develop through the sixth millennium and into hte fifth, by which time villages and towns had been established almost everywhere.”
People pg. 151-155: “These and other Holocene climatic changes had profound effects in hunter-gatherer societies throughout the world, especially on the intensity of the food quest and complexity of their societies. Why had such changes not occurred earlier in pre-history? There had been climatic changes of similar, in not even greater, magnitude in early millennia, say during the early part of the last interglacial, some 128,000 years ago. The reason may be population density. Then, human populations were much smaller and a great deal of the world was uninhabited. It was possible for human populations living in large territories to move around freely, to adapt to new circumstances by shifting their home land, even over large distances. This ability enabled them to develop highly flexable survival strategies that took account of the constant fluctuations in food availability. If, for example, an African band had experienced two dry years in a row, it could move away of fall back on less nutritious edible foods, perhaps species that required more energy to harvest.” [[391]] [[392]] People pg. 248
“Deep-sea cores and pollen studies tell us that the Near Eastern climate was cool and dry from about 18,000 to 13,000 BC, during the late Weichsel. Sea levels dropped more than 300 feet; much of the interior was covered by dry steppe, with forest restricted to the Levant and Turkish coasts. Between 13,000 and 8000 BC, climatic conditions warmed up considerably, reaching a maximum about 3000 BC. Forests expanded rapidly at the end of the Ice Age, for the climate was still cooler than today and considerably wetter. Many areas of the Near East were richer in animal and plant species that they are now, making them highly favorable for human occupation.”
Israel pg. 27: “It was a period of amazing cultural flowering. Agriculture, vastly improved and expanded, made possible both better nourishment and the support of an increasing density o f population. Most of the cities were founded that were to play a part in Mesopotamian history for millenniums to come.” [[392]] [[393]] Joshua 2:1–6:27 [[393]] [[394]] Neolithic pg. 33-47; Grolier, Jericho
Israel pg. 25-26: (SAME AS NOTE 388 ABOVE) [[394]] [[395]] Neolithic pg. 33-47; Grolier, Jericho
Israel pg. 25-26: “These may have served some cultic purpose (possibly some form of ancestor worship), and certainly attest a marked artistic ability. Bones of dogs, goats, pigs, sheep, an oxen indicate that animals were domesticated, while sickels, querns, and grinders attest to the cultivation of ceral crops. From the size of the town and the paucity of naturally arable land around it, it has been inferred that a system of irrigation had developed.” [[395]] [[396]] Joshua 6:1–27 [[396]] [[397]] Neolithic pg. 33-47; Grolier, Jericho
Israel pg. 25-26: “On the Mediterranean coast, radiocarbon tests likewise indiate that the earliest settlement at Ras Shamra (again without pottery) reaches back into the seventh millennium. In Palestine, too, prepottery Neolithic settlements have been discoverd at various places, at least one of which (Bedia in Transjordan) is placed by radiocarbon tests in the early seventh millenium.” [[397]] [[398]] Neolithic pg. 33-47; Grolier, Jericho
Israel pg. 25-26: (SAME AS NOTE 388 ABOVE) [[398]] [[399]] Neolithic pg. 42-47
Israel pg. 25-26, 31-32: “The pottery, while not to be compared with the painted wares of Mesopotamia from an artistic point of view, shows technical excellence. Houses were built of sun dried, handmade bricks, often on stone foundations.
But it was in the Neolithic period that the transition from cave-dwelling to sedentary life, from a food-gathering to a food-producing economy, was completed and the building of permanent villages began to go foward. With this, since there could have been no civilization without it, one can say that the march of civilization had begun.
Bones of dogs, goats, pigs, sheep, and oxen indicate that animals were domesticated, while sickles, querns, and grinders attest to the cultivation of ceral crops.” [[399]] [[400]] Chiapas Burials; Mediterranean pg. 65; Neolithic pg. 42-44
Zapotec pg. 71-75: “At Tlapacoya, on the shores of Lake Chalco in the southern Basin of Mexico, Christine Niederberger excavated their remains of an Archaic group who she believes had already established “prolonged or permanent residency in the same site.” Her argument is that unusually rich environment of the Chalco lakeshore might have provided year-around food. No permanent houses were found at the site, however. And while plants and animals from the rainy season and the dry season were present in the refuse, the same was true at Guila Naquitz. All that is necessary to collect them is for a group to arrive in August (late rainy season) and stay until January (mid-dry season).”
Mexico pg. 41-58: “Houses were rectangular and about 20 ft (6 m) long, with slightly sunken floors of clay covered with river sand. The sides of vertical canes between wooden posts, and were daubed with mud, and white-washed; roofs were thatched.”
[[400]] [[401]] Israel pg. 25-26, 31-32, 40-41
“Though Palestine never developed a material culture remotely comparable to the cultures of the Euphrates and the Nile, the third millennium witnessed remarkable progress in that land too. Since this was broadly conincident with the heyday of Ebla, a connection is in every way likely. It was a time of great urban development, when population increased, cites were built and, presumably, city-states established. Many of the cites that later appear in the Bible are known from excavations to have been in existence: Jericho (rebuilt after a long abandonment), Megiddo, Beth-shan, Ai, Gezer, etc.” [[401]] [[402]] Israel pg. 31-32
“Although the fourth millennium in Palestine remains obscure at a number of points, it is clear that it witnessed the development of village life in various parts of the land, with many places apparently being settled for the first time. In this period Palestine seems to have fallen into two cultural provinces, one in the northern and centarl areas, the other in the south.” [[402]] [[403]] 1 Kings 11:41–12:20; 2 Chronicles 9:29–11:4 [[403]] [[404]] Israel pg. 31-32
(SAME AS NOTE 402 ABOVE) [[404]] [[405]] 2 Kings 15-17 [[405]] [[406]] Early Bronze pg. 85-90; Israel pg. 27-36; Mediterranean pg. 58-72 [[406]] [[407]] Early Bronze pg. 88-90
Israel pg. 40-41: “In Palestine the bulk of the third millennium falls into the period known by archaeologists as the Early Bronze. This period- or a transitional phase leading into it- began late in the fourth millennium, as the Prooliterate culture flourished in Mesopotamia and the Gerzean in Egypt, and continued till the closing centuries of the third. Though palestine never developed a material culture remotely comparable to the cultures of the Euphrates and the Nile, the third millennium witnessed remarkable progress in that land too. Since this was boradly coincident with the heyday of Ebla, a connection is every way likely. It was a time of great urban development, when population increased, cites were built and, presumably, city-states established.” [[407]] [[408]] 2 Kings 24; 2 Chronicles 36 [[408]] [[409]] Israel pg. 44
“In the latter part of the third millennium (roughly between the twenty-third and twentieth centuries), as we pass through the final phase of the Early Bronze Age into the first phase of the Middle Bronze- or perhaps enter a traditional period between the two- we encounter abundant evidence that life in Palestine suffered a major distruption at the hands of nomadic invaders who were pressing the land. City after city was destroyed (as far as is known every major city was), some with incredible violence, and the Early Bronze civilization was brought to an end. Similar disruption seems to have taken place in Syria. These newcomers did not rebuild and occupy the cities they had destroyed. Rather they (or the survivors of the Early Bronze culture) seem to have pursued a nomadic life on the fringes for a time; only gradually did they begin to build villages and settle down. By the end of the third millennium such villages are known to have existed especially in Transjordan in the Jordan valley, and southward in the Negeb; but they were small, poorly constructed, and without material pretensions. It was not until approximately the ninteenth century, when a fresh and vigorous cultral influence spread across the lands, that urban life can be said to have resumed.” [[409]] [[410]] 2 Kings 24-25; 2 Chronicles 36 [[410]] [[411]] Early Bronze pg. 88-90
Israel pg. 36-38: “In the twenty-fourth century, a dynasty of Semitic rulers seized power and created the first true empire in world history. The founder was Sargon, a figure whose origins are cloaked in myth. Rising to power in Kish, he overthrew Lugalzaggisi of Erech and subdued all Sumer as far as the Persian Gulf. Then, transferring his residence to Akkad (of unknown location, but near the later Babylon), he emabrked on a series of conquests which became legendary.” [[411]] [[412]] 2 Chronicles 36:20–21 (1-21); 2 Kings 25 [[412]] [[413]] Israel pg. 44
(SAME AS NOTE 409 ABOVE) [[413]] [[414]] Israel pg. 41-43, 48-49
“We have seen that in the twenty-fourth century power passed from the Sumerian city-states to the Semitic kings of Akkad, who created a great empire. After the conquests of Naramisn, however, the power of Akkad rapidly waned and soon after 2200 was brought to an end by the onslaught of a barbarian people called the Guti.” [[414]] [[415]] 2 Chronicles 36:22–23; Ezra 1-3 [[415]] [[416]] Israel pg. 54-55
“Beginning by the nineteenth century, however, western Palestine experienced a remarkable recovery under the impulse of a fresh and vigorous cultral influence that was spreading over the whole of Palestine and Syria; strong cites began once more to be built, and urban life to flourish, perhaps as new groups of immigrants arrived, and as increasing numbers of seminomads setteled down.” [[416]] [[417]] Israel pg. 41-64
“Many of the cites that later appear in the Bible are known from excavations to have been in existence: Jericho (rebuilt after a long abandonment), Megiddo, Beth-shan, Ai, Gezer, etc. (the Ebla texts are said to mention yet others, including Jerusalem). These cities, though scarcely magnificent, were suprisingly well built and strongly fortified, as the excavations show.” [[417]] [[418]] Israel pg. 64-66
“By this time, too, the partriarchal simplicity of Amorite seminomadic life had all but vanished. Cities were numerous, well constructed and, as we have seen, strongly fortified. There was a general increase in population, together with a marked advance in material culture. The city-state system characteristic of Palestine until the Isralite conquest seems to have been developed, with the land divided into various petty kingdoms, or provinces, each with its own ruler- who was no doubt subject to higher control from without. Society was feudal in structure, with wealth most unevenly divided; alongside the fine houses of partricians one finds the hovels of half-free serfs. Nevertheless the cities of the day give evidnce of a prosperity such as Palestine seldom knew in ancient times.” [[418]] [[419]] Israel pg. 107-120, 130-133
“In the Late Bronze Age, Egypt entered her period of Empire, during which she was unquestionably the dominat nation in the world. Architects of the Empire were the Pharaohs of the Eighteenth Dynasty, a house that was founded as the Hyksos were expelled from Egypt and that retained power for some two hundred and fifty years, bringing to Egypt a strength and a prestige unequaled in all her long history.” [[419]] [[420]] Israel pg. 114-115
“When Ramesses II died after a long and glorious reign, his successor was his thirteenth son, Marniptah, who was already past middle life. Marniptah was not allowed to live out his brief reign in peace. A time of of confusion was beginning which was to see all western Asia plunged into turmoil, and which the Ninteenth Dynasty did not survive.
Though Marniptah mastered the situation, he did not long survive his triumph. Then, after several rulers of no importance, the dynasty ended in a period of confusion about which little is known. We can scarcely doubt that during these disturbed years Egyptian control of Palestine virtually left off- a circumstance that surely aided Isreal in consolidating her position in that land.” [[420]] [[421]] Israel pg. 115-117
” ‘Amorite,’ on the other hand, was, as we have seen, an Akkadian word meaning ‘Westerner,’ various Northwest-Semitic peoples of Upper Mesopotamia and Syria, from among whom Israel’s own ancestors had come. These nomadic elements which had infiltrated Palestine at the end of the Early Bronze Age and had roamed and settled especially in the mountainous interior were established in Transjordan. But though there are passages where the Bible seems to perserve a distinction between the two peoples (e.g., Num, 13:29; Deut. 1:7, where the Amorites are placed in the mountians, the Canaanites by the sea), for the most part it uses the terms loosely if not synonymously. There is a justification for this in that, by the time of the conquest, the “Amorites,” having been in the land for centuries, had so thoroughly assimilated the language, social organization, and culture of Cannaan that little remained to distinguish one group from the other. The dominant pre-Israelite population was thus in race and language not different from Israel herself.” [[421]] [[422]] Israel pg. 137-143
“During the period of the Empire, as we have seen, Palestine was divided into a number of relatively small city-states, each of which was ruled by a king who, as the Pharaoh’s vassal, exercised control over the outlying towns and villages of his modest domain. Society was feudal in structure, consisting of a hereditary patrician class, a pesantry that was only half free, and numerous slaves, but apparently with very little of a middle class. Under such a system the lot of the poor was hard, and it scarcely improved as centuries of Egyptian taxation and misrule drained the land of its wealth. Moreover, the endless quarrels between city lords, which Egypt often chose to ignore, must have been disastrous for poor villagers, who were often unable to work their fields and were taxed and concripted to boot. The Amarna letters let us see the situation clearly. They also show us ‘Apiru making trouble from one end of the land to the other. As we have said, these ‘Apiru were not newcomers pressing in from the desert. Rather, they were rootless people without place in established society, who had either been alienated from it or never integrated within it, and who eked out an existence in remoter areas on its fringes; they readily turned into freebooters and bandits. Slaves, abused peasants, and ill-paid mercenaries would be tempted to run away and join them- i.e., to “become Hebrews.” Sometimes whole areas went over to them. We have seen how they succeeded in gaining control of a considerable domain centerd upon Schechem. The city lords feared these people, implored the Pharaoh for protection against them, and accused on another of consorting with them. Their fears were well grounded: the system of which they were a part was threatened.” [[422]] [[423]] Israel pg. 129-133 (107-143)
“The problem arises in part of the Bible itself, for the Bible does not present us with one single, coherent account of the conquest. According to the main account (Josh., chs, 1 to 12), the conquest represented a concerted effort by all Isreal, and was sudden, bloody, and complete.
Still we must reckon with the possibility that in certain cases there has been a telescoping of events in the Biblical tradition. The Israelite “conquest” of Palestine was actually a long drawn-out affair; it began with the partiarchal migrations far back in the Bronze Age, and it was not finally completed until the time of David. The Isreal that emerged drew together within its structure groups of traditions of conquests made by their ancestors as they came into the land, and it is conceivable that, as the normative conquest tradition took shape, events that took place at widely separated times may have been combined within it- under the rubric of “conquest”, one might say.” [[423]] [[424]] Israel pg. 129-133
“It has long been the fashion to credit the latter picture at the expense of the former. The narative of Joshua is part of a great history of Israel from Moses to the exile, comprising the books Dueteronomy-Kings and first composed probably late in the seventh century. Many think that the picture of an unified invasion of Palestine is the author’s idealization. They regard the narratives as a row of separate traditions, chiefly of an etiological character (i.e., developed to explain the origin of some custom or landmark) and of minimal historical value, originally unconnected with one another or, for the most part, with Joshua- who was an Ephraimite tribal hero who was secondarily made into the leader of a united Isreal. They hold that there was no violent conquest at all, but that the Israelite tribes occupied Palestine by a gradual, and for the most part peaceful, process of infiltration. But this understanding of the matter would seem to be as one-sided as the conventional one, which viewed the conquest as a single, massive, organized military operation. Both views doubtless contain elements of truth. But the actual events that established Israel on the soil of Palestine were assuredly vastly more complex than a simplistic presentation of either view would suggest.” [[424]] [[425]] Compare Israel pg. 114-117, 137-143 to Israel pg. 414-427; I would also recommend using a good encyclopedia and comparing cultures such as the Ptolemies to Egypt’s New Kingdom and the Seleucids to the Hittites. [[425]] [[426]] Israel pg. 114-115, 174-176 (this book becomes increasingly difficult to use as a reference after the Late Bronze because the author begins to intertwine the Bible with the archaeology and does not clearly state the sources for his interpretations); Grolier, Sea Peoples [[426]] [[427]] Israel pg. 114-115; Grolier, Sea Peoples
“Among the Peoples of the Sea, Marniptah lists Shardina, ‘Aqiwasha, Turusha, Ruka (Luka), and Shakarusha. These people, some of whom (Luka, Shardina) we have met as mercenaries at the battle of Kadesh, were of Aegean origin, as their names indicate: e.g., Luka are Lycians, ‘Aqiwasha(also the Ahhiyawa of western Asia Minor), are probably Acaeans; Shardina would subsequently give their name to Sardinina,…”↵

Zapotec pg. 119: “In each case a small hamlet, unprepossessing at its founding, underwent a period of rapid and spectacular growth, becoming the demographic center of gravity for a network of smaller sites. Each emerging center- San Jose Mogote, Chalcatzingo, and San Lorenzo- not only dwarfed the other sites in its region but seems to have exerted a centripetal pull on its entire hinterland. All grew so fast that they must have encouraged immigration, not just normal growth; all emptied the surrounding region of artisans and concentrated them in the paramount chief village. All were aware of each other and perhaps even competitive; some clearly suffered occasional attacks that left their monuments defaced or their public buildings burned. ”
Mexico pg. 69-70, 74: “Like the earlier San Lorenzo, La Venta was deliberately destroyed in ancient times. Its fall was certanily violent, as twenty-four out of forty sculptured monuments were intentionally mutilated. This probably occured at the end of Middle Preclassic times, around 400-300 BC, for subseuently, following its abandonment as a center, offerings were made with pottery of Late Preclassic cast. As a matter of fact, La Venta may never have lost its signicance as a cult center, for among the very latest caches found was a Spanish olive jar of the early Colonial period, and Professor Heizer suspected that offerings may have been made in modern times as well.”
(SAME AS NOTE 187 ABOVE)↵

–

INTRODUCTION

It may be helpful to read Introduction to scriptural archeology for an introduction to this article covering important background information on why archeological dating methods give screwed results and on the geographical alteration of the narrow neck of land.

(To clarify dates, throughout the rest of the text scriptural/historical dates are preceded by S/H; while archaeological dates, including carbon dates, are preceded by A/C. In printed versions, footnotes which reference scriptures are in red; footnotes which reference archaeological sources are in black).

Correlated timeline of archeological and scriptural dates

THE SCATTERING AT BABEL AND THE EARLY JAREDITE CULTURE. Archaeologists place the first modern humans in the Near East’s fertile crescent around 100,00 years ago ^[72], which, according to our calibrated timeline, is immediately after the Flood. From there man was “scattered . . . abroad . . . upon the face of all the earth . . .” (Genesis 11:8) ^[73]; scientists following the path of homo sapiens identify a major scattering between 40,000 and 70,000 years ago when modern man spread from the Near East to Europe, the Far East, Australia, and the Americas ^[74]. In America, studies of hereditary traits on the first group of PaleoIndians to reach America have concluded that they consisted of no more than a handful of families (S/H: around 2100 BC; A/C: around 40,000 years ago) ^[75]/ ^[76]. The two earliest major PaleoIndian cultures that developed from this handful of families, the Clovis Culture and the Folsom Culture , spread widely but sparsely from the Southwestern United States to cover most of the continental United States ^[77]/ ^[78].

OMER AND HIS HOUSEHOLD. As this early period in American Prehistory was coming to a close, a small group of families left the core area and settled “by the seashore” directly east of the hill Cumorah (Ether 9:1–13) ^[79]. The group of sites, in and around northeastern Massachusetts, are called the Bull Brook Complex by archaeologists ^[80]. Clovis points found at several of the sites tie it to the Southwest ^[81]. Building on excavations by D.S. Byers in the mid-50’s ^[82], archaeological societies in the Northeast have pieced together the history of the Bull Brook Complex ^[83]. Their findings and subsequent analysis have shown the interactions of a system of organized, interdependent groups with specialized work force networks ^[84]. It is recognized as containing the highest level of social structure in America at that time ^[85], which would be expected in a “refugee camp” of the royal household ^[86].

PRE-DEARTH JAREDITE CULTURE. . As Moroni attests, the next archaeological period saw the rise of a richer and more diversified culture ^[87]/ ^[88]. The Plano and Early Eastern Archaic Cultures fanned across the continent (S/H: around 1600-1200 BC; A/C: around 8500-6000 BC) ^[89]. Scientists have found the full spectrum of plants and animals corresponding to the days of Emer. According to Moroni, during the early Pre-Dearth Jaredite time period they had “all manner of cattle, of oxen, and cows, and of sheep, and of swine, and of goats, and also many other kinds of animals which were useful for the food of man.” ^[90]Archaeologists have found many species of American bison from this time period, which ruminants are classified by zoologists as wild cattle, oxen and cows (family Bovidae, genus Bos) ^[91]. Similarly, there are food remains of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain goats at many sites from this period ^[92]. Peccaries are animals from this period which are classified as swine and are in the same group as domestic pigs and hogs (sub-order Suina) ^[93]. The “many other kinds of animals” of Moroni’s list would include deer, elk, moose, caribou, and pronghorn ^[94]. Thanks to new site-investigation methods, scientists have found that fruits, grains and vegetables were part of the PaleoIndian diet ^[95]; the Darwinian view that the PaleoIndians were merely carnivorous stockers of megafauna is being abandoned. More careful analysis of early sites and artifacts is yielding increasing evidence of fine textiles ^[96], which means the people didn’t just wear rough animal hides. Moroni also mentions that horses, elephants, cureloms and cumoms were useful to man, and that elephants and cureloms and cumoms were “more especially” useful to man (Ether 9:19). Potential beasts of burden which have been found in association with PaleoIndians include horses, tapirs, mammoths, mastodons, giant bison, giant ground sloths, and camels ^[97]. Coincidentally, the horse and the tapir would not have been very useful as beasts of burden because the Ice Age variety existent at this time were only about the size of a dog ^[98]; hence, it was the elephants and cureloms and cumoms which were “more especially” useful to man.

THE GREAT DEARTH. Then the PaleoIndian culture was rocked. In the scriptures, we read of secret combinations infesting society, and then a chastening, in the form of a great dearth (Ether 9:30–35). Archaeologists attest that it was probably the worst famine in North American history. Mass extinction spread across America as the Ice Age came to a rapid and catastrophic close ^[99]. Excess hunting by starving people and severe environmental changes drove the megafauna to extinction ^[100]. Scientists have found that serpents were abundant at that time in the American Southwest (as they are today) and the closing of the Ice Age caused many varied migrations in snake species across North America ^[101]. The serpents and the drought divided the people in the north from the fauna, which escaped to the south ^[102]. When the climate finally recovered, the people instigated a revolution in agriculture ^[103]/ ^[104], since they had now lost their domesticated animals.

POST-DEARTH JAREDITE CULTURE. Moroni’s next exposition on culture comes in the days of Lib (Ether 10:18–28). My corresponding period is labeled by archaeologists as the Middle and Late Archaic. Often indistinguishable from one another, these two cultural periods represent a major advancement over the preceding culture ^[105]. Again the culture spread across North America from coast to coast ^[106]. There were villages, agriculture, and widespread trade networks ^[107]. South of the narrow neck, in the Mexican highland and beyond, the only inhabitants we find are organized hunting parties, which “coincidentally” brought spear points of North American manufacture and style ^[108]/ ^[109]. Scientists recognize metallurgy from this time period, and copper is the most common metal found ^[110]/ ^[111]. Many fine textiles have also survived from this period ^[112]/ ^[113]. Moroni says they made “all manner of tools to till the earth, both to plow and to sow, to reap and to hoe, and also to thrash” ^[114]. He also says they had, “all manner of tools with which they did work their beasts” (Ether 10:26–27). Most of the tools on this list have been found by archaeologists at sites dating to the Middle and Late Archaic ^[115]. New weapons were also invented and manufactured, although archaeologists currently view them only as hunting weapons ^[116]/ ^[117]. Another major industry of the Jaredites was wood exploitation ^[118]. A huge assortment of woodworking tools has been found at Archaic period sites across the Nation ^[119]. Truly this was a highly-developed culture—a time of great prosperity. How tragic that they lost it all because of secret combinations! ^[120]

THE DESOLATION OF THE JAREDITES. The desolation of the Jaredites began in the Southwest and climaxed in New York State ^[121]. It is witnessed archaeologically by a widespread “cremation” burial culture ^[122]. Continent-wide scientists find a change in burial customs from proper burials to cremation burials and “ceremonial” burning of homes and entire villages (Shiz and his army) ^[123]/ ^[124]. Archaeologists have also found evidence of large-scale “bundle burials,” which is the practice of bundling the disarticulated, defleshed bones of dead people in bags or cordages, and then either burying them or dumping them in the trash ^[125]. Surely it was a gruesome scene that the first Nephites to re-inhabit the desolate land northward were required to witness and clean up ^[126].

Correlated timeline of archeological and scriptural dates

THE ARRIVAL OF THE NEPHITES AND MULEKITES. The Jaredites were the sole inhabitants of America until two small groups of sea-going travelers crossed the Pacific (S/H: 600 BC; A/C: 3000 BC). As early as 1916 scholars had identified the general location of the two landing sites. G. Elliot Smith published an article with Science titled “The Origin of the Pre-Columbian Civilization of America” in which he detailed ethnological evidence of the landings and further showed how scholars of that day had attempted to cover up the findings because they lent support to the Bible and against Darwinism ^[127]. In his book, Articles of Faith, James E. Talmage describes the author’s findings: “Dr. Smith presents an impressive array of evidence pointing to the Old World and specifically to Egypt, as the source of many of the customs by which the American aborigines are distinguished. The article is accompanied by a map showing . . . two landing places on the west coast, one in Mexico and another near the boundary common to Peru and Chile, from which place the immigrants spread.” ^[128]Archaeological evidence has further refined these findings. Most archaeologists now agree to a South American landing, putting it a little further north, specifically in modern Ecuador ^[129](which “coincidentally” lies “a little south of the Isthmus of Darien” ^[130]). The location of the second landing spot is unknown; characteristic artifacts also point to the west coast of Mexico ^[131]— legend puts it at a place called “seven caverns” ^[132]. Both the Valdivia culture of Ecuador (the Lehites), and the Otomangue-speaking people of the Mexican highland (the Mulekites), brought the first true pottery to the Americas; in both cultures the pottery was already well-developed even at the earliest sites ^[133]. Both cultures are distinguished as being the first harvesters of cultigens (plants incapable of growing without human help), the most important cultigen being corn ^[134]. The architecture and burial customs of these two groups can easily be tied to the Old World. Square waddle and daub homes with storage pits in the floor dotted their lands ^[135]. Their temples and public buildings are extremely similar to those of Egypt and Israel. Subfloor burials and burial positions also match those of the Middle East ^[136].

EARLY MULEKITE CULTURE. The newly arrived Otomangue-speaking culture (Mulekites) began to spread across the Mexican highland (Zarahemla). Although they covered a large area, they lived in small scattered villages, and archaeologists recognize very little social structure among them ^{[137] [138]}.

EARLY LEHITE CULTURE. The Valdivia culture also fanned out over a large area, stylistic pottery has been traced from Ecuador up through Columbia and Panama into Coastal areas of Guatemala and Southern Chiapas ^[139]. When Nephi fled from his brothers ^[140], it seems that he led his followers to the central depression of Chiapas and settled in the Grijalva river valley. The first cultural layers there are of a unique, tight-knit group (Zoque/early Nephite), centered around Chiapa de Corzo (the land of Nephi), which remained separate from the surrounding cultures that were developing (Maya/Lamanite) ^[141]/ ^[142]. The Nephite culture began the seeds of civilization which later influenced all of Mesoamerica, and eventually all of North America ^[143]. Some of the Lamanites appear to have followed Nephi’s party; a group associated with the early Maya (Lamanites) settled further up in the Grijalva river valley ^[144]. Other groups remained in South America which over time developed very independent cultures ^[145]; apparently not associated with the history outlined in the Book of Mormon.

EARLY LAMANITE CULTURE. The Lamanites (early Maya) digressed and became a very primitive people ^[146]/ ^[147]. Archaeologists label them as “hunters and gatherers,” because they stocked the forests for game, lived in tents and temporary shelters, and practiced limited agriculture ^[148]/ ^[149]. They did some fishing, and they had very limited agriculture (primarily limited to picking wild fruits and edible roots) ^[150]. Archaeologists think it was because they did not have the technology, the scriptures teach that it was because they were lazy.

Warfare is evident as archaeologists find a large assortment of weapons, far exceeding the needs of mere hunters ^[151]. The early Maya (Lamanites) set up chiefdoms in each local community; at this early date they do not appear to have been a cohesive unit, but rather groups of village communities, competing and perhaps fighting with each other for resources ^[152] — apparently united only in their hatred toward the Nephites ^[153]. Laman and Lemuel seem to have taught their children the pagan practices they had learned in Jerusalem. Archaeologists find cultic artifacts associated with the worship of a fertility goddess; they also worshipped Chac, who is the Maya equivalent of Baal from the Old World ^[154]. In this early period we also see the beginnings of the Jaguar cult. The Maya made costumes from the coats of beasts of prey and used these costumes in religious rituals ^[155]/ ^[156]. Early Mayan vices match those Enos and Jarom attributed to the Lamanites: pornography in the form of nude ceramic figurines, idleness, and drunkenness (typically chicha, an alcohol made from corn) ^[157]/ ^[158].

The Formative

INTRODUCTION TO THE FORMATIVE. At the dawn of the formative period there were several major demographic shifts which set the stage for the developing cultures. First, King Mosiah I and his people left the Land of Nephi (Chiapa de Corzo) and traveled to Zarahemla (central Mexico) to join the Mulekites (S/H: around 200 BC; A/C: around 1400 BC) ^[159]. This is seen archaeologically as an influx of Mixe-zoquean culture brings new advances to central Mexico, and public buildings begin to appear in the larger villages ^[160].

THE PEOPLE OF ZENIFF. Back in Chiapa de Corzo (the land of Nephi), the surrounding culture (Maya/Lamanites) destroyed all traces of the departing group (Nephites) ^[161]/ ^[162]. Shortly, however, high culture returned to the valley ^[163]as Zeniff and his people arrive and begin to build anew many public buildings and restore the land ^[164]/ ^[165]. The new inhabitants of Chiapa de Corzo (people of Zeniff) were an ethnically distinct group which did not mix with the surrounding Maya (Lamanites) ^[166]/ ^[167]. Initially their culture was very similar to that of central Mexico (from which they had come), but the similarities decreased as time went on and they (the people of Zeniff, now led by King Noah) became extravagant in their prosperity. Lavishness dominates the architecture and material culture of this period ^[168]/ ^[169]. Just before Chiapa de Corzo returned to Mayan Culture (Lamanites), the people of the Grijalva depression gave birth to one of the richest and most influential Mesoamerican cultures of the pre-Christian era—the Olmecs (Amulonites) ^[170]/ ^[171].

THE AMULONITES AND THEIR INFLUENCE OVER THE LAMANITES. The Amulonite (Olmec) culture seems to have developed in the lowlands of Veracruz, Mexico. The simple farming village of San Lorenzo (probably Helam) ^[172]/ ^[173]suddenly began a massive public works effort using slave labor (probably the followers of Alma) ^[174]/ ^[175]. Soon a handful of great cities commenced, and Olmec influence spread to other lands ^[176]/ ^[177]. Olmec art and religious themes support an Amulonite correlation: powerful, dominating priests, were-jaguar babies, female dancers, and a plethora of demi-gods and idols ^[178]/ ^[179]. Throughout the Mayan lands, Olmec teachers began to train the Maya (Lamanites) in the language and learning of the Mexican highland people (the Nephites) ^[180]/ ^[181]. With this new education the Maya began to prosper and make many technological advances ^[182]/ ^[183]. New trade networks spread across southern Mexico, the Yucatan and Guatemala, and all roads passed through Olmec lands, which made them vastly rich and extremely influential ^[184]. Some archaeologists call the Olmecs the “mother culture” of Mesoamerica ^[185].

THE FALL OF THE AMULONITES. As prophesied by Abinadi, the Amulonites (Olmecs) were soon devastated ^[186]/ ^[187]. Using a cesium magnetometer to detect buried basalt, Michael Coe, a professor of Anthropology at Yale University, and his group found mounds of monuments purposefully defaced, smashed and buried at San Lorenzo ^[188]. Other Olmec sites excavated in the area told the same story: seemingly the Maya (Lamanites) living among the Olmecs (Amulonites) in their gulf-coast empire revolted, defacing and smashing monuments, destroying buildings ^[189]/ ^[190], and as the Book of Mormon teaches us, massacring the ruling class (the descendants of the priests of Noah) ^[191]. The great Olmecs suddenly disappeared, but their influence over the Maya was seen forever afterward. The sparsely-populated Mayan lands were soon covered with huge temples and city-centers with art and architecture reminiscent of the Olmec style ^[192].

THE NEPHITES- ALMA THE ELDER AND KING MOSIAH II. Meanwhile, in central Mexico, Alma and his followers escaped to Zarahemla and established the church throughout the Mexican highland ^[193], witnessed archaeologically by new temples and synagogues built throughout the land ^[194]. Then, several decades later, Mosiah II founded a new democratic government ^[195], and each land began to build government buildings alongside the new temples (S/H: 91 BC; A/C: around 850 BC) ^[196]. Under the leadership of these inspired founders, the diverse societies of central Mexico integrated to become a very prosperous people ^[197]/ ^[198]. Unfortunately, in many communities this prosperity led to pride, social classes, and perversions, which are all quite visible in the material culture they left behind ^[199]/ ^[200].

Pre-Classic

THE NEPHITES- CAPTAIN MORONI. These two great nations, the Nephites on the Mexican Plateau and the Lamanites (Maya) in Southern Mexico, Guatemala and Yucatan, began to experience greater conflicts ^[201]/ ^[202]. Foreseeing the coming challenges, Captain Moroni prepared his people and their lands ^[203]. First, the weak lands were fortified and the southern frontier was strengthened ^[204]/ ^[205]. Hilltop fortifications began to dot southern Mexico in Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Guerrero ^[206]/ ^[207]. Great urban fortresses were created ^[208]/ ^[209]. For example, at Monte Alban (Manti), researchers from the University of Michigan found that some leader (Moroni) inspired the people of the valley of Oaxaca to move to the top of a nearby hill in the former “no man’s land” between two warring nations, and there build a fortress with up to 10,000 inhabitants ^[210]. The site has natural cliffs surrounding the city, its temples and its public buildings on three sides; on the fourth side, excavators found a two-mile long wall of earth and stone which still stands almost 30 feet tall and 50-60 feet thick ^[211]/ ^[212]. No wonder Mormon venerated the leadership, courage and vision of Captain Moroni and the manner in which he prepared his people for war.

After Amalickiah’s first attack, a second phase of construction was begun in which fortified cities and hilltop fortresses were built throughout the land of Zarahemla ^[213]which appears to have stretched from Oaxaca to Jalisco and from southwestern Michoacan to northern Veracruz ^[214]. Also, the Book of Mormon records Moroni pushing the Lamanites out of the east wilderness and on the west, then building new cities in these areas in order to create a more defensible border ^[215]. Excavations in southern and western Oaxaca and Guerrero, as well as central Veracruz are now showing such movements of peoples and the construction of new large defensive cities and fortresses ^[216].

During the time that fortifications were being built in the Mexican highland, a massive weapons production industry commenced throughout Mesoamerica, both in the Mexican Highland (Zarahemla) and in Maya (Lamanite) lands ^[217]/ ^[218]. To accommodate these war preparations, the peoples of the Mexican Highland (Nephites) made major breakthroughs in agriculture and built massive irrigation systems ^[219]. From that time forward, urbanization and trade specialization, with accompanying prosperity, enveloped the Nephite lands ^[220]/ ^[221].

The great war of Moroni’s time, and the wars that followed, are seen archaeologically in demographic and cultural movements of this time period ^[222], and in numerous monuments depicting warriors and captives in both Highland Mexico and Maya lands ^[223]. The Lamanites displaced and jumbled the Nephites numerous times ^[224]. There was also a great cultural mixing when groups of Lamanites converted to the Nephite religion and went to live among the Nephites ^[225], and also when groups became captives ^[226]. Cities experienced occasional upheavals, but most of them changed hands without noticeable ruin ^[227]/ ^[228].

THE NEPHITES- 57 BC TO AD 33. Time brought greater prosperity ^[229], which led to ornamentation and extravagant housewares ^[230]. Robbers also infested the land during this period ^[231]—archaeologist have found that many of the graves of nobles and of wealthy people were broken into and the riches were stolen ^[232]. The Book of Mormon teaches that as wars continued numerous groups sought refuge and peace by migrating to far-away lands ^[233]. Archaeologists date the Adena people’s arrival in the Ohio River Valley at this time ^[234]. The Adena cleared the land of the carnage and waste the land’s former inhabitants (the Jaredites) had left ^[235]/ ^[236], and they brought a new culture with the advancements and technologies of their Mexican homeland ^[237]. Others moved to the Southwestern United States, becoming the earliest Mogollon peoples ^[238]. Those who arrived in North America found a land covered with lakes and rivers—a much more lush environment than the one they had left ^[239]. The Southwest Cultures are famous for their dwellings of stone and cement; cultures of the East for tents; both cultures also built simple homes of scrawny wood poles and thatched walls and roof ^[240]. In a short time the continent was covered with hamlets and villages ^[241]/ ^[242]. The people soon turned to pagan and perverted practices, which spoiled their previously wholesome culture ^[243]/ ^[244]. There is evidence that the first Polynesians reached the Pacific Islands around this same time period ^[245]/ ^[246].

–

THE NEPHITES- ZION. . The destruction at the time of Christ was discussed earlier. As the ash settled ^[247]/ ^[248], a new culture spread across the land ^[249]/ ^[250]. In some ways, this new culture was more monolithic; in other ways it was more diverse. Throughout the Americas a new two-room temple replaced varying former styles ^[251]. A utopia of peace and prosperity is spoken of in legends ^[252]/ ^[253]. There is no evidence of weapons being used at this time ^[254], and the murals, figurines, and architecture show designs of nature, lines of symmetry and harmony, and displays of pleasant animals and domestic life ^[255]. Gone are all signs of a military elite, governmental force, and coercion ^[256]. The Hopewell, the Anasazi, the Mogollon, Teotihuacan, the Maya—continent-wide, the traits are the same ^[257]. The great peace resulting “because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people” (4 Nephi 1:15).

The people were united in righteousness ^[258], yet at the same time, the culture became more diverse, as the focus turned from making a profit to making quality products and upholding the ideals of family and community ^[259]. Local artisans replaced the mass-production and expansive trade networks of the preceding period ^[260]. Thus there was no need to travel extensively “on business,” so people could spend more time with their families. Family gardens replaced mass-produced food ^[261]. People ate a greater variety of food, but their food was of more local origin ^[262]. Analysis of skeletons shows that the people were healthier and enjoyed longer life spans than during the preceding period ^[263]. The arts flowered during this period ^[264]. The number and variety of musical instruments greatly increased ^[265]. Pottery and other goods became more useful and more beautiful, and less ornamental and extravagant ^[266]. A much greater variety of artifacts is found, but in much smaller quantities than before, and with much less waste ^[267]. The prosperity was great throughout all of the Americas and in all areas of human development, “because of their prosperity in Christ” (4 Nephi 1:23).

In the early classic period the church became very wealthy ^[268]. The people donated their time and skills to the creation and maintenance of beautiful temples and public centers ^[269]. The population exploded ^[270], but at the same time, the cities became less dense as the communities were reorganized and the people spread out across the land ^[271]. Even the biggest “cities” were only lightly populated, yet they contained ceremonial centers and public buildings large enough to accommodate all the people of the surrounding villages ^[272]. Social classes disappeared, yet the standard of living increased everywhere ^[273]; And “they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God” (4 Nephi 1:17) ^[274].
It was beautiful. Everything Mormon said was true. Then they lost it all. The line is not clear, but little by little it all slipped away. The late pre-classic ugliness returned, and this time it was even more vile.

THE NEPHITES- PRIDE. As the people became proud, they began to flaunt the wealth they had accumulated over many years of righteousness and prosperity ^[275]. In the archaeological record, we begin to find much larger houses than existed in the preceding period ^[276], more decorated pottery ^[277], personal ornamentation (including pearls and elaborate clothing) ^[278]/ ^[279], extravagant burials of the dead ^[280], and new long-distance trade networks ^[281]/ ^[282]. They painted murals showing images of power, with soldiers, weapons, kings, priests, slaves, and eventually human sacrifice ^[283]. They built new cities with defense in mind ^[284], and the existing cities became more dense, decreasing in total area despite the fact that the population was still growing ^[285]/ ^[286]. We see evidence of the rise of social classes, with a new elite class and a definite peasant class ^[287]/ ^[288]. The social classes are most apparent in the big cities.

Political players began to build up monuments to themselves, often showing off their accomplishments ^[289]. We see a cultural split, as the people broke up into different groups ^[290]/ ^[291]. As displays of wealth and power emerged in society and later in government, the church was divided, as the people in every land sought to raise up their own version of Quetzalcoatl (Christ), and to join him with a new pantheon of gods and demigods ^[292]/ ^[293]. In the major ceremonial centers, a priestly class began to exercise power and influence ^[294]/ ^[295]. Temples and temple complexes became colossal and extravagant ^[296], and often the priests raised themselves to the position of gods or claimed descent from the gods ^[297]. Priests and government leaders began to deform the skulls of their children, and to give themselves and their children tattoos and body paint, all in an effort to separate themselves and their children from the “commoners” ^[298]. Gated communities were developed to protect the elite from the lower class ^[299].

On the eve of society’s collapse, the pride turned absolutely disgusting ^[300]. Most of the pottery and art became warped, lewd and pornographic ^[301]. Mass production fed trade networks which branched across the continent and resources were exploited on a massive scale ^[302]/ ^[303]. Food production became intense, and the general health of the people correspondingly deteriorated; the incidence of disease increased significantly and life expectancies dropped drastically ^[304]. Body piercing became the norm ^[305], tobacco and drugs were used widely; smoking was done in smoke houses and in private homes, with cigarettes and with pipes ^[306]. Huge ball courts covered the land ^[307], in some places ball players rose to the state of gods ^[308]. The ball games became very bloody ^[309], and in many places they were accompanied with mass killing and human sacrificing of the winners or losers depending on the local religion ^[310]; in other areas the losers become the slaves of the winners’ rulers ^[311]. Many people wasted their income on various forms of gambling—they rooted on their favorite teams, or played games of chance with dice and bones ^[312]. In many areas the workmanship of the structures built during this period was poor, but it was covered with decorative plaster, and was elaborately finished ^[313]. Cultic symbols and status symbols are found everywhere ^[314].

THE NEPHITES- DESTRUCTION. Truly this society was ripe for destruction ^[315]. The Book of Mormon tells us that the destruction took place quickly ^[316]. Archaeology tells us that it occurred on a massive scale ^[317], larger than most probably ever imagined— although Mormon tried to help us understand ^[318].

The great war appears to have been started in central Yucatan by a group which archaeologists call the Putun Maya ^[319]. As they gained power they continued west and north, and eventually attacked the Mexican highland ^[320]. Great murals tell the story of their advances; they were the eagle warriors of the jaguar cult (the Lamanites), and they sought to exterminate the cult of the feathered serpent named Quetzalcoatl (the Nephites) ^[321]. Eventually the great city of Zarahemla (Teotihuacan) was attacked, but the invaders were pushed back ^[322]/ ^[323]. Then, as Mormon relates, Zarahemla (Teotihuacan) was laid waste ^[324]. Archaeologists have uncovered the entire story: the great Teotihuacan was burned and looted, monuments were defaced, columns were toppled, temples were desecrated, and the luxurious palaces were left in ruin ^[325].

The Lamanites’ pursuit of the Nephites can be followed from Teotihuacan to Western Mexico, to sites such as Alta Vista and Chalchihuites (perhaps Angola or the Land of David?) ^[326]/ ^[327]and then to the seashore, to Amapa and other sites in Nayarit and southern Sinaloa (probably the land of Joshua) ^[328]/ ^[329], a land archaeologists have found was filled with robbers and Maya during this period ^[330]/ ^[331]. From there the Nephites continued their flight into the “land northward” ^[332]. It appears that the massacre stopped when the Nephites reached Chaco Canyon (Shem), in New Mexico and were able to fortify it ^[333]/ ^[334]. There the Nephites held back their pursuers and the bloodshed stopped for a season while God sent forth missionaries and prophets to give the people one last chance ^[335]. Archaeologists have found circular religious structures, called kivas, appearing throughout Anasazi lands during this period ^[336], which perhaps shows that Mormon knew some success ^[337], though his own testimony indicates that any success was short lived as the wickedness persisted ^[338].

For ten years a peace treaty was in effect ^[339]; archaeology shows that the Maya (Lamanites) of Yucatan and Maya Chichimec of West Mexico came together and began building the great Toltec kingdom ^[340]. Toltec legend speaks of the war between Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, and Tezcatlipoca, the principal god of the Jaguar Cult ^[341]. The Toltecs boast Quetzalcoatl’s defeat and subsequent flight ^[342]. As the population of Tula was exploding ^[343], archaeologists find an abandonment of Yucatan by that area’s elite ^[344]. Recruits by the thousands flooded out of Yucatan to their new blood-thirsty, warrior kingdom centered in the Mexican Highland ^[345]. Many were also moved to the battle line in Western Mexico, as archaeologists find a large influx of Toltec peoples with strong Maya ties building up fortresses and making war preparations ^[346].

The kingdom of the Nephites centered in the Southwestern United States, and although they focused on defending the land for a short time ^[347]/ ^[348], they soon turned their focus to the “god” of money ^[349]. Trade networks covered the Southwestern United States ^[350], and turquoise, which was lusted after by the Toltecs, was mined on a huge scale to be traded for exotic Mesoamerican goods ^[351]. Ball courts, gated communities, lewd pottery and art, body painting, body piercing, gigantic cities, social classes—the signs of pride and wickedness—have been found by archaeologists throughout the Southwest United States and Northwest Mexico (the Nephite lands) ^[352].

Then, at the end of this fragile moment of peace, destruction continued ^[353]. The blood-thirsty Lamanites (Toltecs) based in a city just south of our narrow neck of land (probably La Quemada) came up against the Nephite armies which were based in Desolation (Zape in northern Durango?) ^[354]/ ^[355]. The Lamanites were repulsed and counterattacked, but they soon swept Desolation and later Teancum (most likely Guasave on the Pacific Coast) ^[356]. From there the fleeing Nephites followed the turquoise trail to Boaz ^[357], now known as Paquime or Casas Grandes in Chihuahua. Charles C. Di Peso, the first archaeologists to conduct large-scale excavations at the site, found signs of a great slaughter at Paquime ^[358]. Unburied dead bodies were strewn across the site, some had been shoved into the ducts of the water system, others sacrificed to pagan gods, but the majority were just left to rot and be preyed upon by wolves and vultures ^[359]. Mormon painfully records these same events, as he stood back, watching: “And (the Nephites) fled again from before (the Lamanites), and they came to the city Boaz; and there . . . the Nephites were driven and slaughtered with an exceedingly great slaughter; {{and}}their women and their children were again sacrificed unto idols” (Mormon 4:20–21).

The slaughter spread across the entire Southwestern United States {{360}}. Thousands of sites from this period have been found in which the site was either abandoned or burned or the people were slaughtered {{361}}/ {{362}}. In many places the people abandoned their scattered farms and gathered together to build great fortified cities to defend themselves, only to be massacred {{363}}/ {{364}}. But this was not a peaceful, righteous people being victimized. There is evidence of cannibalism among the Anasazi and other Southwestern Cultures (the Nephites) {{365}}/ {{366}}.

Archaeologists have found human bones in cooking vessels, necklaces made of human skin or bones, and mobiles made of human bones and skulls which seem to have been used as trophies—signs of status and prestige {{367}}. They have found apparent ceremonial assemblages of skulls which were presented to false gods {{368}}. At Salmon Ruin, New Mexico (possibly the tower of Sherrizah) {{369}} women and children were abandoned by their covenant protectors, and the children were burned alive, caught in the top of the tower {{370}}. There are countless archaeological and scriptural evidences of the deplorable state of the Anasazi/Nephites; their brutal mutilation and total annihilation are painful to read about.

The destruction in the Southwest climaxed at a line of sites from Mesa Verde, Colorado (probably Jordan {{371}}) to Albuquerque, New Mexico {{372}}. The entire Southwestern United States and Northwest Mexico was left desolate, except for a few small scattered groups of refugees who hid in caves {{373}}/ {{374}}. But the destruction continued.

The line of sites mentioned above was actually a line of defense built to protect the great expanse of the American Midwest {{375}}. The Nephites who covered the Midwest are called Mississippians by archaeologists. Highly influenced by Mesoamerica and the Southwest {{376}}, their culture had also passed through the cycle of simple and peaceful {{377}}to ugly and proud {{378}}. Their artwork from this period glorifies death and perversion {{379}}. There are carvings of goules, war dances, and the murdering of captives, and these are found alongside symbols of Christ (hands with marks appearing to symbolize the crucifixion) and symbols of Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, displaying decapitated heads as a symbol of his power {{380}}. These were not ignorant people suffering for the sins of their parents; they were in open rebellion against God {{381}}. They refused to repent and trust in God, but rather put their trust in the arm of flesh thinking that could protect their lives. It would not be and never has been {{382}}.

Soon after the cultures of the American Southwest were slaughtered, the Mississippian culture disappeared {{383}}. Huge ceremonial centers, like Cahokia in southern Illinois, built in the styles of the Mexican Highland, were suddenly depopulated without evidence of struggle or warfare—sites are not burned as in the Southwest, nor are the dead strewn across the landscape {{384}}. Because of the late carbon dates obtained from these sites some archaeologist have attempted to show that the people just redistributed themselves around the local area {{385}}. However, the Book of Mormon as well as the immense collections of arrowheads dating all the way back to the archaic found canvassing parts of New York State and the entire New England area speaks of a great desolation (The Book of Mormon states the final battles occurred in the “land of Comorah”, which likely encompasses a large portion of New England; not just around the current Hill Comorah as many have supposed) {{386}}/ {{387}}.

Truly God is unveiling his truth in the eyes of all the world. It remains for us to read with faith, work with strength, and repent of our pride. We must go forward in a definite way and bring to pass the covenants of the Father and build up the kingdom of God upon the earth; both in small and simple ways and by making preparations for works of greatness.

OLD WORLD (BIBLICAL) ARCHEOLOGY
After I had found many evidences of events in the Book of Mormon, and had developed a revised timeline for archaeology, I became curious as to whether my timeline would also work if I used it on Old World archaeology. I found many interesting “coincidences”. Following is a very brief account of a few of my findings. An entire paper on the subject will be forthcoming.

Evidence of pre-flood cultures appear to be entirely missing from the archaeological record. It is as if Earth’s baptism literally washed her clean. She contained no trace of the former sins of her inhabitants. Most of the early homo sapiens cultures that I would label Post-Flood are in the fertile crescent, and usually at a depth of between 30 and 50 feet below the surface {{388}}.

Early Egypt was below water as Abraham attests {{389}}/ {{390}}, and the earth was sparsely populated {{391}}. The climate during this period soon after the Flood was much milder and cooler than it is today, and the plants and animals from this period match those described in the Bible {{392}}. The desert climate would not come for many generations (after many droughts and curses). When we consider the depth at which these early cities are found, we realize that the only reason these sites have been found is that either the sites were continually inhabited until modern times, or the archaeologists were extremely lucky. Many early cities exist which have not yet been found as attested as by new sites which are continually popping up.

History really starts to take place after the Exodus. Let us consider Jericho. Using the “corrected” timeline we established by studying the Book of Mormon, and extrapolating our dates backward, we find that the Jericho of the Bible must be dated at around 7000-8000 BC. During this time period there was a Neolithic city at Jericho, surrounded with a great wall, and with a massive tower built right into the wall (possibly the house of Rahab/Pre-Pottery Neolithic A) {{393}}/ {{394}}. There is evidence that the people of the city were pagans, and that they were rich and proud {{395}}. The early city’s culture ends with the walls falling down and a new culture replacing Pre-Pottery Neolithic A, they are labeled Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (Sci- 6500 B.C.; Scr- 1450 B.C.) {{396}}/ {{397}}. Interestingly, the tower that was built into the wall survived to its full height into the next period (Rahab and her family were protected) {{398}}.
This new nation had simple beginnings; archaeologists call it a retrogression because of the decrease in riches and more simplified art. However, there were many advances: they had a united nation seen in the form of a new wide-spread monolithic culture, they began inhabiting many new lands and developing the land, they respected their dead ancestors, they had domesticated animals, and they built nice square plaster-floored homes {{399}}, which, “coincidentally,” were similar to the homes of the early Lehites and Mulekites {{400}}. After many years the nation became very wealthy (Pottery Neolithic A&B) {{401}}, and then, as we can tell by studying cultural artifacts, the nation was divided {{402}}. One group inhabited the north, and the other group lived in the south (Chalcolithic Period) {{403}}/ {{404}}.

The nation of Israel prospered during the entire period from the time it entered the Land of Canaan until the end of the Chalcolithic Period. Then suddenly the Kingdom of Israel in the north (the Ghassulian culture) was displaced, and new people from Syria and Southern Mesopotamia, labeled Proto-Urban A, were ushered into the region (Early Bronze Age) {{405}}/ {{406}}.

The Kingdom of Judah in the south continued to prosper {{407}}. However, she did not learn from watching Israel fall (she did not repent), and little over a century later, she was also destroyed {{408}}. At the end of the Early Bronze Age every major city in the south was destroyed and depopulated—some incredibly violently {{409}}. The Bible clearly teaches that this was done by the hand of God—his tool being a new empire he had risen up in southern Mesopotamia—the Kingdom of Babylon {{410}}. Archaeologists also find this new kingdom in Mesopotamia but they have called it the kingdom of Akkad {{411}}. Judah was left desolate. Only small scattered villages and groups of wandering nomads remained (Intermediate Bronze Age) {{412}}/ {{413}}.

When the Kingdom of Akkad (Babylon) fell {{414}}, Judah was repopulated by a vigorous new group of people which began to rebuild the land (Middle Bronze Age) {{415}}/ {{416}}. The people prospered and the entire region flowered {{417}}. The succeeding period also saw a continued prosperity, but under Indo-Aryan influence (Alexander the Great) {{418}}, followed by strong Egyptian (Ptolemaic) control (Late Bronze Age) {{419}}.

As the period continued, Egyptian power weakened {{420}}and a group of “adventurers” are noted as coming down from Syria and establishing an Amorite kingdom (Seleucids) {{421}}. Archaeologists then find evidence of an internal revolt that occurs, led by the ‘Apiru (Hasidim under Maccabeans), in which a war commences by a guerrilla-type group of warriors that rally the principally Hebrew (Jewish) community to rise up against the Amorites (Seleucids) {{422}}. Many wars follow with great destructions but the nation that remains in the end is obviously Israel. The carbon dates for these events (about 1300-1200 B.C.) lead scholars to believe this may be the time of the exodus and subsequent conquest of Palestine. Little or no archaeological evidence of Joshua or the exodus exists at this time, however, and the carbon dates assigned to the various cities’ destructions do not match the Bible which declares the conquest to have occurred around 1400 B.C. {{423}}These discrepancies have led many biblical scholars to abandon the literal interpretation of the Bible and create many diluted theories that minimalize the book {{424}}. Interpreting the archaeology as evidence of the Maccabean revolt on the other hand, as we are proposing, matches almost exactly {{425}}.

Next, archaeology shows the arrival of a new group of people called the “Sea People”. They ruled every land that touched the Mediterranean Sea {{426}}, and though their origin continues to evade scholars they know it was somewhere in the area of Sicily, Italy, or Greece (Rome) {{427}}. The people conquer lands matching Rome’s accomplishment in Greece, Turkey, Egypt and Palestine {{428}}.

Conclusions & Significance
Archaeologists and biblical scholars have long been at odds. As archaeology began to mount a horrendous amount of research, all placed by carbon dating, many biblical scholars began doubting the Bible. Scientific dates were given supremacy and new biblical scholars decided that the Bible was not completely accurate. They began trying to fit whatever they could into the archaeologists’ framework and discarded the rest as fable. The result was a great archaeological mess and a complete abandonment of the scriptures as the “Word of God” and absolute truth. Following the history of science and seeing societies turning away from God is very sad to read.

Now, our research seems to have discovered that the archaeologists are actually proving the Bible to be true and they don’t even know it because of the dating problem. So now, with the correlated time line created studying the Book of Mormon, we see the Book of Mormon proving the Bible to be true, which we are taught is one of its purposes (Mormon 7:8–9; 1 Nephi 13:38–41).

A future paper on Bible lands will show most all the fabulous stories of the Bible laid out in the dirt, just as the prophets said they happened, and just where the prophets said they happened. We will see that these wonderful stories which are disbelieved by most archaeologists, have actually been found by archaeologists!

These findings are of great importance. Our society has abandoned the scriptures. We have replaced the eighth article of faith with a new one that says: “We believe the scriptures to be the Word of God as far as they correspond with science; we believe science to be supreme truth on all subjects it chooses to address.” This cannot be. Geology, biology and archaeology cannot be allowed to replace the sure testimony we have of the creation. Psychology cannot be allowed to replace the reality of Christ as our healer. Any doctrine or teaching which denies Christ is not of God. Omitting God is denying God because God has clearly stated that he is the creator and he is the truth, the way, and the light so leaving him out is going against his word.

We need to see the scriptures for what they are—they are not exaggerated stories, and they are notjust stories told by old men who meant well but who were off on the details because they were limited to the scope of the learning of their own cultures. The scriptures are the word of God, told in truth by men who literally talked with him! They were written to warn the nations of the world to believe God and to fear God and to worship only him. The scriptural events happened just as we were taught when we were children. Moses was not just a Hebrew slave born in Egypt who had a limited understanding of time and a limited understanding of the size of the Earth, and of how the history of his people fit into the grand history of the earth. He had a deep understanding of these things because he learned them directly from God! When we realized that everything in the scriptures is literal, then suddenly we realize that we, as part of this great latter-day nation, must repent, or the destruction that has been prophesied will occur. We know that the proud and the learned who will not hearken to their Creator will be cast off forever. We must beware of those who perpetuate the Theology of Science and say there is no God because they have not seen him. These people deliberately discourage others from believing in God, and they do it using every imaginable discipline—history, archaeology, biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, and many other subjects. We must not allow people who live in sin, and therefore have not eyes to see, to lead us, for they will then be “blind leaders of the blind.” We must beware of the fanciful doctrines of Satan—precepts of men so wonderfully mingled with scripture that they appear to be true. We must beware of those who look beyond the mark. They despise plainness, and they “kill” the prophets with their words and their doctrines. God has taken his plainness away from them and has given them many things which they cannot understand, because they desired it.

A new generation is being raised up, and to them God will prove all his words, because they believe. God will show them how he changed the times and seasons in order to blind the minds of the proud and the learned, that they would not understand his marvelous workings. (D&C 121: 12) This generation will prove the scriptures to be true, every whit. Fools have mocked the words of Moses and Mormon and Moroni, but they shall mourn. God’s great work will go forth!

I would plead with everyone to make the scriptures a more integral part of your education. I would encourage anyone with problems to seek from the Word of God first and only believe other teachings as they compliment the teachings of the prophets. I would encourage students to first read God’s take on every issue before diving into your studies so that you can have the spirit of prophecy and discern between truth and the speculations of man. Science is wonderful, it is the process of seeking truth in the world around us, but it is not absolute truth, it is not infallible, and it is not the word of God. Search the scriptures specifically on the subjects you are studying and you will be overwhelmingly amazed at the wealth of information.

Selected Bibliography can be found here

–

INTRODUCTION

It may be helpful to read Introduction to scriptural archeology for an introduction to this article covering important background information on why archeological dating methods give screwed results and on the geographical alteration of the narrow neck of land.

(To clarify dates, throughout the rest of the text scriptural/historical dates are preceded by S/H; while archaeological dates, including carbon dates, are preceded by A/C. In printed versions, footnotes which reference scriptures are in red; footnotes which reference archaeological sources are in black).

Correlated timeline of archeological and scriptural dates

THE SCATTERING AT BABEL AND THE EARLY JAREDITE CULTURE. Archaeologists place the first modern humans in the Near East’s fertile crescent around 100,00 years ago ^[72], which, according to our calibrated timeline, is immediately after the Flood. From there man was “scattered . . . abroad . . . upon the face of all the earth . . .” (Genesis 11:8) ^[73]; scientists following the path of homo sapiens identify a major scattering between 40,000 and 70,000 years ago when modern man spread from the Near East to Europe, the Far East, Australia, and the Americas ^[74]. In America, studies of hereditary traits on the first group of PaleoIndians to reach America have concluded that they consisted of no more than a handful of families (S/H: around 2100 BC; A/C: around 40,000 years ago) ^[75]/ ^[76]. The two earliest major PaleoIndian cultures that developed from this handful of families, the Clovis Culture and the Folsom Culture , spread widely but sparsely from the Southwestern United States to cover most of the continental United States ^[77]/ ^[78].

OMER AND HIS HOUSEHOLD. As this early period in American Prehistory was coming to a close, a small group of families left the core area and settled “by the seashore” directly east of the hill Cumorah (Ether 9:1–13) ^[79]. The group of sites, in and around northeastern Massachusetts, are called the Bull Brook Complex by archaeologists ^[80]. Clovis points found at several of the sites tie it to the Southwest ^[81]. Building on excavations by D.S. Byers in the mid-50’s ^[82], archaeological societies in the Northeast have pieced together the history of the Bull Brook Complex ^[83]. Their findings and subsequent analysis have shown the interactions of a system of organized, interdependent groups with specialized work force networks ^[84]. It is recognized as containing the highest level of social structure in America at that time ^[85], which would be expected in a “refugee camp” of the royal household ^[86].

PRE-DEARTH JAREDITE CULTURE. . As Moroni attests, the next archaeological period saw the rise of a richer and more diversified culture ^[87]/ ^[88]. The Plano and Early Eastern Archaic Cultures fanned across the continent (S/H: around 1600-1200 BC; A/C: around 8500-6000 BC) ^[89]. Scientists have found the full spectrum of plants and animals corresponding to the days of Emer. According to Moroni, during the early Pre-Dearth Jaredite time period they had “all manner of cattle, of oxen, and cows, and of sheep, and of swine, and of goats, and also many other kinds of animals which were useful for the food of man.” ^[90]Archaeologists have found many species of American bison from this time period, which ruminants are classified by zoologists as wild cattle, oxen and cows (family Bovidae, genus Bos) ^[91]. Similarly, there are food remains of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain goats at many sites from this period ^[92]. Peccaries are animals from this period which are classified as swine and are in the same group as domestic pigs and hogs (sub-order Suina) ^[93]. The “many other kinds of animals” of Moroni’s list would include deer, elk, moose, caribou, and pronghorn ^[94]. Thanks to new site-investigation methods, scientists have found that fruits, grains and vegetables were part of the PaleoIndian diet ^[95]; the Darwinian view that the PaleoIndians were merely carnivorous stockers of megafauna is being abandoned. More careful analysis of early sites and artifacts is yielding increasing evidence of fine textiles ^[96], which means the people didn’t just wear rough animal hides. Moroni also mentions that horses, elephants, cureloms and cumoms were useful to man, and that elephants and cureloms and cumoms were “more especially” useful to man (Ether 9:19). Potential beasts of burden which have been found in association with PaleoIndians include horses, tapirs, mammoths, mastodons, giant bison, giant ground sloths, and camels ^[97]. Coincidentally, the horse and the tapir would not have been very useful as beasts of burden because the Ice Age variety existent at this time were only about the size of a dog ^[98]; hence, it was the elephants and cureloms and cumoms which were “more especially” useful to man.

THE GREAT DEARTH. Then the PaleoIndian culture was rocked. In the scriptures, we read of secret combinations infesting society, and then a chastening, in the form of a great dearth (Ether 9:30–35). Archaeologists attest that it was probably the worst famine in North American history. Mass extinction spread across America as the Ice Age came to a rapid and catastrophic close ^[99]. Excess hunting by starving people and severe environmental changes drove the megafauna to extinction ^[100]. Scientists have found that serpents were abundant at that time in the American Southwest (as they are today) and the closing of the Ice Age caused many varied migrations in snake species across North America ^[101]. The serpents and the drought divided the people in the north from the fauna, which escaped to the south ^[102]. When the climate finally recovered, the people instigated a revolution in agriculture ^[103]/ ^[104], since they had now lost their domesticated animals.

POST-DEARTH JAREDITE CULTURE. Moroni’s next exposition on culture comes in the days of Lib (Ether 10:18–28). My corresponding period is labeled by archaeologists as the Middle and Late Archaic. Often indistinguishable from one another, these two cultural periods represent a major advancement over the preceding culture ^[105]. Again the culture spread across North America from coast to coast ^[106]. There were villages, agriculture, and widespread trade networks ^[107]. South of the narrow neck, in the Mexican highland and beyond, the only inhabitants we find are organized hunting parties, which “coincidentally” brought spear points of North American manufacture and style ^[108]/ ^[109]. Scientists recognize metallurgy from this time period, and copper is the most common metal found ^[110]/ ^[111]. Many fine textiles have also survived from this period ^[112]/ ^[113]. Moroni says they made “all manner of tools to till the earth, both to plow and to sow, to reap and to hoe, and also to thrash” ^[114]. He also says they had, “all manner of tools with which they did work their beasts” (Ether 10:26–27). Most of the tools on this list have been found by archaeologists at sites dating to the Middle and Late Archaic ^[115]. New weapons were also invented and manufactured, although archaeologists currently view them only as hunting weapons ^[116]/ ^[117]. Another major industry of the Jaredites was wood exploitation ^[118]. A huge assortment of woodworking tools has been found at Archaic period sites across the Nation ^[119]. Truly this was a highly-developed culture—a time of great prosperity. How tragic that they lost it all because of secret combinations! ^[120]

THE DESOLATION OF THE JAREDITES. The desolation of the Jaredites began in the Southwest and climaxed in New York State ^[121]. It is witnessed archaeologically by a widespread “cremation” burial culture ^[122]. Continent-wide scientists find a change in burial customs from proper burials to cremation burials and “ceremonial” burning of homes and entire villages (Shiz and his army) ^[123]/ ^[124]. Archaeologists have also found evidence of large-scale “bundle burials,” which is the practice of bundling the disarticulated, defleshed bones of dead people in bags or cordages, and then either burying them or dumping them in the trash ^[125]. Surely it was a gruesome scene that the first Nephites to re-inhabit the desolate land northward were required to witness and clean up ^[126].

Correlated timeline of archeological and scriptural dates

THE ARRIVAL OF THE NEPHITES AND MULEKITES. The Jaredites were the sole inhabitants of America until two small groups of sea-going travelers crossed the Pacific (S/H: 600 BC; A/C: 3000 BC). As early as 1916 scholars had identified the general location of the two landing sites. G. Elliot Smith published an article with Science titled “The Origin of the Pre-Columbian Civilization of America” in which he detailed ethnological evidence of the landings and further showed how scholars of that day had attempted to cover up the findings because they lent support to the Bible and against Darwinism ^[127]. In his book, Articles of Faith, James E. Talmage describes the author’s findings: “Dr. Smith presents an impressive array of evidence pointing to the Old World and specifically to Egypt, as the source of many of the customs by which the American aborigines are distinguished. The article is accompanied by a map showing . . . two landing places on the west coast, one in Mexico and another near the boundary common to Peru and Chile, from which place the immigrants spread.” ^[128]Archaeological evidence has further refined these findings. Most archaeologists now agree to a South American landing, putting it a little further north, specifically in modern Ecuador ^[129](which “coincidentally” lies “a little south of the Isthmus of Darien” ^[130]). The location of the second landing spot is unknown; characteristic artifacts also point to the west coast of Mexico ^[131]— legend puts it at a place called “seven caverns” ^[132]. Both the Valdivia culture of Ecuador (the Lehites), and the Otomangue-speaking people of the Mexican highland (the Mulekites), brought the first true pottery to the Americas; in both cultures the pottery was already well-developed even at the earliest sites ^[133]. Both cultures are distinguished as being the first harvesters of cultigens (plants incapable of growing without human help), the most important cultigen being corn ^[134]. The architecture and burial customs of these two groups can easily be tied to the Old World. Square waddle and daub homes with storage pits in the floor dotted their lands ^[135]. Their temples and public buildings are extremely similar to those of Egypt and Israel. Subfloor burials and burial positions also match those of the Middle East ^[136].

EARLY MULEKITE CULTURE. The newly arrived Otomangue-speaking culture (Mulekites) began to spread across the Mexican highland (Zarahemla). Although they covered a large area, they lived in small scattered villages, and archaeologists recognize very little social structure among them ^{[137] [138]}.

EARLY LEHITE CULTURE. The Valdivia culture also fanned out over a large area, stylistic pottery has been traced from Ecuador up through Columbia and Panama into Coastal areas of Guatemala and Southern Chiapas ^[139]. When Nephi fled from his brothers ^[140], it seems that he led his followers to the central depression of Chiapas and settled in the Grijalva river valley. The first cultural layers there are of a unique, tight-knit group (Zoque/early Nephite), centered around Chiapa de Corzo (the land of Nephi), which remained separate from the surrounding cultures that were developing (Maya/Lamanite) ^[141]/ ^[142]. The Nephite culture began the seeds of civilization which later influenced all of Mesoamerica, and eventually all of North America ^[143]. Some of the Lamanites appear to have followed Nephi’s party; a group associated with the early Maya (Lamanites) settled further up in the Grijalva river valley ^[144]. Other groups remained in South America which over time developed very independent cultures ^[145]; apparently not associated with the history outlined in the Book of Mormon.

EARLY LAMANITE CULTURE. The Lamanites (early Maya) digressed and became a very primitive people ^[146]/ ^[147]. Archaeologists label them as “hunters and gatherers,” because they stocked the forests for game, lived in tents and temporary shelters, and practiced limited agriculture ^[148]/ ^[149]. They did some fishing, and they had very limited agriculture (primarily limited to picking wild fruits and edible roots) ^[150]. Archaeologists think it was because they did not have the technology, the scriptures teach that it was because they were lazy.

Warfare is evident as archaeologists find a large assortment of weapons, far exceeding the needs of mere hunters ^[151]. The early Maya (Lamanites) set up chiefdoms in each local community; at this early date they do not appear to have been a cohesive unit, but rather groups of village communities, competing and perhaps fighting with each other for resources ^[152] — apparently united only in their hatred toward the Nephites ^[153]. Laman and Lemuel seem to have taught their children the pagan practices they had learned in Jerusalem. Archaeologists find cultic artifacts associated with the worship of a fertility goddess; they also worshipped Chac, who is the Maya equivalent of Baal from the Old World ^[154]. In this early period we also see the beginnings of the Jaguar cult. The Maya made costumes from the coats of beasts of prey and used these costumes in religious rituals ^[155]/ ^[156]. Early Mayan vices match those Enos and Jarom attributed to the Lamanites: pornography in the form of nude ceramic figurines, idleness, and drunkenness (typically chicha, an alcohol made from corn) ^[157]/ ^[158].

The Formative

INTRODUCTION TO THE FORMATIVE. At the dawn of the formative period there were several major demographic shifts which set the stage for the developing cultures. First, King Mosiah I and his people left the Land of Nephi (Chiapa de Corzo) and traveled to Zarahemla (central Mexico) to join the Mulekites (S/H: around 200 BC; A/C: around 1400 BC) ^[159]. This is seen archaeologically as an influx of Mixe-zoquean culture brings new advances to central Mexico, and public buildings begin to appear in the larger villages ^[160].

THE PEOPLE OF ZENIFF. Back in Chiapa de Corzo (the land of Nephi), the surrounding culture (Maya/Lamanites) destroyed all traces of the departing group (Nephites) ^[161]/ ^[162]. Shortly, however, high culture returned to the valley ^[163]as Zeniff and his people arrive and begin to build anew many public buildings and restore the land ^[164]/ ^[165]. The new inhabitants of Chiapa de Corzo (people of Zeniff) were an ethnically distinct group which did not mix with the surrounding Maya (Lamanites) ^[166]/ ^[167]. Initially their culture was very similar to that of central Mexico (from which they had come), but the similarities decreased as time went on and they (the people of Zeniff, now led by King Noah) became extravagant in their prosperity. Lavishness dominates the architecture and material culture of this period ^[168]/ ^[169]. Just before Chiapa de Corzo returned to Mayan Culture (Lamanites), the people of the Grijalva depression gave birth to one of the richest and most influential Mesoamerican cultures of the pre-Christian era—the Olmecs (Amulonites) ^[170]/ ^[171].

THE AMULONITES AND THEIR INFLUENCE OVER THE LAMANITES. The Amulonite (Olmec) culture seems to have developed in the lowlands of Veracruz, Mexico. The simple farming village of San Lorenzo (probably Helam) ^[172]/ ^[173]suddenly began a massive public works effort using slave labor (probably the followers of Alma) ^[174]/ ^[175]. Soon a handful of great cities commenced, and Olmec influence spread to other lands ^[176]/ ^[177]. Olmec art and religious themes support an Amulonite correlation: powerful, dominating priests, were-jaguar babies, female dancers, and a plethora of demi-gods and idols ^[178]/ ^[179]. Throughout the Mayan lands, Olmec teachers began to train the Maya (Lamanites) in the language and learning of the Mexican highland people (the Nephites) ^[180]/ ^[181]. With this new education the Maya began to prosper and make many technological advances ^[182]/ ^[183]. New trade networks spread across southern Mexico, the Yucatan and Guatemala, and all roads passed through Olmec lands, which made them vastly rich and extremely influential ^[184]. Some archaeologists call the Olmecs the “mother culture” of Mesoamerica ^[185].

THE FALL OF THE AMULONITES. As prophesied by Abinadi, the Amulonites (Olmecs) were soon devastated ^[186]/ ^[187]. Using a cesium magnetometer to detect buried basalt, Michael Coe, a professor of Anthropology at Yale University, and his group found mounds of monuments purposefully defaced, smashed and buried at San Lorenzo ^[188]. Other Olmec sites excavated in the area told the same story: seemingly the Maya (Lamanites) living among the Olmecs (Amulonites) in their gulf-coast empire revolted, defacing and smashing monuments, destroying buildings ^[189]/ ^[190], and as the Book of Mormon teaches us, massacring the ruling class (the descendants of the priests of Noah) ^[191]. The great Olmecs suddenly disappeared, but their influence over the Maya was seen forever afterward. The sparsely-populated Mayan lands were soon covered with huge temples and city-centers with art and architecture reminiscent of the Olmec style ^[192].

THE NEPHITES- ALMA THE ELDER AND KING MOSIAH II. Meanwhile, in central Mexico, Alma and his followers escaped to Zarahemla and established the church throughout the Mexican highland ^[193], witnessed archaeologically by new temples and synagogues built throughout the land ^[194]. Then, several decades later, Mosiah II founded a new democratic government ^[195], and each land began to build government buildings alongside the new temples (S/H: 91 BC; A/C: around 850 BC) ^[196]. Under the leadership of these inspired founders, the diverse societies of central Mexico integrated to become a very prosperous people ^[197]/ ^[198]. Unfortunately, in many communities this prosperity led to pride, social classes, and perversions, which are all quite visible in the material culture they left behind ^[199]/ ^[200].

Pre-Classic

THE NEPHITES- CAPTAIN MORONI. These two great nations, the Nephites on the Mexican Plateau and the Lamanites (Maya) in Southern Mexico, Guatemala and Yucatan, began to experience greater conflicts ^[201]/ ^[202]. Foreseeing the coming challenges, Captain Moroni prepared his people and their lands ^[203]. First, the weak lands were fortified and the southern frontier was strengthened ^[204]/ ^[205]. Hilltop fortifications began to dot southern Mexico in Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Guerrero ^[206]/ ^[207]. Great urban fortresses were created ^[208]/ ^[209]. For example, at Monte Alban (Manti), researchers from the University of Michigan found that some leader (Moroni) inspired the people of the valley of Oaxaca to move to the top of a nearby hill in the former “no man’s land” between two warring nations, and there build a fortress with up to 10,000 inhabitants ^[210]. The site has natural cliffs surrounding the city, its temples and its public buildings on three sides; on the fourth side, excavators found a two-mile long wall of earth and stone which still stands almost 30 feet tall and 50-60 feet thick ^[211]/ ^[212]. No wonder Mormon venerated the leadership, courage and vision of Captain Moroni and the manner in which he prepared his people for war.

After Amalickiah’s first attack, a second phase of construction was begun in which fortified cities and hilltop fortresses were built throughout the land of Zarahemla ^[213]which appears to have stretched from Oaxaca to Jalisco and from southwestern Michoacan to northern Veracruz ^[214]. Also, the Book of Mormon records Moroni pushing the Lamanites out of the east wilderness and on the west, then building new cities in these areas in order to create a more defensible border ^[215]. Excavations in southern and western Oaxaca and Guerrero, as well as central Veracruz are now showing such movements of peoples and the construction of new large defensive cities and fortresses ^[216].

During the time that fortifications were being built in the Mexican highland, a massive weapons production industry commenced throughout Mesoamerica, both in the Mexican Highland (Zarahemla) and in Maya (Lamanite) lands ^[217]/ ^[218]. To accommodate these war preparations, the peoples of the Mexican Highland (Nephites) made major breakthroughs in agriculture and built massive irrigation systems ^[219]. From that time forward, urbanization and trade specialization, with accompanying prosperity, enveloped the Nephite lands ^[220]/ ^[221].

The great war of Moroni’s time, and the wars that followed, are seen archaeologically in demographic and cultural movements of this time period ^[222], and in numerous monuments depicting warriors and captives in both Highland Mexico and Maya lands ^[223]. The Lamanites displaced and jumbled the Nephites numerous times ^[224]. There was also a great cultural mixing when groups of Lamanites converted to the Nephite religion and went to live among the Nephites ^[225], and also when groups became captives ^[226]. Cities experienced occasional upheavals, but most of them changed hands without noticeable ruin ^[227]/ ^[228].

THE NEPHITES- 57 BC TO AD 33. Time brought greater prosperity ^[229], which led to ornamentation and extravagant housewares ^[230]. Robbers also infested the land during this period ^[231]—archaeologist have found that many of the graves of nobles and of wealthy people were broken into and the riches were stolen ^[232]. The Book of Mormon teaches that as wars continued numerous groups sought refuge and peace by migrating to far-away lands ^[233]. Archaeologists date the Adena people’s arrival in the Ohio River Valley at this time ^[234]. The Adena cleared the land of the carnage and waste the land’s former inhabitants (the Jaredites) had left ^[235]/ ^[236], and they brought a new culture with the advancements and technologies of their Mexican homeland ^[237]. Others moved to the Southwestern United States, becoming the earliest Mogollon peoples ^[238]. Those who arrived in North America found a land covered with lakes and rivers—a much more lush environment than the one they had left ^[239]. The Southwest Cultures are famous for their dwellings of stone and cement; cultures of the East for tents; both cultures also built simple homes of scrawny wood poles and thatched walls and roof ^[240]. In a short time the continent was covered with hamlets and villages ^[241]/ ^[242]. The people soon turned to pagan and perverted practices, which spoiled their previously wholesome culture ^[243]/ ^[244]. There is evidence that the first Polynesians reached the Pacific Islands around this same time period ^[245]/ ^[246].

–

THE NEPHITES- ZION. . The destruction at the time of Christ was discussed earlier. As the ash settled ^[247]/ ^[248], a new culture spread across the land ^[249]/ ^[250]. In some ways, this new culture was more monolithic; in other ways it was more diverse. Throughout the Americas a new two-room temple replaced varying former styles ^[251]. A utopia of peace and prosperity is spoken of in legends ^[252]/ ^[253]. There is no evidence of weapons being used at this time ^[254], and the murals, figurines, and architecture show designs of nature, lines of symmetry and harmony, and displays of pleasant animals and domestic life ^[255]. Gone are all signs of a military elite, governmental force, and coercion ^[256]. The Hopewell, the Anasazi, the Mogollon, Teotihuacan, the Maya—continent-wide, the traits are the same ^[257]. The great peace resulting “because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people” (4 Nephi 1:15).

The people were united in righteousness ^[258], yet at the same time, the culture became more diverse, as the focus turned from making a profit to making quality products and upholding the ideals of family and community ^[259]. Local artisans replaced the mass-production and expansive trade networks of the preceding period ^[260]. Thus there was no need to travel extensively “on business,” so people could spend more time with their families. Family gardens replaced mass-produced food ^[261]. People ate a greater variety of food, but their food was of more local origin ^[262]. Analysis of skeletons shows that the people were healthier and enjoyed longer life spans than during the preceding period ^[263]. The arts flowered during this period ^[264]. The number and variety of musical instruments greatly increased ^[265]. Pottery and other goods became more useful and more beautiful, and less ornamental and extravagant ^[266]. A much greater variety of artifacts is found, but in much smaller quantities than before, and with much less waste ^[267]. The prosperity was great throughout all of the Americas and in all areas of human development, “because of their prosperity in Christ” (4 Nephi 1:23).

In the early classic period the church became very wealthy ^[268]. The people donated their time and skills to the creation and maintenance of beautiful temples and public centers ^[269]. The population exploded ^[270], but at the same time, the cities became less dense as the communities were reorganized and the people spread out across the land ^[271]. Even the biggest “cities” were only lightly populated, yet they contained ceremonial centers and public buildings large enough to accommodate all the people of the surrounding villages ^[272]. Social classes disappeared, yet the standard of living increased everywhere ^[273]; And “they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God” (4 Nephi 1:17) ^[274].
It was beautiful. Everything Mormon said was true. Then they lost it all. The line is not clear, but little by little it all slipped away. The late pre-classic ugliness returned, and this time it was even more vile.

THE NEPHITES- PRIDE. As the people became proud, they began to flaunt the wealth they had accumulated over many years of righteousness and prosperity ^[275]. In the archaeological record, we begin to find much larger houses than existed in the preceding period ^[276], more decorated pottery ^[277], personal ornamentation (including pearls and elaborate clothing) ^[278]/ ^[279], extravagant burials of the dead ^[280], and new long-distance trade networks ^[281]/ ^[282]. They painted murals showing images of power, with soldiers, weapons, kings, priests, slaves, and eventually human sacrifice ^[283]. They built new cities with defense in mind ^[284], and the existing cities became more dense, decreasing in total area despite the fact that the population was still growing ^[285]/ ^[286]. We see evidence of the rise of social classes, with a new elite class and a definite peasant class ^[287]/ ^[288]. The social classes are most apparent in the big cities.

Political players began to build up monuments to themselves, often showing off their accomplishments ^[289]. We see a cultural split, as the people broke up into different groups ^[290]/ ^[291]. As displays of wealth and power emerged in society and later in government, the church was divided, as the people in every land sought to raise up their own version of Quetzalcoatl (Christ), and to join him with a new pantheon of gods and demigods ^[292]/ ^[293]. In the major ceremonial centers, a priestly class began to exercise power and influence ^[294]/ ^[295]. Temples and temple complexes became colossal and extravagant ^[296], and often the priests raised themselves to the position of gods or claimed descent from the gods ^[297]. Priests and government leaders began to deform the skulls of their children, and to give themselves and their children tattoos and body paint, all in an effort to separate themselves and their children from the “commoners” ^[298]. Gated communities were developed to protect the elite from the lower class ^[299].

On the eve of society’s collapse, the pride turned absolutely disgusting ^[300]. Most of the pottery and art became warped, lewd and pornographic ^[301]. Mass production fed trade networks which branched across the continent and resources were exploited on a massive scale ^[302]/ ^[303]. Food production became intense, and the general health of the people correspondingly deteriorated; the incidence of disease increased significantly and life expectancies dropped drastically ^[304]. Body piercing became the norm ^[305], tobacco and drugs were used widely; smoking was done in smoke houses and in private homes, with cigarettes and with pipes ^[306]. Huge ball courts covered the land ^[307], in some places ball players rose to the state of gods ^[308]. The ball games became very bloody ^[309], and in many places they were accompanied with mass killing and human sacrificing of the winners or losers depending on the local religion ^[310]; in other areas the losers become the slaves of the winners’ rulers ^[311]. Many people wasted their income on various forms of gambling—they rooted on their favorite teams, or played games of chance with dice and bones ^[312]. In many areas the workmanship of the structures built during this period was poor, but it was covered with decorative plaster, and was elaborately finished ^[313]. Cultic symbols and status symbols are found everywhere ^[314].

THE NEPHITES- DESTRUCTION. Truly this society was ripe for destruction ^[315]. The Book of Mormon tells us that the destruction took place quickly ^[316]. Archaeology tells us that it occurred on a massive scale ^[317], larger than most probably ever imagined— although Mormon tried to help us understand ^[318].

The great war appears to have been started in central Yucatan by a group which archaeologists call the Putun Maya ^[319]. As they gained power they continued west and north, and eventually attacked the Mexican highland ^[320]. Great murals tell the story of their advances; they were the eagle warriors of the jaguar cult (the Lamanites), and they sought to exterminate the cult of the feathered serpent named Quetzalcoatl (the Nephites) ^[321]. Eventually the great city of Zarahemla (Teotihuacan) was attacked, but the invaders were pushed back ^[322]/ ^[323]. Then, as Mormon relates, Zarahemla (Teotihuacan) was laid waste ^[324]. Archaeologists have uncovered the entire story: the great Teotihuacan was burned and looted, monuments were defaced, columns were toppled, temples were desecrated, and the luxurious palaces were left in ruin ^[325].

The Lamanites’ pursuit of the Nephites can be followed from Teotihuacan to Western Mexico, to sites such as Alta Vista and Chalchihuites (perhaps Angola or the Land of David?) ^[326]/ ^[327]and then to the seashore, to Amapa and other sites in Nayarit and southern Sinaloa (probably the land of Joshua) ^[328]/ ^[329], a land archaeologists have found was filled with robbers and Maya during this period ^[330]/ ^[331]. From there the Nephites continued their flight into the “land northward” ^[332]. It appears that the massacre stopped when the Nephites reached Chaco Canyon (Shem), in New Mexico and were able to fortify it ^[333]/ ^[334]. There the Nephites held back their pursuers and the bloodshed stopped for a season while God sent forth missionaries and prophets to give the people one last chance ^[335]. Archaeologists have found circular religious structures, called kivas, appearing throughout Anasazi lands during this period ^[336], which perhaps shows that Mormon knew some success ^[337], though his own testimony indicates that any success was short lived as the wickedness persisted ^[338].

For ten years a peace treaty was in effect ^[339]; archaeology shows that the Maya (Lamanites) of Yucatan and Maya Chichimec of West Mexico came together and began building the great Toltec kingdom ^[340]. Toltec legend speaks of the war between Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, and Tezcatlipoca, the principal god of the Jaguar Cult ^[341]. The Toltecs boast Quetzalcoatl’s defeat and subsequent flight ^[342]. As the population of Tula was exploding ^[343], archaeologists find an abandonment of Yucatan by that area’s elite ^[344]. Recruits by the thousands flooded out of Yucatan to their new blood-thirsty, warrior kingdom centered in the Mexican Highland ^[345]. Many were also moved to the battle line in Western Mexico, as archaeologists find a large influx of Toltec peoples with strong Maya ties building up fortresses and making war preparations ^[346].

The kingdom of the Nephites centered in the Southwestern United States, and although they focused on defending the land for a short time ^[347]/ ^[348], they soon turned their focus to the “god” of money ^[349]. Trade networks covered the Southwestern United States ^[350], and turquoise, which was lusted after by the Toltecs, was mined on a huge scale to be traded for exotic Mesoamerican goods ^[351]. Ball courts, gated communities, lewd pottery and art, body painting, body piercing, gigantic cities, social classes—the signs of pride and wickedness—have been found by archaeologists throughout the Southwest United States and Northwest Mexico (the Nephite lands) ^[352].

Then, at the end of this fragile moment of peace, destruction continued ^[353]. The blood-thirsty Lamanites (Toltecs) based in a city just south of our narrow neck of land (probably La Quemada) came up against the Nephite armies which were based in Desolation (Zape in northern Durango?) ^[354]/ ^[355]. The Lamanites were repulsed and counterattacked, but they soon swept Desolation and later Teancum (most likely Guasave on the Pacific Coast) ^[356]. From there the fleeing Nephites followed the turquoise trail to Boaz ^[357], now known as Paquime or Casas Grandes in Chihuahua. Charles C. Di Peso, the first archaeologists to conduct large-scale excavations at the site, found signs of a great slaughter at Paquime ^[358]. Unburied dead bodies were strewn across the site, some had been shoved into the ducts of the water system, others sacrificed to pagan gods, but the majority were just left to rot and be preyed upon by wolves and vultures ^[359]. Mormon painfully records these same events, as he stood back, watching: “And (the Nephites) fled again from before (the Lamanites), and they came to the city Boaz; and there . . . the Nephites were driven and slaughtered with an exceedingly great slaughter; ^[and]their women and their children were again sacrificed unto idols” (Mormon 4:20–21).

The slaughter spread across the entire Southwestern United States ^[360]. Thousands of sites from this period have been found in which the site was either abandoned or burned or the people were slaughtered ^[361]/ ^[362]. In many places the people abandoned their scattered farms and gathered together to build great fortified cities to defend themselves, only to be massacred ^[363]/ ^[364]. But this was not a peaceful, righteous people being victimized. There is evidence of cannibalism among the Anasazi and other Southwestern Cultures (the Nephites) ^[365]/ ^[366].

Archaeologists have found human bones in cooking vessels, necklaces made of human skin or bones, and mobiles made of human bones and skulls which seem to have been used as trophies—signs of status and prestige ^[367]. They have found apparent ceremonial assemblages of skulls which were presented to false gods ^[368]. At Salmon Ruin, New Mexico (possibly the tower of Sherrizah) ^[369] women and children were abandoned by their covenant protectors, and the children were burned alive, caught in the top of the tower ^[370]. There are countless archaeological and scriptural evidences of the deplorable state of the Anasazi/Nephites; their brutal mutilation and total annihilation are painful to read about.

The destruction in the Southwest climaxed at a line of sites from Mesa Verde, Colorado (probably Jordan ^[371]) to Albuquerque, New Mexico ^[372]. The entire Southwestern United States and Northwest Mexico was left desolate, except for a few small scattered groups of refugees who hid in caves ^[373]/ ^[374]. But the destruction continued.

The line of sites mentioned above was actually a line of defense built to protect the great expanse of the American Midwest ^[375]. The Nephites who covered the Midwest are called Mississippians by archaeologists. Highly influenced by Mesoamerica and the Southwest ^[376], their culture had also passed through the cycle of simple and peaceful ^[377]to ugly and proud ^[378]. Their artwork from this period glorifies death and perversion ^[379]. There are carvings of goules, war dances, and the murdering of captives, and these are found alongside symbols of Christ (hands with marks appearing to symbolize the crucifixion) and symbols of Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, displaying decapitated heads as a symbol of his power ^[380]. These were not ignorant people suffering for the sins of their parents; they were in open rebellion against God ^[381]. They refused to repent and trust in God, but rather put their trust in the arm of flesh thinking that could protect their lives. It would not be and never has been ^[382].

Soon after the cultures of the American Southwest were slaughtered, the Mississippian culture disappeared ^[383]. Huge ceremonial centers, like Cahokia in southern Illinois, built in the styles of the Mexican Highland, were suddenly depopulated without evidence of struggle or warfare—sites are not burned as in the Southwest, nor are the dead strewn across the landscape ^[384]. Because of the late carbon dates obtained from these sites some archaeologist have attempted to show that the people just redistributed themselves around the local area ^[385]. However, the Book of Mormon as well as the immense collections of arrowheads dating all the way back to the archaic found canvassing parts of New York State and the entire New England area speaks of a great desolation (The Book of Mormon states the final battles occurred in the “land of Comorah”, which likely encompasses a large portion of New England; not just around the current Hill Comorah as many have supposed) ^[386]/ ^[387].

Truly God is unveiling his truth in the eyes of all the world. It remains for us to read with faith, work with strength, and repent of our pride. We must go forward in a definite way and bring to pass the covenants of the Father and build up the kingdom of God upon the earth; both in small and simple ways and by making preparations for works of greatness.

OLD WORLD (BIBLICAL) ARCHEOLOGY
After I had found many evidences of events in the Book of Mormon, and had developed a revised timeline for archaeology, I became curious as to whether my timeline would also work if I used it on Old World archaeology. I found many interesting “coincidences”. Following is a very brief account of a few of my findings. An entire paper on the subject will be forthcoming.

Evidence of pre-flood cultures appear to be entirely missing from the archaeological record. It is as if Earth’s baptism literally washed her clean. She contained no trace of the former sins of her inhabitants. Most of the early homo sapiens cultures that I would label Post-Flood are in the fertile crescent, and usually at a depth of between 30 and 50 feet below the surface ^[388].

Early Egypt was below water as Abraham attests ^[389]/ ^[390], and the earth was sparsely populated ^[391]. The climate during this period soon after the Flood was much milder and cooler than it is today, and the plants and animals from this period match those described in the Bible ^[392]. The desert climate would not come for many generations (after many droughts and curses). When we consider the depth at which these early cities are found, we realize that the only reason these sites have been found is that either the sites were continually inhabited until modern times, or the archaeologists were extremely lucky. Many early cities exist which have not yet been found as attested as by new sites which are continually popping up.

History really starts to take place after the Exodus. Let us consider Jericho. Using the “corrected” timeline we established by studying the Book of Mormon, and extrapolating our dates backward, we find that the Jericho of the Bible must be dated at around 7000-8000 BC. During this time period there was a Neolithic city at Jericho, surrounded with a great wall, and with a massive tower built right into the wall (possibly the house of Rahab/Pre-Pottery Neolithic A) ^[393]/ ^[394]. There is evidence that the people of the city were pagans, and that they were rich and proud ^[395]. The early city’s culture ends with the walls falling down and a new culture replacing Pre-Pottery Neolithic A, they are labeled Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (Sci- 6500 B.C.; Scr- 1450 B.C.) ^[396]/ ^[397]. Interestingly, the tower that was built into the wall survived to its full height into the next period (Rahab and her family were protected) ^[398].
This new nation had simple beginnings; archaeologists call it a retrogression because of the decrease in riches and more simplified art. However, there were many advances: they had a united nation seen in the form of a new wide-spread monolithic culture, they began inhabiting many new lands and developing the land, they respected their dead ancestors, they had domesticated animals, and they built nice square plaster-floored homes ^[399], which, “coincidentally,” were similar to the homes of the early Lehites and Mulekites ^[400]. After many years the nation became very wealthy (Pottery Neolithic A&B) ^[401], and then, as we can tell by studying cultural artifacts, the nation was divided ^[402]. One group inhabited the north, and the other group lived in the south (Chalcolithic Period) ^[403]/ ^[404].

The nation of Israel prospered during the entire period from the time it entered the Land of Canaan until the end of the Chalcolithic Period. Then suddenly the Kingdom of Israel in the north (the Ghassulian culture) was displaced, and new people from Syria and Southern Mesopotamia, labeled Proto-Urban A, were ushered into the region (Early Bronze Age) ^[405]/ ^[406].

The Kingdom of Judah in the south continued to prosper ^[407]. However, she did not learn from watching Israel fall (she did not repent), and little over a century later, she was also destroyed ^[408]. At the end of the Early Bronze Age every major city in the south was destroyed and depopulated—some incredibly violently ^[409]. The Bible clearly teaches that this was done by the hand of God—his tool being a new empire he had risen up in southern Mesopotamia—the Kingdom of Babylon ^[410]. Archaeologists also find this new kingdom in Mesopotamia but they have called it the kingdom of Akkad ^[411]. Judah was left desolate. Only small scattered villages and groups of wandering nomads remained (Intermediate Bronze Age) ^[412]/ ^[413].

When the Kingdom of Akkad (Babylon) fell ^[414], Judah was repopulated by a vigorous new group of people which began to rebuild the land (Middle Bronze Age) ^[415]/ ^[416]. The people prospered and the entire region flowered ^[417]. The succeeding period also saw a continued prosperity, but under Indo-Aryan influence (Alexander the Great) ^[418], followed by strong Egyptian (Ptolemaic) control (Late Bronze Age) ^[419].

As the period continued, Egyptian power weakened ^[420]and a group of “adventurers” are noted as coming down from Syria and establishing an Amorite kingdom (Seleucids) ^[421]. Archaeologists then find evidence of an internal revolt that occurs, led by the ‘Apiru (Hasidim under Maccabeans), in which a war commences by a guerrilla-type group of warriors that rally the principally Hebrew (Jewish) community to rise up against the Amorites (Seleucids) ^[422]. Many wars follow with great destructions but the nation that remains in the end is obviously Israel. The carbon dates for these events (about 1300-1200 B.C.) lead scholars to believe this may be the time of the exodus and subsequent conquest of Palestine. Little or no archaeological evidence of Joshua or the exodus exists at this time, however, and the carbon dates assigned to the various cities’ destructions do not match the Bible which declares the conquest to have occurred around 1400 B.C. ^[423]These discrepancies have led many biblical scholars to abandon the literal interpretation of the Bible and create many diluted theories that minimalize the book ^[424]. Interpreting the archaeology as evidence of the Maccabean revolt on the other hand, as we are proposing, matches almost exactly ^[425].

Next, archaeology shows the arrival of a new group of people called the “Sea People”. They ruled every land that touched the Mediterranean Sea ^[426], and though their origin continues to evade scholars they know it was somewhere in the area of Sicily, Italy, or Greece (Rome) ^[427]. The people conquer lands matching Rome’s accomplishment in Greece, Turkey, Egypt and Palestine {{428}}.

Conclusions & Significance
Archaeologists and biblical scholars have long been at odds. As archaeology began to mount a horrendous amount of research, all placed by carbon dating, many biblical scholars began doubting the Bible. Scientific dates were given supremacy and new biblical scholars decided that the Bible was not completely accurate. They began trying to fit whatever they could into the archaeologists’ framework and discarded the rest as fable. The result was a great archaeological mess and a complete abandonment of the scriptures as the “Word of God” and absolute truth. Following the history of science and seeing societies turning away from God is very sad to read.

Now, our research seems to have discovered that the archaeologists are actually proving the Bible to be true and they don’t even know it because of the dating problem. So now, with the correlated time line created studying the Book of Mormon, we see the Book of Mormon proving the Bible to be true, which we are taught is one of its purposes (Mormon 7:8–9; 1 Nephi 13:38–41).

A future paper on Bible lands will show most all the fabulous stories of the Bible laid out in the dirt, just as the prophets said they happened, and just where the prophets said they happened. We will see that these wonderful stories which are disbelieved by most archaeologists, have actually been found by archaeologists!

These findings are of great importance. Our society has abandoned the scriptures. We have replaced the eighth article of faith with a new one that says: “We believe the scriptures to be the Word of God as far as they correspond with science; we believe science to be supreme truth on all subjects it chooses to address.” This cannot be. Geology, biology and archaeology cannot be allowed to replace the sure testimony we have of the creation. Psychology cannot be allowed to replace the reality of Christ as our healer. Any doctrine or teaching which denies Christ is not of God. Omitting God is denying God because God has clearly stated that he is the creator and he is the truth, the way, and the light so leaving him out is going against his word.

We need to see the scriptures for what they are—they are not exaggerated stories, and they are notjust stories told by old men who meant well but who were off on the details because they were limited to the scope of the learning of their own cultures. The scriptures are the word of God, told in truth by men who literally talked with him! They were written to warn the nations of the world to believe God and to fear God and to worship only him. The scriptural events happened just as we were taught when we were children. Moses was not just a Hebrew slave born in Egypt who had a limited understanding of time and a limited understanding of the size of the Earth, and of how the history of his people fit into the grand history of the earth. He had a deep understanding of these things because he learned them directly from God! When we realized that everything in the scriptures is literal, then suddenly we realize that we, as part of this great latter-day nation, must repent, or the destruction that has been prophesied will occur. We know that the proud and the learned who will not hearken to their Creator will be cast off forever. We must beware of those who perpetuate the Theology of Science and say there is no God because they have not seen him. These people deliberately discourage others from believing in God, and they do it using every imaginable discipline—history, archaeology, biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, and many other subjects. We must not allow people who live in sin, and therefore have not eyes to see, to lead us, for they will then be “blind leaders of the blind.” We must beware of the fanciful doctrines of Satan—precepts of men so wonderfully mingled with scripture that they appear to be true. We must beware of those who look beyond the mark. They despise plainness, and they “kill” the prophets with their words and their doctrines. God has taken his plainness away from them and has given them many things which they cannot understand, because they desired it.

A new generation is being raised up, and to them God will prove all his words, because they believe. God will show them how he changed the times and seasons in order to blind the minds of the proud and the learned, that they would not understand his marvelous workings. (D&C 121: 12) This generation will prove the scriptures to be true, every whit. Fools have mocked the words of Moses and Mormon and Moroni, but they shall mourn. God’s great work will go forth!

I would plead with everyone to make the scriptures a more integral part of your education. I would encourage anyone with problems to seek from the Word of God first and only believe other teachings as they compliment the teachings of the prophets. I would encourage students to first read God’s take on every issue before diving into your studies so that you can have the spirit of prophecy and discern between truth and the speculations of man. Science is wonderful, it is the process of seeking truth in the world around us, but it is not absolute truth, it is not infallible, and it is not the word of God. Search the scriptures specifically on the subjects you are studying and you will be overwhelmingly amazed at the wealth of information.

Selected Bibliography can be found here↵