YUCATAN: Secrets from a Lost Book of Mormon Land

[Hemidakota]

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by Garth Norman (July 2007)

After reading from the explorations in Mesoamerica by John Lloyd Stephens, published in 1841, Joseph Smith held keen interest in the Yucatan peninsula as a land of ancient Maya civilization. Joseph even contemplated that the Saints might have to flee "around the horseshoe" (Gulf of Mexico) to this ancient land of the Nephites to escape persecution.

Yucatan has been found to hold one of the most compelling evidences for Christ in America. On the Spring Equinox people by the hundreds pilgrimage to Chichen Itza to witness a solar hierophany at the Pyramid of Kukulcan/Quetzalcoatl–the rain-life God, and the raised or feathered serpent emblem of Christ in Book of Mormon tradition. When the sun crosses the northwest corner of the stepped pyramid, a serpent body of light illuminates the stairway balustrade and creates the impression that this feathered serpent stone head at the base is descending from the heavens. Local researchers (non-LDS) determined that the ultimate perfection of this hierophany occurs on April 6th, the birthday of Christ according to the Book of Mormon and other LDS scripture (see Norman 2008: Pl. 5 photo, p. 26).

While this pyramid is of post-Book of Mormon date, I regard it as a religious renaissance from Toltec influence out of central Mexico at Chichen Itza in the tenth century A.D. to celebrate the birth of Quetzalcoatl-Christ. The Book of Mormon put the birth of Christ in 1 B.C. to begin a new calendar, which is the year when a new Mesoamerican calendar was started by the Mixtec Indians (Bruce Warren research note).

I also discovered significant Toltec trade communication influence from Mexico at the Parowan Gap in southwestern Utah, and decoded a massive calendar observatory that included an observation station for April 6 which is plotted in day counts from spring equinox on a calendar petroglyph panel at the Gap. This tends to confirm the Chichen Itza date of April 6 (Norman 2007:180).

We have previously found strong confirmation for the Norman correlation map. (See John Pratt’s review of evidences for the River Sidon being the Usumacinta river on www.John@Johnpratt.com, or www.ancientamerica.org.) Here I evaluate the evidences for a correct reconstruction of the east borders of Zarahemla being adjacent to Yucatan, and as further confirmation for the Usumacinta/Sidon location of the city of Zarahemla
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While I am convinced Mesoamerica is the ancient land of the Book of Mormon, the northern peninsula of Yucatan (until my study map) has been an enigma to geography students. It became a "sore thumb" when trying to reconcile Alma 51:26 placing the city of Moroni on the Nephi border and other coastal cities along the eastern border of Zarahemla, that were captured by the Lamanites, all the way to Bountiful on the Narrow Neck of Land. Students became divided between forcing all these cities either along the Carribean coast or the Tabasco Gulf coast by the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

One student wrestled with the problem and proposed severing the "sore thumb" to make an island, which would have inundated a number of cities dating to Book of Mormon times. Alternative views became entrenched, which stimulated a futile search across North and South America for a better geography fit. The general rule in these geography puzzles has been to highlight a few matching features and ignore things that don’t fit. Serious studies must reconcile all details in the text with real geography that can be sustained by archaeology. Only in Mesoamerica is this possible.

Dealing in percentages has never set well with me. We have to account for the entire Book of Mormon and scrutinize every detail. We might allow by Mormon’s own admission a few errors in his record. But there is no mistake in Alma 51:26 when we understand it in historic context. It is not an obstacle, but rather holds a key to placing the Yucatan Peninsula into required Book of Mormon geography. The tables have turned. If Yucatan were not there, we would have a big problem. So what is the key that brings Yucatan into the Book of Mormon geographic picture? Alma 51:26 is an abbridged incomplete inventory.

The eastern borders of Zarahemla is reconstructed from the war history in Alma. Battles from Moroni on the southern border of the land of Nephi takes us all the way to the city of Bountiful on the Narrow Neck of Land as the last stronghold that prevented the Lamanites from crossing the Narrow Neck and meeting another Lamanite army pressing up the west sea coast. The war strategy was to capture the Narrow Neck of Land and surround and conquer the Nephite land of Zarahemla. Helaman’s army at Judea (Izapa?) successfully protected the west coast corridor.

There is a curious anomaly in Alma 51:26. The city of Omner captured by the Lamanites is in the middle of the seven cites along east coastal borders, but it is left out of the war history. Why? If Omner was contiguous to neighboring cities of Morianton and Gid it would not have been excluded. A glance at the Mesoamerican map hints that this break must involve crossing the Yucatan Peninsula, which accounts for an abridgment gap in Mormon’s record. His history focuses on the strategic southern and northern defensive fronts. Does the archaeology and environment support this break? Yes.

The entrenchment fortified city of Becan lies along the northeastern populated boundary of the land Zarahemla in the center of the Peninsula. Becan might be Omner if an exception is made for it not being a coastal city. It is an important fortified link between the cities on both sea coasts, and lies due west from Chetumal Bay. Limited interior habitation north from Becan was due to a less inviting environment with limited water. The prize of Zarahemla for conquest was the rich land and large cities to the south, including Tikal, El Mirador and Nakbe. Tikal was also well fortified by entrenchment that protected about 36 square miles around the city, which would have accommodated other cities overrun by the Lamanites retreating to the great city of Ammonihah at Tikal




Yucatan being left out is not a problem for the record. It may be included in the very abbreviated statement for the original settlement in the East Wilderness after mentioning a few strategic cities, that "many cities were built on the north" (Alma 50:15). Northern Yucatan is as distant from the Zarahemla capital on the Usumacinta/Sidon in the Palenque region as it is from the Kaminaljuyu/Nephi capital south in highland Guatemala. It was not a strategic military objective. Sparse interior population north of Becan, and distant isolation of northern Yucatan were factors that justified Mormon leaving Yucatan out of his abridged military history.

Now, what are the chances that we might find a surviving Nephite name for this distant Peninsula land? It doubtless had a descriptive name like other Book of Mormon lands and features, such as the Narrow Neck of Land, the Narrow Pass, the Narrow Strip of Wilderness, East Wilderness, Land Bountiful, and Land Desolation. A peninsula or point of land would be the most obvious title.

Yucatan is from Yaca-tlan in Nahuatl. Yaca means "pointed" and -tlan means "place" or land (Karttunen 1983).

I have found evidences for a number of Nahuatl place name translations from earlier Book of Mormon names (Norman 2008). So, we should look for a distinctive "point" name survival in Yucatan for a Nephite-Hebrew word for point. The noun "point" in Hebrew is Nekuda!. Scanning the map I find two matches unique to the area. A town on the main west coastal communication corridor into Yucatan is named Nunkini. Notice the N and K consonants are the same as the Hebrew. Vowels aren’t written in Hebrew. The D and N or close enough to exchange in transliterations, especially since there is no D in Nahuatl. Several Book of Mormon place names end in "ni" (Cumeni, Moroni, Middoni), but none have a "da" ending. "Ni" is a Nahuatl directional indicator as in NICAN (here), NICI (nearby), and NIPA (over there).

About 30 miles northwest of Nunkini on the sea coast is Punta Nimu!n(i), which is a finger land point at the entrance to a lagoon, which could be a Maya name for "point". Nunkini and Nimu!n are close enough to the Hebrew Nekuda! to qualify for surviving Book of Mormon name transliterations.

Hugh Nibley pointed out that "names are bound to undergo some change with time and distance, whereas if the resemblance were perfect, we should be forced to attribute it, however fantastic it might seem, to mere coincidence. There must be differences; and what is more, those differences should not be haphazard but display definite tendencies." (Lehi in the Desert & The World of the Jaredites, p. 30)

This place name analysis is consistent with over twenty previously identified place names in Nahuatl for Book of Mormon names. ( See Garth Norman, Book of Mormon-Mesoamerican Geography: History Study Map text, 2008, pp.11-13.)

We have come a long way in decoding the historic geography of the Book of Mormon to be able to detect consistent geographic historic details that not only confirm Mormon’s map, but help flesh out obscure abridged details.

References
Karttunen, Frances. An Analytical Dictionary of Nahuatl. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma: 1983.
Norman, V. Garth. Book of Mormon - Mesoamerican Geography: HistoryStudy Map, ARCON Inc. & Ancient America Foundation, American Fork, Utah: 2008, revised edition.
—— The Parowan Gap; Nature’s Perfect Observatory. CFI Publishing, Springville, Utah: 2007, revised edition. (Available on Amazon.com or Cedarfort.com.)

[Palerider]

I read half of it.....I will read the other half later....

[Superbaldguy]

The Church has never made an official commentary on the geography of the Book of Mormon, although much of what I have read by LDS scholars supports the info in this thread.

[Moksha]

Competing theories:

[Maya]

In referances there is Karttunen... who is he?? It is a very Finish name!
I love Mormonbook History... I wonder what book would be best to buy... my birthday coming... maybe I allow myself finally a good history book...
I mostly go for Aisworth theories...

[Vort]

Great map, Moshka. Where did you find it?

[Maya]

I suppose you know where Moroni is... close Madagasgar!

[Moksha]

Originally Posted by Vort

Great map, Moshka. Where did you find it?

Uncle Dale Broadhurst keeps a treasure trove of such stuff on his site: Uncle Dale's Rigdon Home Page Gateway