A structure called “The Observatory” in the Chichen Itza ruins in Mexico. Photo
by John Romkey from USA 15 February 2005; Flickr; Wikimedia Commons
Where Science Meets the Book of Mormon: Come Follow Me Lesson: October 28-November 3; Mormon 1-6
Mormon tells us in Mormon 5: 6-9, “And it came to pass that in the three hundred and eightieth year the Lamanites did come again against us to battle, and we did stand against them boldly; but it was all in vain, for so great were their numbers that they did tread the people of the Nephites under their feet. And it came to pass that we did again take to flight, and those whose flight was swifter than the Lamanites’ did escape, and those whose flight did not exceed the Lamanites’ were swept down and destroyed. And now behold, I, Mormon, do not desire to harrow up the souls of men in casting before them such an awful scene of blood and carnage as was laid before mine eyes; but I, knowing that these things must surely be made known, and that all things which are hid must be revealed upon the house-tops — And also that a knowledge of these things must come unto the remnant of these people, and also unto the Gentiles, who the Lord hath said should scatter this people, and this people should be counted as naught among them—therefore I write a small abridgment, daring not to give a full account of the things which I have seen, because of the commandment which I have received, and also that ye might not have too great sorrow because of the wickedness of this people.”
Then he wrote in Mormon 6:11, “And when they had gone through and hewn down all my people save it were twenty and four of us, (among whom was my son Moroni) and we having survived the dead of our people, did behold on the morrow, when the Lamanites had returned unto their camps, from the top of the hill Cumorah, the ten thousand of my people who were hewn down, being led in the front by me.” This final destruction happened around 385 AD.
So, the main portion of the Book of Mormon story extends from about 600 BC, as stated in 1 Nephi 1, to this final destruction in 385 AD. Some people have attempted to equate the Nephite civilization with one or more of the major pre-Columbian civilizations in the Americas. However, such a comparison ends up being not very productive. The Olmec civilization, in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico, was the first major civilization in Mesoamerica, flourishing from 1400 BC to about 400 BC. This civilization has often been equated with the Jaredites, who will be addressed in later essays, but certainly not with the Nephites.
The Maya inhabited Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Belize from about 2000 BC until its catastrophic collapse by 950 AD. The Maya entered what is now known as their Classic Period round 250 AD, a time when cities with temples and palaces flourished, and when population size peaked. This civilization would have overlapped with the Nephite civilization and may have been the larger civilization with which the Lamanites merged during Book of Mormon times — if the Book of Mormon geography is set in this part of Central America. The collapse of the Maya was gradual and occurred in different parts of their society at different times. No one knows for certain what caused their ultimate demise, but their main cities were abandoned around 900 AD. Archaeologists have speculated that the civilization may have collapsed from starvation, drought, climate change, disease, warfare, or some combination of factors. The Mayan civilization continued after this major collapse, and rebuilt in certain parts of the original kingdom. The last independent Mayan city, Nojpeten, fell to the Spaniards in 1697.1
Of all the known civilizations in pre-Columbian America, the Maya is the only one that would have been here during the entire Book of Mormon history. It is especially the only known civilization where large cities existed during the critical period of the Book of Mormon story. No known cities, as we understand cities, seem to have existed during that time period: 600 BC to 400 AD, outside the Mayan-occupied regions of Central America.
The Aztecs, who probably began as nomadic tribes in northern Mexico, came into Mesoamerica around the beginning of the 13th century. From their capital city, Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs emerged as the dominant force in central Mexico, dominating the area by the 15th century. The Spanish conquered the Aztec Empire and captured Tenochtitlan in 1521, bringing an end to Mesoamerica’s last great native civilization.2 The Aztecs were far too late on the stage to have been major players in the Book of Mormon story, unless those nomadic tribes were in some way connected.
The Inca civilization existed in the Andes region of South America for only a short time, from 1438 to 1533. This civilization was obviously much too late to have taken any part in the Book of Mormon story.
The Hopewell culture was centered in southern Ohio, with related groups spread across North America from the Great Lakes to the Gulf Coast. The golden age of the culture flourished from around 1 to 400 AD.3 So, whereas the ending date is consistent with the Book of Mormon ending date, the beginning date is not. Furthermore, the Hopewell lived in scattered villages but did not congregate into cities. They built massive earthworks, or geometrically-designed mounds of dirt used for burial or ritual purposes.4
The end of the Hopewell culture may have resulted from a comet airburst. Using radiocarbon and typological dating, scientists estimate that the cosmic event occurred around 252 to 383 AD. Researchers also found a charcoal layer from the time, which suggests that the area was exposed to extreme heat. It is estimated that the atmospheric explosion could have scorched an area of around 9,200 square miles. Previous research suggests war and/or climate change may have caused the decline of the Hopewell culture, although the civilization may have ultimately collapsed due to an extreme event, such as the cosmic airburst.5
Most people place the mysterious Magdalena ruins of Baja as being built in the 18th century, with no apparent ruins, especially cities, having existed there during Book of Mormon times. I have been unable to find any evidence of other pre-Columbian American city-building civilizations.
Although there is some tenuous fit between the Book of Mormon peoples and some of the pre-Columbian cultures, none of them comply with the main thrust and time-period of the Book of Mormon story. Therefore, it seems most likely to me that that story was playing out as a minor footnote in the Americas, just as the Jewish story is hardly more than a footnote in ancient middle-eastern history.
Trent Dee Stephens, PhD
References
1. Nix, Elizabeth, Why the Maya Abandoned Their Cities, History vault, 2016; updated 2023; history.com/news/why-did-the-maya-abandon-their-cities; retrieved 23 October 2024
2. History.com Editors, Aztecs, 2009, updated 2020; history.com/topics/ancient-americas/Aztecs; retrieved 23 October 2024
3. National Parks Service nps.gov/hocu/learn/historyculture/hopewell-mound-group.htm#:~:text=2001:%20Using%20magnetometry%2C%20archeologists%20from,between%20Mounds%202%20and%2023; retrieved 23 October 2024
4. Gamillo, Elizabeth, Scientists Find ‘Chemical Fingerprint’ of Comet Airburst That May Have Ignited the Decline of Hopewell Culture, Smithsonian Magazine, February 7, 2022; smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-debris-from-a-comet-airburst-devastate-an-early-native-american-culture-180979523/#:~:text=Past%20research%20has%20also%20suggested,what%20occurred%201%2C500%20years%20ago; retrieved 23 October 2024
5. Ibid
6. Kier, David, The Mysterious Magdalena Ruins; bajabound.com/bajaadventures/bajatravel/mysterious_magdalena_ruins; retrieved 26 October 2023
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