Volume 7, Issue 4 A Royal Marriage By Chris Scott © 2013 December 15, 2013 In our modern times we named Mosiah. Six times the Zarahemla: For behold, he are so fortunate to have an states the being warned of the Lord that ancient story of a Royal as- fact that the authors cannot he should flee out of the land cension to a throne recorded write the whole account of the of Nephi, and as many as and handed down to us by history of the people.”.....yea, would hearken unto the voice two different methods. One is this book cannot contain even of the Lord, should also de- carved in stone on lintels a hundredth part of what was part out of the land with him, adorning doorways in the done among so many peo- into the wilderness. And it ancient city of Yaxchilan, in ple.”1 The story of Mosiah came to pass that he did ac- the state of Chiapas, Mexico. becoming king is one of those cording as the Lord had com- The other is recorded in the stories that probably had some manded him. ……..and they Book of Mormon, specifi- details left out. The archaeo- were led by the power of his cally the Book of Omni. The logical evidence appears to arm, through the wilderness, purpose of this article is to make a reasonable inference until they came down into the use both of these complemen- that Mosiah became king land which is called the land tary recorded stories to help through a Royal match. This of Zarahemla. And they dis- create the complete story of a evidence completes a beautiful covered a people, who were very important match. story of a Royal Marriage called the people of Zara- Whether it was true love and between two beloved leaders hemla. ……. Behold it came to a match made in heaven or in ancient America. For clari- pass that Mosiah discovered marriage of political conven- fication the characters that are that the people of Zarahemla, ience we will never know; compared in the two stories came out from Jerusalem, at nonetheless it is intriguing to are as follows. Lady Kook as the time that Zedekiah, king of fill in the gaps where we can. the daughter of Zarahemla and Judah, was carried away cap- Often times we see his- Shield Jaguar II as Mosiah. tive into Babylon. And they torical marriages between From Omni 1:18-34 in journeyed in the wilderness, Royals that are done to seal the Book of Mormon it says: and were brought by the hand the relationship between two “Behold, I am , the of the Lord, across the great peoples and in the case we son of Abinadom. Behold, I waters, into the land where are discussing it is the daugh- will speak unto you somewhat Mosiah discovered them; and ter of King Zarahemla and concerning Mosiah, who was they had dwelt there from that the ruler of another people made king over the land of Continued on Page 2 Maya Technology: Use of Water By Terry Scott © 2013 Part I Water. Every person, ter causes flooding, soil ero- “Geologists have con- every city, every culture sion and turns the ground cluded that a 10-kilometer- requires continuous access into swamp-like mud. Dur- wide bolide, or exploding to water. To avoid sickness, ing the dry half of the year, meteor, collided with the we also require clean, drink- there are few sources of wa- earth on the northern edge ing water. The Maya were ter to sustain life. of the Yucatán near the pre- no different in their needs, The Maya tackled this sent-day town of Chicxulub” but they had additional problem in a variety of causing the “famous ring of problems to overcome that ways. Wherever possible cenotes” that outline the many societies did not. they built their cities close to shock wave of the impact. Mesoamerican weather water sources. Sites such as “The impact triggered the K- patterns are divided into Copan, Palenque, Piedras T (Cretaceous/Tertiary) rainy seasons and dry sea- Negras, and Yaxchilan were Continued on Page 4 sons. During the wet half of built close to rivers. Other the year, “rainfall ranges sites like Chichen Itza and Inside This Issue HILL EXPEDITION TEAM, INC from 40 inches (1,000 mm) Chinkultic were built close A Royal Marriage Cont. 2 - 3 in the Northeast to 200 to ‘cenotes’. inches (5,000 mm) on the A cenote is a large open A Royal Marriage: Part Duex 3 East Coast. As much as 90 sinkhole caused by the col- percent of storm water falls lapse of the limestone bed- Maya Technology Cont. 4, 7 & 8 1 during the rainy season.” rock into an underground Adventures in Archaeology 5 & 6 This overabundance of wa- river below. Cumorah Messenger A Royal Marriage continued time forth…...they had become exceeding bolic nature that help us understand more from this. One is the sacrifice of blood sym- numerous. ……. And it came to pass that the clearly what they are trying to convey. bolically meaning life. She gives of her life people of Zarahemla, and of Mosiah, did “...the ancient Maya conveyed layered and freely for the benefit of her people. The unite together; and Mosiah was appointed to complex meanings involving time and iden- barb of the stingray could be symbolic of be their king.” tity, offering much more than first meets the the barbs and criticisms that are always part In the ancient city of Yaxchilan there eye.”2 of being in a leadership role. We see paral- are structures dedicated to a beloved queen Lintel 24 shows a sacrifice on the part lels to the bible in Luke 22:44, referring to named Lady Kook (referred to as Lady of Lady Kook (see Figure 1). She is running a Jesus, “And being in agony, he prayed more K’ab’al Xook or Xoc by some authorities). thread of thorns through her tongue which earnestly; and he sweat as it were great Structure 23 has four lintels that tell the indicates that she is bridling her tongue from drops of blood falling down to the ground.” story of the ascension to the throne of her idle gossip and words that can hurt other This glyph portrays drops of blood falling husband Shield Jaguar II. The first of these people. It is an act of repentance. From onto the scrolls in a basket at her feet. lintels, lintel 23, details the lineage of her Proverbs 15:4 we read “A wholesome tongue The Vision Serpent goes back to ear- ancestors that brought her to the throne. is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a lier Maya conceptions, and lies at the center From Omni 1:33 we read: “...Zarahemla breach of the Spirit.” The promise that God of the world as they conceived it. “It is the gave a genealogy of his fathers, according to gives when we repent is found in III Nephi center axis atop the World Tree. Essentially his memory: and it is written but not in these 4:50 “Whoso cometh unto me with a broken the World Tree and the Vision Serpent, plates.” Lineage is shown to be important to heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize representing the king, created the center the people of Zarahemla, as well as, the with fire and with the Holy Ghost.” We see axis into existence in the temples and create ancestors of Lady Kook. in this glyph, Shield Jaguar II conferring the a doorway to the spiritual world and with it Lady Kook has been referred to by Holy Spirit of promise upon Lady Kook. power.”3 archaeologists as a queen consort or a re- The serpent has been associated with gent. The definition of a queen consort is expressions of duality; good and evil, life one who has equal rank to her husband’s and death, healing or vengefulness, etc. The monarchical title. A regent is a temporary glyphs portray their message through sym- acting head of state due to his or her position bolism. As the serpent swallows its prey in a line of succession in the Royal house. In whole, so death takes us whole. Quetzal- this case Lady Kook was in power at Yax- coatl, the feathered serpent, the most re- chilan and acted as a regent to bring her vered serpent in Mesoamerican culture, to husband, Itzamnaaj B’alam II, or Shield us represents Christ. He is swallowed whole Jaguar II to the throne. in death, but returns as a feathered serpent, The next three lintels 24, 25 and 26 tell resurrected again. “The double symbolism of Shield Jaguar II’s ascension to the throne used in its name is considered allegoric to and Lady Kook’s role. Interpretation of the dual nature of the deity, where being these glyphs might not be very obvious, but feathered represents its divine nature or with the help of the scriptures that we have ability to fly to reach the skies and being a available, they take on a spiritual and sym- serpent represents its human nature or ability to creep on the ground among other

In lintel 25 we see a large serpent with the head a warrior ancestor coming out of the mouth (see Figure 2). The “Vision Ser- pent” was an important part of Mayan ritu- als. In the case of our story of Lady Kook and Shield Jaguar II it was part of ceremony of the ascendency to the throne. In this scene she is attired in Royal garb and holding a sacrificial bowl with a pro- truding stingray spine. Then a large serpent emerges with the head of her warrior ances- tor coming out of the head of the serpent. Several spiritual meanings could be taken

Page 2 CUMORAH MESSENGER A Royal Marriage continued animals of the Earth, a dualism very com- reached the peak of its power during the introduction of the gospel and the establish- mon in Mesoamerican deities.”4 reign of Bird Jaguar III’s son, Itzamnaaj ment of the church through Alma. This Just as our spiritual disciplines of Balam II,”5(or Shield Jaguar II). eventually resulted in the conversion of the prayer, meditation and fasting are a sacri- Whether this marriage was the ultimate and a huge cultural shift in fice and offering to our creator, Lady conclusion to a love affair, or due to the Mesoamerican history. Kook’s offering opened a doorway to a Royal nature of the two family lines it was This truly was a match made in spiritual discernment. She had a vision that the logical step in uniting two peoples, it did Heaven. her ancestor approved of her handing over accomplish many great things. First, it pro- the kingship to Shield Jaguar II. Signs and vided the foundation to place Mosiah and a Footnotes: wonders shall follow those that believe. people with a historical written language at 1. III Nephi 2:92 Lintel 26 then shows Lady Kook the center of a burgeoning culture. 2. David Stuart report: Tonina’s curious ball- handing a jaguar helmet to Shield Jaguar II Second, it produced an offspring that game June 11, 2013. (see figure 3). The jaguar to the Mayan was we later understand to be . 3. Schele, L., & D. A. Friedel, 1990, A Forest a powerful symbol associated with God and The loving, healing nature of his sermon is of Kings, New York, p.68. kingship. This glyph completes the story of even more poignant in light of the newfound 4. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Shield Jaguar II becoming king, thus seal- history of the two royal lines. Culture. ing a relationship between two groups of Third, their union provided the socio- 5. Sharer, Robert J., & Loa P. Traxler, 2006, The Ancient Maya, Stanford, p. 434 people coming together.” Yaxchilan political and cultural environment for the

A Royal Marriage; Part Deux By David B. Brown © 2013 The implication of a blending of He- prophecies, and in essence he carried their Shield Jaguar III (Mosiah the younger). It brew royal lines in the Americas is truly Hebrew birthright. Zarahemla was a de- is at this point that the king list becomes intriguing. Through the Book of Mormon scendant of , who was a son of vague. Why? Because it is here that the we are given two very important pieces of King Zedekiah. The Book of Mormon Maya kingship is replaced by judges.2 information concerning tribes; first, once states that he escaped from Jerusalem at The Book of Mormon tells us that Lehi had obtained the Brass Plates and the time of the siege in 586 BC. There- the leadership of the Nephite nation is read through the lineage he was surprised fore, the Mulekites were a people who then determined by popular vote, but it is to discover that he was from the tribe of carried the throne of Judah—the blessing the spiritual leadership that is conferred Manasseh—a fact that was previously un- of the right to sit upon the throne until one apart from popularity. We therefore make known to him. Manasseh was one of the should come who is worthy to be king. the assumption that the spiritual leader- sons of Joseph who received the promise How did Mosiah, leader of the ship is also somehow connected with the that his children would be blessed in abun- , walk into the land of Zarahemla rulership of the unified throne (Lintel 24). dance. Eventually, the Northern Kingdom and find himself “appointed” king from a At Palenque we have many glyphs of Israel would be considered the “ten lost lineage of people who had the right to the that speak of a ruler who received his tribes” and their principle leadership was throne? Archaeology answers this ques- conferral when he was very young. We the tribe of Joseph. tion at Yaxchilan. Here we find Shield also have glyphs that talk about gifts be- Second, Judah was promised that his Jaguar II who enters into Yaxchilan from ing given to a baby god—gifts of sacred- children would sit upon the throne until the Maya Highlands. Chinkultic is in the ness (priesthood) and rulership (throne). Shiloh comes. “Shiloh” is considered to be Highlands at an elevation about 5,500 feet We have stone panels that illustrate three a blending of two Hebrew words that ex- above Yaxchilan, and Chinkultic is where men in kingly robes offering gifts to one presses “until rule returns to him whose we find strong evidence for the City of who sits on a throne and offers life in his right it is to wield it.”1 So, until one comes Nephi. Apparently, the arrival of Shield kingdom to those who come after him. Is that has the right to rule, the tribe of Judah Jaguar II was very opportune because this why three men traveled half a world will sit upon the throne as a “placeholder” King Knot-Eye Jaguar (Zarahemla) had away to present gifts to a baby? Was it so-to-speak. The Jewish kings ruled in the no sons to receive his kingship. His the gift of priesthood and rulership that Southern Kingdom of Israel and were daughter was available and so Shield Jag- was conferred on the young ruler? Had thought to be the only true “royals” of the uar II (Mosiah) marries Lady Kook. This the designated heirs to the unified Israel- Hebrew tribes. brings together the scepter (daughter of ite throne finally found the one who was Therefore, Judah received the scep- King Zarahemla) and the birthright worthy to receive the kingship? ter—the right to sit on the throne until one (Mosiah from the tribe of Joseph). The These are all questions that have yet should come who is worthy to be king. marriage of these two “heals” the breach to find definitive answers, but we are Joseph, however, received the birthright of the Israelite Kingdom when they split certain that the Book of Mormon has and the fullness of Jacob’s blessings who into the Northern and Southern Kingdoms provided the clues to discover that Jesus even extended those blessings to Joseph’s after the reign of King Solomon. The Isra- of Nazareth was literally King of Kings. two sons Ephraim and Manasseh. elite throne is finally unified. Now, when Mosiah carried the Brass This unified throne is then received 1. http://www.studylight.org/ls/ds/index.cgi? Plates, their language and history into the by their son Yoatt B’alam II (King Benja- a=461 land of Zarahemla, he brought the record min), who is named after the first king on 2. Private communication, Mario Perez-Campa. of who they were, of the promises and their king list. Then it is passed on to Deceased Archaeologist for INAH.

VOLUME 7, ISSUE 4 Page 3 Maya Technology:Use of Water Continued extinction of the majority of the planet's water the crops grown there. animal life, most notably the dinosaur.”1 “During the Classic Period, the Most Maya cities did not have perma- world's largest cities, like Tikal nent water sources. They had to find ways (Figure 2), Calakmul, and Edzná” to store the rain water to survive. Maya built their large cities “on the summit engineers came up with a variety of ways of hills and ridges.”1 to control and retain rain water. They built “The water-management system ‘chultuns’ (underground cisterns or hold- at Tikal had a series of 13 reservoirs ing tanks) and reservoirs to collect rain with a total capacity of 147,631,068 water. A chultune was an underground liters. Calculations indicate that this chamber about 12 feet deep and 9 feet total volume would sustain the city square. It was lined with cut stone and for 18 months. This provided a six- cement and tapered at the top to reduce month supply for typical rainfall and Figure 3 evaporation. The interior surface was cov- a 12-month supply for water shortage ered with a waterproof stucco to prevent situations.”1 (The population density at through it.1 The heavy rains caused the leaking. “In some cities, more than 100 Tikal, Guatemala was on par with the den- streams to overflow and flood the city. chultunes served the needs of the city.”1 sity of modern Los Angeles.)1 Stucco sealed Maya engineers solved the flooding prob- The Maya engineers landscaped the concrete and stone or clay was used to line lems by “constructing subterranean cast- ground around their cities and sloped the the reservoirs to prevent leakage. At Ton- in-place concrete aqueducts to…collect roofs of their buildings and paved court- ina, their reservoir doubled as a defensive water upstream of the city center, and yards and elevated roads and walkways to mote. transfer the water under the city center direct water into these chultuns and reser- The city of Palenque was originally and into the Otulum River downstream of voirs. (see Figures 1 & 2) They also ter- named Lakamba, meaning "big water," the city.”1 (see Figure 3) raced their hillsides to control erosion and because of the nine streams that run “It is apparent that Palenque engi- neers understood the principles of hydrau- lic engineering. The aqueduct was con- structed with a steeper grade when ap- proaching the palace in order to increase the speed of water flow. The shape and area of the aqueduct was reduced at a point underneath the palace. The reduc- tion of area in a conduit will increase the velocity and pressure of the water in the smaller conduit downstream.”1 "Water pressure systems were previ- ously thought to have entered the New World with the arrival of the Spanish," the researchers said in a recent issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science. "Yet, archaeological data, seasonal cli- Figure 1 mate conditions, geomorphic setting and simple hydraulic theory clearly show that the Maya of Palenque in Chiapas, Mexico, had empirical knowledge of closed chan- nel water pressure predating the arrival of Europeans.”2 This increase in water pressure al- lowed the water to be raised almost 20 feet, more than enough to supply water to the fountains and toilets in the palace at Palenque.1 “Ceramic tubes, suitable for piping, have been encountered at other Maya cities, including Edzná”1 and Co- malcalco. The Maya made the most of water whenever they could. They reclaimed Figure 2 Continued on Page 7

Page 4 CUMORAH MESSENGER Issue 14 Adventures In Scriptures 2013

Limhi’s Pass was a leader of the Nephite people living in the Land of Nephi. The people of Limhi were surrounded by Lamanites and were in bondage to them. Their lives were very difficult and they wanted to return to the Land of Zarahemla, where their people had come from. Limhi sent a search party to find the Land of Zarahemla, but they could not find it. Instead they found a land of dry bones. They also found a record of the people that had lived there. This record was engraven on plates of ore. The search party returned with the plates to Limhi, but no one knew how to read the language they were written in. Ammon, from Zarahemla, had been searching for the people of Limhi. He found them shortly after the search party had returned with the plates. Ammon could lead them to Zarahemla. Limhi then asked his people to help come up with a plan to escape the City of Nephi and the Lamanites. Gideon, Limhi’s captain, said they could all leave through a hidden pass behind the city. They gathered their flocks, herds, their precious things, food and provisions that they would need to survive in the wilderness. Then strong drink was given to the Lamanite guards and when they were drunk, the people of Limhi left the city through the hidden pass behind the city at night.. After the La- manites had pursued them for two days, they could no longer follow their tracks. The Lord protected the people of Limhi in the wilderness because they had cried out to him for help. He helped them escape from being in bondage to the Lamanites. Based on Mosiah 9:154-10:19

VOLUME 7, ISSUE 4 Page 5

MATCHING

FIVE KEYS TO WILDERNESS SURVIVAL

Draw a line from the correct survival key to the correct survival problem.

Use the key below to find out what the scriptures says and where it can be found.

Page 6 CUMORAH MESSENGER Maya Technology:Use of Water Continued late dirt, bird dropping and other undesir- able debris that contaminated the drink- ing water. Letting it stagnate for six months or more would not improve the taste. The Maya developed ways to purify the water stored in their chultunes and reservoirs. They were using microfiltra- tion long before the Brita© company existed. They used limestone shaped into cylinders or cones to filter the water from the chultunes. Karstic limestone is up to 40% porous and can filter out particles from 6.0 to 0.20 microns.1 The water filter system in my house only filter down to 5.0 microns! “Tests of the limestone water filters indicate that 1 to 2 liters per Figure 4 out the grids to tend to the farming. (see hour can be processed by a single filter. marshy areas for agriculture. They laid Figure 4) Each filter would yield 24 to 48 liters per out farming and irrigation canals in a grid “With the aid of satellite imagery 24-hour period.”1 pattern. To build the canals, they re- and remote sensing, researchers from moved earth down to the limestone layer George Mason University and the Geo- and lined them with clay to prevent water logical Society of America have discov- “The stem and root system of the leakage. The removed soil was piled onto ered a vast area of raised fields in north- water lily recycled organic waste; the unexcavated areas, raising them ern Belize. The satellite images indicate these plants produce and enrich above water level. The flow of water into a massive grid of raised fields more than dissolved oxygen into the stored the irrigation canals was controlled by a 100 kilometers in width. Research has series of gates which was a great place to indicated that raised field agriculture water. They provide a hold excess rain water from the rainy was widespread, with 40 square kilome- microenvironment for numerous season. With this ground water control ters identified in Quintana Roo.”1 invertebrates that ensure extensive system in place they now had planting Once the problem was address re- natural purification..” areas dry enough to grow crops with a garding the shortages of water during the constant water supply. The canals were dry season, the final problem was clean big enough for canoes to travel through- drinking water. Water running across the Piles of limestone filters have been ground into the chultunes would accumu- discovered at Chichen Itza where the Figure 5 water from the nearby cenotes is notori- ously noxious to drink. (see Figure 5) In 1889 Alfred Maudslay photo- graphed “mound 14” at Chichen Itza. (nicknamed “platform of cones” and later called Platform of Venus) “The facade of the Venus platform displays bas-relief carvings of the diving god "Venus," as well as a number of water-related motifs including the water lily, turtles, and fish. It would appear that the platform had a strong relationship to water…”1 The other method of water purifica- tion was an organic solution; water lilies. The wide leaf of the water lily shades the water to prevent algae growth and reduce evaporation. (see Figure 6) But wait, there’s more! “The stem and root system of the water lily recycled organic waste; these plants produce and enrich dissolved oxy- gen into the stored water. They provide a microenvironment for numerous inverte- Continued on Page 8

VOLUME 7, ISSUE 4 Page 7 The Hill Cumorah Expedition Team, Inc is a 501(c)(3) Missouri not-for- We’re on the web at profit corporation dedicated to the study, research and dissemination of in- www.hceti.org formation as it pertains to the Book of Mormon. All donations are tax de- ductable. Our primary focus is to research and assemble archaeological and other related information to help establish the historical feasibility of the HILL CUMORAH EXPEDITION TEAM, INC Book of Mormon. Searching for Truth

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Maya Technology:Use of Water Continued brates that ensure extensive The more we discover about the natural purification. The stem Maya, the more we realize just and leaves in the water plants how many technologies they prevent sedimentation and pro- mastered long before they were vide a substrate for the growth rediscovered by later cultures. of beneficial microorganisms. “The natural environment de- Frogs, dragonflies, and sala- prived them (the Maya) of a manders that control mosquito dependable supply of water larvae will multiply naturally. from rainfall for the aquifer. The animals, insects, and water The verdant and torrid environ- lilies integrate to form the natu- ment of the Yucatán manifested ral biological treatment center serious natural liabilities that engineered by Maya technol- challenged the survival of the ogy.”1 Maya; they faced the constant This natural plant was the specter of thirst. Maya water- perfect solution to filter the vol- management technology solved ume of water needed by a large the dilemma and provided a city. “The use of water plants in dependable water supply that natural, biological water treat- enabled the civilization to sur- ment centers has been introduced into Figure 6 vive and prosper.”1 contemporary water-treatment centers. appears that Maya technology applied a The concept is now being used for cities system that contemporary environmental Footnotes: with populations of 100,000. Modern wa- engineers have discovered is economical 1. O’Kon, James A, The Lost Secrets of Maya ter-treatment plants use aquatic plants for and environmentally suitable.”1 Water lilies Technology: Chapter 8 Survival in the Sea- their ability to absorb pathogens, metals, were also used on the canals in their grid sonal Desert, The Career Press, Pompton and other contaminants from water. It farming. Plains, NJ, 2012. 2. http://www.sciencedaily.com/