Book of Mormon Reference Companion (Ed: Largey 2003)

© V. Garth Norman: Izapa, Mexico “Stela 5” article (P.2).

Izapa Temple Center, So. Mexico (birthplace of the Maya 260-day calendar) is at 15 degrees north latitude where the zenith sun passages are on August 13 & April 30 that measures the ancient sacred Maya 260-day count. (https://maps.google.com)

IZAPA TEMPLE CENTER’S “TREE OF LIFE” MONUMENT by V. Garth Norman

The location of the Izapa Temple Center Observatory at 15 degrees north latitude in southern Mexico (2 occupations: ca. 1600-500 BC, and 500 BC-400 AD) makes it one of the most important ancient sites in all of the Americas. 15 degrees north latitude is where the sun’s zenith passages, on August 13 and April 30, define the sacred Maya 260-day calendar. In 1973, Geographer Vincent Malmström first observed the sun zenith at Izapa on August 13—the very day which begins the Maya Long Count creation base date in 3114 BC, that started the Maya Five World Ages. The Izapa Stela 5, Tree of Life stone is positioned on that very August 13 date [1]. Knowing this, and that Izapa, with abundant rich sculptures still intact after two millennia, helps solve the mystery of the early origins and rise of Mesoamerican civilizations. The ancient art and architecture at Izapa was created using Babylonian and Egyptian cubit measurements. [2] The Izapa 260-day calendar and cubit measurements spread anciently from Izapa’s first occupants--the Olmec’s (1500 BC), then the early Izapan-Maya (500 BC), to all regions of Mesoamerica, and eventually to North and South America.

Izapa has become widely known among Maya scholars as the possible ancient home of the Popol Vuh legend with its account of creation, the great flood, migrations, and wars, plus a compelling first family of parents with four sons created from heavenly parents above that tie to the Izapa Stela 5 “Tree of Life” showing parents and four sons at the base of the tree. [3] The Popol Vuh’s account of coming from across the sea parallels the Boturini Codex migration account. The parallel Book of Mormon account of Lehi, Sariah, and their sons who migrated to America is apparent.

Stela 5 – Izapa, Mexico [4] © By V. Garth Norman had 16 Peer Reviews (1973).

In the Book of Mormon Reference Companion [4], (2003, pp. 740-744) the following article is written:

“Stela 5, a carved stone monument (stela) contains one of the most complex depictions of the tree of

life/world tree ever discovered and one of the earliest in Mesoamerica. Stela 5 is one of 164 sculptures

discovered at Izapa, an ancient temple center located near the Pacific coast on the southern tip of

Mexico [bordering Guatemala]. It was first reported in 1943 following a Smithsonian-National

Geographic expedition in 1941. Stela 5 belongs to a new culture that emerged in the Guatemala

highlands and nearby Pacific coast during the Late Formative era between about 400 B.C. and the time

of Christ, after the Olmec civilization [ca. 1800 B.C. to 500 B.C.]. Izapa is the only temple center of [its]

time with most of its monuments still intact [today]. Thus it assumes great importance for research in

Izapan culture. Stela 5 [figure above] is the optimum achievement of some 34 related Izapan style

carvings at this site, composed in a sophisticated narrative style with a wealth of ideographic symbols in

complex relations, comparable to ancient Egyptian art. Latter-day Saint interest in Stela 5 began in the

1950’s when Brigham Young University archaeology professor M. Wells Jakeman (“Unusual”; “Stela 5”)

compared it to Lehi’s vision of the tree of life (1 Nephi 8).

From 1961 to 1982, the BYU New World Archaeological Foundation’s Izapa project produced photos and

drawings of thirty-five major sculptures. Full analytical descriptions and interpretive reports were

completed about the ruins and related antiquities [See Bibliography; (Norman, “Izapa, Part 1; “Izapa Part

2”; “Astronomical”; Lowe, et al)] From these studies scholars have concluded that Izapa was one of the

earliest Mesoamerican ceremonial centers with a recognizable priesthood and a formalized religion

(Bernal, 34) and that the Izapa priesthood served the philosophical and religious needs of the region

that included calendrical ritual and lunar worship for productivity (Adams, 88-93).

Stela 5 was set up along with other stelae and altars at the base of earthen mounds in plaza

arrangements for temple instruction and worship. The plazas, mounds, and sculptures were oriented

astronomically on sun, moon, and Venus cycles for symbolic and calendric functions. Each monument is

dedicated to a different lunar month in the yearly life cycle, with the full cycle recreated on Stela 5 in the

twelfth month. The annual calendar cycle can be compared to the human life cycle on the monuments,

expressing man’s creation origin, mortal road of life, and immortal destiny—themes similar to those

taught in Lehi’s vision of the tree of life.

An inventory of Stela 5 reveals the complex quality and quantity of narrative relationships in this

masterwork. There are more than a hundred items, including gods, humans, animals, plants, tools, and

compound ideographic symbols. The chiastic composition on Stela 5 centers on the great tree of

life/world tree with twenty-two figures, including thirteen humans composed in parallel fashion on

opposite sides of the tree. Six humans seated on the ground panel compare to the ancestral family of

Izapan civilization as related in the Popol Vuh, sacred book of the Quiche Maya, and have been

compared to Lehi’s family in the Book of Mormon account. They are engaged in worshipful instruction. A

sacrifice and burnt offering on the left is presided over by a high priest (a figure which has been

compared to Lehi) who instructs an initiate over an incense burner. The parallel priest-king on the right

(a figure which has been compared to Nephi) similarly instructs an initiate.

The subjects of instruction are found in the complicated, highly symbolic and imaginative scenes above

that center on two floating gods or angels with bird masks. These appear to be guardian spirits of the

tree of life—a theme common in the ancient Near East that was perpetuated in Mayan sculpture at

Palenque and in Mayan and Mixtec codices. Like Stela 5, at least six other Izapa stelae are oriented

northward and show winged gods symbolically descending from and ascending to the imposing Tacana

mountain top that symbolizes the heavenly realm of the gods in Mesoamerican tradition. The ultimate

focus of the creation, road-of-life story on Stela 5 is the man brought to the tree center (Fig. 2 #13) by

two gods. Here he partakes of the fruit and appears to be figuratively reborn from the tree of life like a

human branch (cf. Alma 32).

In a broader sense, the Izapa temple appears to be a cosmological model of the universe, also

characteristic of ancient temples in the Old World. Stela 5 is set at the center of the universe, so to

speak, oriented with Stela 23 to sunrise on the horizon zenith date of August 13 (related to the base

date of the Mesoamerican calendar), and also set on a line of sculptures between the winter solstice

sunrise (December 21) and summer solstice sunset (June 21). Accordingly, the seed of life planted at

new year (autumn equinox, September 21) germinates and progresses through the yearly life cycle to

reach its ultimate maturity through the tree of life bearing fruit on Stela 5, starting the last month of the

year on the zenith date. This symbolized the ultimate destiny of the human spirit reborn from the tree of

life as man (#13) partakes of the divine fruit and ascends up the tree of life into the heavenly

Tamoanchan-Tulan paradise of Mesoamerican tradition signified by the upper break of the tree trunk.

The accompanying [illustration] and table lists possible cognates between Stela 5 and Lehi’s vision of the

tree of life from the author’s studies.

Fig. 2. Izapa Stela 5; 1999 update of New World Archaeological Foundation photograph line drawing by

V. Garth Norman (1973); © V. Garth Norman. See accompanying table for numbered possible parallels

to Lehi’s vision of the tree of life. Thirteen new carved details confirmed by studies since 1976 by G.

Norman (5), P. Culbert (2), R. Williams (1), and Clark-Moreno (5) have been added.

POSSIBLE PARALLELS BETWEEN STELA 5 AND LEHI’S VISION OF THE TREE OF LIFE

(Numbers correspond to those in Fig. 2 above)

Feature in Tree of Life Vision (1 Nephi 8) Izapa, Mexico Stela 5 Parallels

1.Tree of Life 2.River of water 3.Straight and narrow path 4.Rod of iron 5.Spacious field/dark wasteland [by dark mist glyph #8] 6.Multitudes of people 7.People fill spacious building high up 8.Mists of darkness (#6) 9.Heavenly messenger or guide 10.Person being led from dark field 11.Lehi’s family in dream (a) Lehi, (b) Sariah, (c) Nephi, (d) Sam (e) Laman, (f) Lemuel 12.Some who reach tree are blinded 13.Some reach tree and receive fruit 14.Lehi observed law of Moses burnt offering 15.Child “god” image (1 Nephi 11)

1.Tree of Life/World Tree with guardian spirits 2.River flows down from rain into water panel 3.Path lines from river head go to tree 4.Broad line next to path goes to tree 5.Open field at head of river by dark mist glyph (#8) 6.Generic figure comes from field 7.”Boxed man’ symbol is the most elevated 8.Eb glyph with “dark mist” bands blind eyes (#6) 9.Bird-serpent god (Quetzalcoatl) leads to tree 10.Traveler led by god (#9) as extension from arm of (#6) 11.Six figures; ancestral family of Quiche Maya-first parents of migration: 2 younger brothers; king-scribe & attendant, 2 older brothers subdued by younger brothers [Popol Vuh]. 12.Person at tree blinded by hood 13.Figure born of tree receives fruit from goddess 14.High priest attends incense burner offering 15.Priest-king (#11c) directs worship to child image

The main features (tree, river, path,

and rod) along with Lehi’s family were

first analyzed by Jakeman (“Unusual”;

“Stela 5”). . . . Since Jakeman, other

studies have been made, some

supportive of the tree of life/Lehi’s

dream thesis (e.g., Wirth, 1986), and

others divergent (e.g., Clark, 1999).”

Fig. 3. Izapa Stela 5 “Tree of Life”

(right) carving shows glyphs that

Norman outlined on clear acetate

overlay tracing on top of 1965 photo.

(Norman: 1973: Plate 10).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

CXloZvW-f94&t=5s “Izapa Temple

Restoration” www.garthnorman.com

www.ancientamerica.org.

www.izapa.co (Spanish)

[1] Norman, V. Garth

2015 Izapa Sacred Space, Sculpture Calendar Codex. BYU Press. P. 3-6.

[2] Norman, V. Garth

2018 Cubit Connection in Ancient World Migrations. Amazon.com.

[3] Recinos, Adrian

1950 Popol Vuh, the Sacred Book of the Ancient Quiche Maya. Univ. of Oklahoma Press,

Norman, Ok.

[4] Book of Mormon Reference Companion. Dennis Largey, General Editor (2003, Deseret Book, SLC)

pp. 740-744. (The 1999 Clark redrawings of Stela 5 had no Peer Review.)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Adams, Richard E.W.

1991 Prehistoric Mesoamerica. Rev. ed. Norman, Okla.: University of Oklahoma Press.

Clark, John E.

1999 “A New Artistic Rendering of Izapa Stela 5.” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 8:1

pp. 22-23.

Bernal, Ignacio.

1984 The Mexican National Museum of Anthropology. Translated by Carolyn B. Czitrom.

Mexico: Panorama Editorial, S. A.

Jakeman, M. Wells.

1953 “An Unusual Tree-of-Life Sculpture from Ancient Central America.” Bulletin of the

University Archaeological Society, no. 4. Provo, Utah, BYU.

1958 “Stela 5, Izapa, Chiapas, Mexico: A Major Archaeological Discovery of the New World.”

In University Archaeological Society Special Publications, no.2. Provo, Utah: BYU.

Largey, Dennis, General Editor

2003 Book of Mormon Reference Companion. Deseret Book, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Lowe, Gareth; Thomas A. Lee, Jr., Eduardo Martinez Espinosa

1982 “Izapa: An Introduction to the Ruins and Monuments.” Papers of the New World

Archaeological Foundation, 31. (349 pgs.) BYU Press, Provo.

Norman, V. Garth

1973 “Izapa Sculpture: Album.” Papers of the New World Archaeological Foundation, 30 (1).

1976 “Izapa Sculpture: Text.” Papers of the New World Archaeological Foundation, 30 (2).

(360 pgs.) BYU Press, Provo.

1980 Astronomical Orientations of Izapa Sculptures. BYU Press, Provo.

1985 “What is the Current Status of Research concerning the ‘Tree of Life’ Carving from

Chiapas, Mexico?” Ensign 15 (June 1985): 55-56.

Parrish, Alan K.

1988 “Stela 5, Izapa. A Layman’s Consideration of the Tree of Life Stone.” The Book of Mormon:

First Nephi—The Doctrinal Foundation. Provo, Utah. Religious Studies Center, BYU.

Wirth, Diane E.

1986 A Challenge to the Critics. Horizon Publishers, Bountiful, Utah.

End Note. A few minor editorial changes have been made to the original publication. Clark’s, “A New

Artistic Rendering of Izapa Stela 5” that challenged the integrity of the NWAF original drawing project.

This was resolved with a 2012 digital 3D RTI photo of Stela 5 by Dr. Jason Jones (University of Warwick,

England) that confirmed the accuracy of the Norman 1970’s drawing project, published in Izapa Sacred

Space, Sculpture Calendar Codex (2015-BYU Press) p. 272.

Izapa Stela 5—2012 Photo “RTI” (Reflectance Transformation Imaging) by Photographer

Jason B. Jones, University of Warwick, England. (Funded by a Grant from the “Lord Rootes Memorial Fund.”)

RTI: A series of digital camera photos taken with lighting from different directions was analyzed and merged

together using computer software to make the images shown. The authors used the highlight image capture method

for Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) and Polynomial Texture Mapping (PTM) as developed by Cultural

Heritage Imaging of San Francisco, CA, USA, (www.culturalheritageimaging.org) and Thomas Malzbender et al. of

Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Palo Alto, CA, USA, respectively. The imaging techniques described herein have

provided an unparalleled way to review and interrogate stelae details which is far less prone to subjectivity than

artistic redrawing. The combined ability to view color, together with the surface shape and texture, helps resolve the

difference between features carved intentionally and those arising from deterioration in the stone. Furthermore, the

virtual re-lighting and magnification makes it practical to document features with a robust audit trail which cannot

easily be seen or photographed otherwise. These images confirm the accuracy of NWAF photo drawings in Norman

1976, Figs. 421 and 422.