John Sorenson reports that possibly the two Egyptian ushsabti figurines in a San Salvador museum (reportedly dug up near the beach in western El Salvador), if they could be authenticated, would be as direct a trace of Near Eastern intruders as could ever be located. [John L. Sorenson, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon, F.A.R.M.S., p. 85] Perhaps this was where Lehi landed in the “promised land” (1 Nephi 18:23).
In a recent article, John Gee states the following:
In 1992, FARMS republished a notice about two inscribed Egyptian shawabti-figurines (also called ushabtis) from Acajutla, Sonsonate, El Salvador (see illustration). Because the figurines would prove cultural contact between Egypt and Mesoamerica, the article suggested that ’these figurines may be very important indeed.’ A note appended to the article remarked that this report “still calls for further information.”
The “further information” which was called for, and which has been summarized by Gee, has put in doubt the authenticity of the figurines. [John Gee, “New and Old Light on Shawabtis from Mesoamerica,” in Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, Vol. 6/1, 1997, pp. 66-69]
1 Nephi 18:23 We did arrive in the Promised Land (Landing Site) [[Illustration] The two Egyptian “ushsabti” figurines in a San Salvador museum. [John L. Sorenson, “Two Figurines From the Belleza and Sanchez Collection,” in Reexploring the Book of Mormon, F.A.R.M.S., p. 20]
Garth Norman explains that Usulutan, El Salvador, is known for a negative resist ceramic trade ware produced there during the Middle and Late Preclassic that is a distinctive cultural marker for the spread of related peoples and culture. Could this ceramic ware be a product of Lamanite culture that first took root in the Land of First Inheritance? [Garth Norman, “Where Was the Land of First Inheritance?” in Joseph L. Allen ed., The Book of Mormon Archaeological Digest, Fall 1992, p. 16]
1 Nephi 18:23 We did arrive at the promised land (Location) [[Illustration] Chronology of Nephite Events Compared with Mesoamerican Cultural History. [John L. Sorenson, Images of Ancient America, p. 193]
1 Nephi 18:23 We did arrive at the promised land ([Illustration] Chart: “Nephite and Mesoamerican History.” [John W. & J. Gregory Welch, Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching, F.A.R.M.S., Chart #40]
“We Did Arrive at the Promised Land”
Where did Lehi’s party land? According to Verneil Simmons, the idea held in earlier days, that this colony landed in Peru is a misconception that has been too long accepted without investigation. To have sailed down the west coast of South America, after having crossed the Pacific, would have required them to have sailed hundreds of miles against the strong Humboldt current to reach an arid and barren coast, a rather unlikely “promised land” (1 Nephi 18:23), when they could have come ashore on a fertile, tropical shore in Central America weeks before.
Nephi settles the matter himself. He tells us what they did as soon as they had landed and pitched their tents. First they planted all the seeds brought so carefully from Jerusalem--“and they grew exceedingly” (1 Nephi 18:24). Requirements? Water, rich soil, and an equable climate. Second, in their exploring trips outside their camp they found many “beasts in the forests of every kind” (1 Nephi 18:25). Requirements? Forests, and animals which they considered domestic, such as the cow and ox, horse and ass, and goats. Also many wild animals of all kinds. Third, they discovered minerals from “all manner of ore” (1 Nephi 18:25). Requirements? Deposits of gold, silver, and copper near their landing area.
How are these requirements met by the desert coast of Peru? They are not, of course. Planting there is seasonal and restricted to the narrow mouths of the few rivers that run down from the high mountains. There are few wild animals and no forests on the Peruvian coast. Deposits of mineral-bearing ore can be found only in the distant mountains. [Verneil W. Simmons, Peoples, Places and Prophecies, p. 79]
1 Nephi 18:23 We did arrive at the promised land ([Illustration] Lehi and His People Arrive in the Promised Land. Artist: Arnold Friberg. [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gospel Art, #304]
Note* In an interview with Margot Butler, Arnold Friberg, the artist who did the painting Lehi and His People Arrive in the Promised Land, had some interesting comments concerning it’s creation:
This shows the ship that Nephi built. Nobody knows what his ship looked like. All we are told is that it was not built after the manner of men… . I don’t think God would instruct Nephi to build some very weird thing never seen in heaven or earth just to prove that it had divine help. It would be some perfectly sensible principle of shipbuilding that was perhaps in advance of what was known to shipbuilders at that time.
This moment is when, with great relief, they finally sighted land, so for the moment the fighting between them is forgotten in the excitement of seeing land.
The birds are not seagulls, but rather swallow-tailed roseate terns, which are found in the tropical waters around Central America. Such details helped define the geographic location for this painting. Lehi is looking heavenward in thanks, while the other guys are pretty much like in a pirate picture, shouting “Land Ho!” The huge ropes were from the movie The Ten Commandments, and they were brought from Egypt. The Bedouins there weave these immense ropes by hand.
[Vern Swanson, “The Book of Mormon Art of Arnold Friberg: ”Painter of Scripture," in Journal of Book of Mormon Studies , vol. 10, num. 1, 2001, p. 33]
1 Nephi 18:23 We went forth upon the land … and we did call it the promised land ([Illustration] Lehi Lands in America [Clark Kelley Price, Verse Markers, Book of Mormon, Vol. 1, p. 1]
1 Nephi 18:23 We went forth upon the land … and we did call it the promised land ([Illustration] Arrival in the Promised Land. Lehi and his family arrive in the promised land. Artist: Clark Kelley Price. [Thomas R. Valletta ed., The Book of Mormon for Latter-day Saint Families, 1999, p. 58]
1 Nephi 18:23 We did arrive at the promised land ([Illustration] “After we had sailed for the space of many days we did arrive at the promised land,” by A&OR [W. Cleon Skousen, Treasures from the Book of Mormon, Vol. 1, p. 1159]
We Did Arrive at the Promised Land Landing Site
Although many landing sites have been proposed for Lehi’s group, some of the most logical ones are located along the shores of the western coast of Mesoamerica. According to books written by both Richard Hauck and Joseph Allen, Lehi might have landed at or near the shores of Izapa, an archaeological site near the city of Tapachula on the border of Guatemala and Mexico. Garth Norman calls Izapa the most important center on the Pacific Coast from 600 B.C. to A.D. 400, serving both as a civil and a religious center (Norman 1976, Part II:1
Are there evidences at Izapa that suggest that it could be the Land of First Inheritance? While such evidences would not necessarily prove a First Inheritance identity for Izapa, they would certainly add credence to the prospect.
1. Migration Origin from across the Sea (Stela 67 -- Lehi’s Boat
According to Garth Norman, one might expect Lehi‘s epic journey by boat across the western sea to be commemorated on a monument at Lehi’s land of First Inheritance. Stela 67 could depict the origin tradition of the first ancestors of the Cakchiquel Maya Indians, “from the west, … from across the sea,” that could relate back to Lehi’s journey. A bearded man wearing a priest-king mask sits in a boat and holds scepters in his outstretched hands that resemble the Egyptian anke “life” scepter. Could this be Lehi? An umbilical cord issuing up from his abdomen relates to the origin of life or birth genesis of the original ancestors theme, as does the rainbow with a sun or conch crest that surrounds him. An inverted slanting boat above suggests a horizon sunset or sunrise as depicted in Maya hieroglyphics. A god mask in the water panel has a kin (sun) cross on its head. The two masks that flank the water panel suggest the horizon lands of the rising and setting sun beyond the seas. Beneath the boat, fish and water waves move from left to right, which is directionally from west to east on various Izapa carvings. This is consistent with Lehi’s coming across the western sea. Finally, it is curious that the wave water scroll is inverted beneath the water panel. This indicates that the boat is traveling from the underworld sea beyond the horizon, as similarly portrayed by Egyptian barks (ships). In this case, could the underworld be Lehi’s Near Eastern homeland halfway around the world? [Garth Norman, “Where Was the Land of First Inheritance?” in Joseph L. Allen ed., The Book of Mormon Archaeological Digest, Fall, 1992, p. 17]
1 Nephi 18:23 We did arrive in the promised land (Landing Site) [[Illustration] Stela 67, Chiapas, Mexico; may depict Lehi’s journey to the New World. [Garth Norman, “Where Was the Land of First Inheritance?” in Joseph L. Allen ed., The Book of Mormon Archaeological Digest, Fall 1992, p. 17]
2. Calendar Origin (Stela 12 -- 597 B.C.)
What about the date of origin at Izapa? According to Garth Norman, archaeological beginnings at Izapa date back to about 1600 B.C., but construction of the main temple center with its stone monuments was initiated at 300 B.C. This temple construction dates to the early developmental period of Nephite civilization. I [Garth Norman] have deciphered a new year’s commemorative date on Izapa Stela 12 of 1 Imix 4 Pop as autumn equinox 176 B.C. A distance number dating to 421 years earlier in the base panel extends back to 597 B.C., in the true solar year. The year 597 B.C. may be an important date relating to Lehi’s exodus from Jerusalem. The Nephite calendar probably started with the Hebrew civil new year at the autumn equinox 597 B.C. Lehi departed during the first year of the reign of Zedekiah. According to the Babylonian chronicles, Zedekiah was inaugurated king at the spring equinox Babylonian new year in 597 B.C. Further research appears to connect this date at Izapa directly to the first ancestors’ migration origin on Stela 5. [Garth Norman, “Where Was the Land of First Inheritance?” in Joseph L. Allen ed., The Book of Mormon Archaeological Digest, Fall 1992, p. 17] [See Appendix A]
1 Nephi 18:23 We did arrive in the promised land (Landing Site) [[Illustration] Stela 12, Chiapas, Mexico; could mark the beginning of the Nephite calendar, 597 B.C. [Garth Norman, “Where Was the Land of First Inheritance?” in Joseph L. Allen ed., The Book of Mormon Archaeological Digest, Fall 1992, p. 18]
3. Near Eastern Cultural Roots (The Cubit)
There appear to be Near Eastern cultural roots at Izapa. According to Garth Norman, this subject needs a separate lengthy treatment, but one recent discovery stands out dramatically. I [Garth Norman] reported on this in the December, 1984 Newsletter and Proceedings of the S.E.H.A., item 158.7, “The Cubit in Ancient Mesoamerica? A possible Near Eastern Parallel.” (This research has also been reported at several professional archaeology symposiums and a detailed monograph is in progress.)
During field research in 1984 at Izapa and at the Mexico National Museum, I succeeded in confirming the first Mesoamerican standard unit of measure, a 495mm unit (19.5 inches), which is precisely equal to the famous Royal Babylonian cubit that remained in use in the Near East for over 2,000 years. Its earliest origin has been traced to a statue of king Gudea who reigned at Lagash in Mesopotamia about 2000 B.C. I first deciphered the unit on Izapa sculpture and subsequently confirmed it through measurements on many other carvings at other sites. My findings included identifying the forearms (cubit) as the basis of the standard measure, and also discovering an Izapan cubit measuring rod. Among various circumstantial evidences of near Eastern origins in Mesoamerica, I consider this standard of measure discovery as virtual proof.
1 Nephi 18:23 We did arrive in the promised land (Landing Site) [[Illustration] Archaeologist Garth Norman measuring the cubit at Quirigua, Guatemala. [Garth Norman, “Where Was the Land of First Inheritance?” in Joseph L. Allen ed., The Book of Mormon Archaeological Digest, Fall 1992, p. 16]
4. Religious Themes (Stela 5 and Monument 21)
Most all the stelas that are located in Izapa portray a religious theme, as if Izapa was always considered a religious center. According to Bruce W. Warren, we have two stone monuments that would tend to place the “land of first inheritance” in the area of the Soconusco coast along the border between Chiapas, Mexico, and Guatemala (near Izapa). These monuments are Stela 5 with a scene of origins as illustrated by 12 or 13 roots at the base of the “Tree of Life,” and Monument No. 21 at Bilbao, Guatemala, with a scene of origins for seven lineages or tribes. [Bruce W. Warren as quoted in Joseph L. Allen ed., The Book of Mormon Archaeological Digest, Fall 1992, p. 7]
1 Nephi 18:23 We did arrive in the promised land (Landing Site) [[Illustration] Stela 5 at Izapa, Chiapas, Mexico, illustrates 12 or 13 branches, as highlighted. Dates to 176 B.C. [Joseph L. Allen ed., The Book of Mormon Archaeological Digest, Fall 1992, p. 7]
1 Nephi 18:23 We did arrive in the promised land (Landing Site): Prontispiece, [Monument 21], Bilbao, Guatemala. The highlighted portions illustrate seven tribes or lineages. The word for flint(a) in Hebrew is Zoram. Monument dates to A.D. 500. [Joseph L. Allen ed., The Book of Mormon Archaeological Digest, Fall 1992, p. 8] [See Jacob 1:13]
5. Geographical Location:
Izapa is on the major trail of the ancient trade route between Teotihuacan near Mexico City and Kaminaljuyu in Guatemala City… . [See illustration] [Clate Mask, “New Insights into an Old Problem: The Land of Bountiful,” p. 2, unpublished]
1 Nephi 18:23 We did arrive at the promised land (Landing Site) [[Illustration] The location of Izapa on the major trail of the ancient trade route between the Olmec territory and Kaminaljuyu in Guatemala City. [Clate Mask, “New Insights into an Old Problem: The Land of Bountiful,” p. 2, unpublished]
6. Scriptural Evidence (“Land of First Inheritance” -- Alma 22:28)
Mosiah 10:12 and Alma 22:28 indicate that the place of the Lamanites’ first inheritance (Lehi’s landing site) was along the seashore west and in what by then (over 400 years after Lehi’s landing) was considered the general land of Nephi. Izapa fits this orientation. [See the commentary on Alma 22:28]