According to Ammon O'Brien, it is very significant that one of the most profound events which to this day echoes through the fibers of native American legends and culture is the glorious emergence of the "Dawn Star."
Certain cultural traditions of the Aztecs recall a time when in the remote ancient past, all the people of the nation were in expectation; some went upon house tops, others mounted terraces, while others watched from the windows of their homes, all of them waiting for the sign, by which it would be known that a new age had dawned.
According to certain Indian legends and writings, the people of all the tribes beheld a tremendous manifestation in conjunction with the appearance of a great star, called in the Quiche language, the great Icoqui, and also Nima Chumil which means "Great Star," which illuminated the skies over America. [Ammon O'Brien, Seeing beyond Today with Ancient America, p. 262]
3 Nephi 1:13 The time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given ([Illustration]): The Time is at Hand [Robert T. Barrett, Verse Markers, Book of Mormon, Vol. 1, p. 5]
3 Nephi 1:13 On the morrow come I into the world ([Illustration]): The Night Before in America [Robert T. Barrett, Verse Markers, Book of Mormon, Vol. 1, p. 7]
3 Nephi 1:13 The time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given ([Illustration]): "On the Morrow Come I into the World." Artist: Robert T. Barrett. [Thomas R. Valletta ed., The Book of Mormon for Latter-day Saint Families, 1999, p. 498]
3 Nephi 1:13 On this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world ([Illustration]): Relative positions of the sun, moon, and earth at midnight during the night of Christ's birth. This illustrates that at the time of Christ's birth the eastern hemisphere was dark while the western hemisphere was exposed to the sun. [John C. Lefgren, April Sixth, p. 27]