According to John Sorenson, serpent symbolism appeared in Olmec art very prominently. [John L. Sorenson, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon, p. 329]
Ether 10:19 In the days of Lib the poisonous serpents were destroyed ([Illustration]): The Jaredites were deeply concerned about the power of snakes in connection with drought (see Ether 9:30-4; 10:19). Some priests or rulers may have considered themselves to be under the protection of serpents. This awesome Olmec rattlesnake is on Monument 19 at La Venta. [John L. Sorenson, Images of Ancient America, p. 215]
“The Poisonous Serpents Were Destroyed”
According to Bruce Warren, one of the fascinating episodes in Jaredite history is the account of poisonous serpents being a threat to their survival. The account is as follows:
And it came to pass [in the days of King Heth] that there began to be a great dearth upon the land . . . for there was no rain upon the face of the earth. And there came forth poisonous serpents also upon the face of the land, and did poison many people. And it came to pass that their flocks began to flee before the poisonous serpents, towards the land southward, which was called by the Nephites Zarahemla. . . . And it came to pass that the Lord did cause the serpents that they should pursue them no more, but that they should hedge up the way that the people could not pass, that whoso should attempt to pass might fall by the poisonous serpents. (Ether 9:30-33)
Seven kings later in Jaredite history, we are told that finally the plague of poisonous serpents was resolved:
And it came to pass that Lib also did that which was good in the sight of the Lord. And in the days of Lib the poisonous serpents were destroyed. . . . And they built a great city by the narrow neck of land, by the place where the sea divides the land. (Ether 10:18-20)
Do we have any archaeological evidence from Jaredite times of a focus on serpents? Warren considers such evidence from three archaeological sites in ancient Mesoamerica. These three sites are: 1. Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico; 2. San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan, Veracruz, Mexico; and 3. La Venta, Tabasco, Mexico.
First, hieroglyphic writing on the Tablet of the Cross at Palenque speaks of an ancestral king by the name of U-Kish Chan ("he of the feathered serpent") U-Kish Chan is considered the ancient founder of the Palenque dynasty of kings, even though he was [not] from Palenque.
Second, Monument 47 from San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan shows a king who has a serpent around his waist and is holding the head of the serpent in his hands. The serpent has feathers on its head. This monument is Olmec in style and dates to the beginning of the first millennium B.C. The monument has the head missing, but the imagery of the monument equals that of U-Kish Chan from the much-later Tablet of the Cross at Palenque. Could the San Lorenzo monument represent U-Kish-Chan?
Third, the layout of the central part of the archaeological site of La Venta represents a serpent focus: the large, volcanic-shaped mound representing the upturned head of a serpent, the ridges at the site of the serpent body, and the diamond-shaped tassels on two of the buried serpentine panels representing the body design on a variety of rattlesnakes, etc. The implication is that the serpent for the Olmecs and/or the Jaredites became a symbol for the fertile earth and that corn or maize grows from its back or from the earth.
A tentative hypothesis to explain the above information could be stated as follows: At least by the days of the Jaredite King Kish, a cult focused on the serpent was developing. His son, King Lib, built a city in the narrow neck of land at La Venta, Tabasco, that emphasized the serpent cult. Much later in time, the kings at Palenque, Chiapas, were claiming divine kingship from this ancestral king U-Kish Chan, who probably originally resided at San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan, Veracruz. The imagery, dating names, and locations all make sense. However, all hypotheses are designed to be tested, and so this hypothesis should be subjected to rigorous testing. [Bruce W. Warren, "Jaredites and Serpents," in Ancient America Foundation Newsletter, No. 13, May 1998, pp. 3-4]
“The Poisonous Serpents”
Joseph Allen notes that on a recent Book of Mormon lands tour, it came to his attention that a green tile representation of a serpent's head which was discovered over thirty years ago at the Olmec site of La Venta may have a tie-in with a passage in the Book of Mormon: " . . . and in the days of Lib the poisonous serpents were destroyed" (Ether 10:19).
For years he has taken groups to Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico to witness the outstanding artifacts and monuments that are on display at the marvelous outdoor museum there. These large stone remnants of the Olmec/Jaredite culture feature two large (20 x 30 feet) mosaic serpent displays which have been transplanted from the archaeological site of La Venta 75 miles to the west by the Gulf of Mexico. These mosaics were buried 20 feet below the surface.
The traditional archaeological interpretation of these mosaics has been that they are representations of jaguar heads and that they had something to do with a religious ceremony. Recent evidence, however, indicates that instead of representing jaguar heads, they really represent serpent heads. Add to this the discovery by Dr. Bruce Warren of the name of the Jaredite king Kish as "U-Kish-Chan" (which is associated with a feathered serpent concept), and we might begin to understand why the ancient Olmecs may have buried a serpent's head.
Much like the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi who buried their weapons of war and at the same time buried their sins deep in the earth (see Alma 24:10-18), the people at the time of King Lib may have symbolically buried a serpent to represent the burial of some sin. As we read the preceding chapter of Ether 9, we consider the possibility of a dual meaning in the account of the poisonous serpents. Secret combinations had gained control of the hearts of the people (Ether 9:26). Thus, King Lib may not only have destroyed the poisonous serpents, but the "old serpent" and his secret combinations as well, for Lib "did that which was good in the sight of the Lord" (Ether 10:19) .
How better could this object lesson have been taught than by having the people literally cover the head of a mosaic serpent with dirt as a sign not just that they were grateful for the destruction of the temporal serpents, but also as a covenant sign that they had destroyed the secret combinations or spiritual serpents, and that they would bury these sins and be faithful to their covenants with the Lord. [Joseph L. Allen, "Poisonous Serpents Uncovered," in The Book of Mormon Archaeological Digest, Vol. I, Issue IV, 1998, p. 6]
Ether 10:19 And in the days of Lib the poisonous serpents were destroyed ([Illustration]): Serpent Mosaic in La Venta, Mexico [Joseph L. Allen, "Poisonous Serpents Uncovered," in The Book of Mormon Archaeological Digest, Vol. I, Issue IV, 1998, p. 6]
Ether 10:19 And in the days of Lib the poisonous serpents were destroyed ([Illustration]): Buried Creations. (A) In mysterious rituals the Olmec at La Venta created stone masterworks and immediately concealed them. About 2,600 years ago workers dug a pit 23 feet deep in a courtyard, spread a base of sticky tar from petroleum seeps, and laid out blue-green serpentine blocks. They bordered the image with yellow clay, tamped blue clay in central openings, then covered it all with layers of colored clay. (George E. Stuart, "New Light on the Olmec," in National Geographic, Vol. 184, No. 5 (November 1993), pp. 106-107. Painting by Fellipe Davalos. Photograph by Kenneth Garrett.)
Ether 10:19 And in the days of Lib the poisonous serpents were destroyed ([Illustration]): Buried Creations. (B) In 1943 archaeologist Matthew Stirling and his crew dug for two months to remove tons of rubble. What was the impressive mosaic they uncovered, now preserved with other La Venta artifacts in a Villahermosa park? Was it so sacred that it had to be concealed? If a notch on one side is the forehead cleft typical of Olmec deities, the image may represent a jaguar mask. But if the notch belongs at the bottom, as Kent Reilly of Southwest Texas State University believes, the central column could symbolize the sacred tree of life. (George E. Stuart, "New Light on the Olmec," in National Geographic , Vol. 184, No. 5 (November 1993), pp. 106-107. Painting by Felipe Davalos. Photograph by Kenneth Garrett.)