Columbia - Carribean Coast - Tayrona

From the gold museum in Bogota, Columbia.


Tayrona jungle platforms.


Tairona gold figurine bell.


Tairona tumbaga alloy of gold and copper plated with gold.


Ancient Tairona gold pendants.


Columbia Tayrona Chairama.



Indigenous Indians of Tayrona.


Round houses of Tayrona.


Round house from Kuelap, the fortress of the clouds in Peru. Compare it to the round houses of Tayrona above.


Pueblito - Tayrona ruins Columbia.

Tiwanaku, Bolivia

Stone cross carved into the rock, Tiwanaku, Bolivia.


Entrance to the Kalasasaya. Below, the Kalasasaya in the background.



Wall of the Kalasasaya.


Ruins of the Puma Punku.


The original land of the Nephites.
"In the Book of Mormon, the land of Lehi-Nephi (also referred to as the land of Nephi) is the homeland of the Nephites in the early times of the Book of Mormon. The land is later conquered by the Lamanites and the remaining Nephites flee to the land of Zarahemla, home of the Mulekites. In later years, an expedition under Zeniff returns to Lehi-Nephi to re-colonize the area, and at first the Lamanites allow them to settle. Zeniff, his son Noah, and Noah's son Limhi rule as kings over their people in the land of Lehi-Nephi. Ultimately the Nephite settlers depart the land of Nephi due to Lamanite oppression. They are led by Ammon, the leader of a party sent by king Mosiah son of king Benjamin to learn the fate of Zeniff's group. They return to Zarahemla as refugees.

According to the Book of Mormon, the land of Nephi situates south and at higher elevation relative to Zarahemla. A strip of wilderness, running east and west divides the land of Nephi from the land of Zarahemla. In the first century B.C., the lands of Nephi and Zarahemla were bordered on the east and on the west by bodies of water called respectively “the east sea” and “the west sea”."


Walls around the temple Kalasasaya.


Tiahuanaco gate 1877.


Tiwanaku, Bolivia

Though Bolivia is not always the safest and most stable destination to visit, the South American country has a wealth of wonders to explore. The ancient pre-colonial city of Tiwanaku is one of Bolivia’s veritable jewels and was a de facto base of power for an empire that virtually ran the Andes.

King Pacal of Palenque

The god of trade, god L, puffing on his cigar. Comets were said to be the discarded cigars of the gods thrown across the sky. There is an association between comets and cigars, are comets used to light the cigars of the dieties?





Pacal`s Principle Bird, what is that he is chewing on? Note that is has a tail hanging from it, are they ribbons symbolizing the tail of a comet?


The vase of the 7 gods. I`ve always wondered what the Principle Bird atop Pacal`s World Tree was holding in his mouth. On this vase a similar object is being used by god L to light his cigar! (Click to enlarge). This object has a tail hanging from it, does this represent the tail of a comet?


Best colored image of the Pacal carving. I would suggest that the influence is the other way around, it`s the influence of Palenque in India.


The double-headed serpent on the cross/tree. These 2 serpent heads are called "makaras" in other parts of the world. The World Tree with 2 Makaras topped by the "Priciple Bird" is a theme that is also found across the Pacific.


The tomb of Pacal in Palenque, Guatemala.


The lid of the sarcophagus of King Pacal. The double-headed serpent on the vertical represents the ecliptic which is the orbit of the moon and the planets. The vertical "tree" symbolizes the Tree of Life which is the Milky Way. The corn springs from where they intersect.

"Its roots were in the underworld, its trunk in the middle world, and its branches in the highest layer of the other world. The tree represents the Milky Way. ..."

Yaxchilan as Zarahemla

The temple at Yaxchilan. The buildings were oriented towards the winter solstice.



The stairway that one had to climb in order to pay tribute to the king of Yaxchilan.


"An archaeological survey in the rain forest on the border between Mexico and Guatemala is revealing a series of stone walls that were used to defend the border between the warring Maya kingdoms of Yaxchilan and Piedras Negras."(Photo courtesy of the Sierra del Lacandon Regional Archaeology Project) - from "Archaeology Magazine" Vol.64 Number 5 Sept.- Oct. 2011.


The "Times and Seasons" newspaper 1842: The declaration of Zarahemla being in Guatemala and the “narrow neck of land” being in Central America, occurred while the Prophet Joseph Smith was serving as Editor of the Times and Seasons.

The Guatemalan Zarahemla hypothesis originated with an 1842 Mormon newspaper article ..... "Behold the back pass, through the back wall, on the back side of the city" - from the Book of Mosiah.
Samuel the Lamanite - He returned to Zarahemla but the people would not let him into the city. So he climbed up on a wall and prophesied. Samuel said that within 400 years heavy ..."

Yaxchilan was protected in the front by a surrounding bend in the Usumacinta river but the back of the city was protected by a wall.


"The building on the right has more entrances and it is completely dark inside, so bats live there, careful when you walk as they fly really low. If you are scared of dark, take a torch with you. With or without a torch, it is going to take you a while to get out of the building through one of the halls. No wonder the building has always been called a labyrinth. It was the first time I saw this kind of building in the ruins of native Indians and I really enjoyed it. It was fun!" - travel blog.




The Rio Usumacinta which flows south to north in direction.


Yaxchilan laberinto - a labyrinth at Yaxchilan.


On the way to Yaxchilan along the Usumacinta River.



The capital city Zarahemla lay near the west bank of the Sidon river (Alma 2:25), The river Sidon empties into the sea downstream from Zarahemla (Alma 3:3).


"Yaxchilan is an ancient Maya city located on the bank of the Usumacinta River in what is now the state of Chiapas, Mexico. In the Late Classic Period Yaxchilan was one of the most powerful Maya states along the course of the Usumacinta, with Piedras Negras as its major rival. Architectural styles in subordinate sites in the Usumacinta region demonstrate clear differences that mark a clear boundary between the two kingdoms.
Yaxchilan was a large center, important throughout the Classic era, and the dominant power of the Usumacinta River area. It dominated such smaller sites as Bonampak, and had a long rivalry with Piedras Negras and at least for a time with Tikal; it was a rival of Palenque, with which Yaxchilan warred.
The site is particularly known for its well-preserved sculptured stone lintels set above the doorways of the main structures. These lintels, together with the stelae erected before the major buildings, contain hieroglyphic texts describing the dynastic history of the city.
The ancient name for the city was probably Pa' Chan. Yaxchilan means "green stones" in Maya." Was Yaxchilan the city of Zarahemla?





Yaxchilan was built within a surrounding bend in the Usumacinta River and walled. Was the Usumacinta the River Sidon?

Hochob

Map - Hochob - Chenes style. (Click to enlarge).


"Hochob: Structure II as it appeared in 1895
This photo, published by Teobert Maler in 1895, shows how the building looked before the area above the door completely collapsed.
David Potter notes that there are two realistic human faces located at the two upper corners of the central facade, i.e., above the laticed towers that form the edges of the central structure. He notes that these faces are easily missed; I believe they are completely gone by now as I am unable to see them in any of my own photos.
David Potter, Maya Architecture of the Central Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, p. 107."



The faces are still there and are of a different type than those of the Palenque facial type.


Note makaras at the top cormers of the doorway.

Aztec Harpy Eagle - Harpia Harpyja

Black and white feathers.


This eagle is colored as a Harpy Eagle. The Aztecs called it the "Winged Wolf".

Cuzco and Chaco Windows

Stonework window from the Chachapoya fortress of Kuelap in Peru.


Megalithic stonework windows from the Qoricancha - Cuzco, Peru. Peru is by far the older civilization.


Tower windows at Mesa Verde near Durango, Colorado.


Pueblo Bonito windows - Chaco Canyon - New Mexico, U.S.A.


Fajada Butte near Chaco Canyon where the Sun Dagger Spiral is located.