American Antiquities: Corroborative of the Book of Mormon (2 July 1859)

AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES,

CORROBORATIVE OF THE BOOK OF MORMON.

(Continued from page 403.)

(From Huarros' History of Guatimala.)

“Francisco de Fuentes, who wrote the “Chronicles of the Kingdom of Guatemala," assures us that in his time—that is, in the year 1700—the great circus of Copan still remained entire. This was a circular space surrounded by pyramids of about six yards high, and very well constructed. At the bases of these pyramids were figures, both male and female, of very excellent sculpture, which then retained the colours they had been enamelled with, and, what was not less remarkable, the whole of them were habited in the Castilian costume. In the middle of this area, elevated above a height of steps, was the place of sacrifice.”

(From "Chambers’s Information for the People,” published in 1849.)

“Of late years, travellers have made known the remains of an architecture and sculpture not very dissimilar to that of the ancient Hindoos in certain districts of Central America, believed to be the execution of a people anterior to those Mexicans who existed at the period of the invasion of Cortes. Our limited space precludes any detail of these curious structures, which consist of temples, palaces, triumphal and religious monuments,— all of which are covered with rude but elaborate sculptures, and mark the existence of a luxurious and wealthy, but semi-barbarous people.”

(From Joshua T. Smith's “Discovery of America,” published in 1842.)

There is one pervading character over the whole of the parts of the Assonet Rock. There are several distinctly-formed letters, so distinct that almost he who runs may read; and there are various figures, formed so regularly and symmetrically as shows that they were carefully and deliberately done, that they must have been formed at the same time, if not by the same hand, and that there exists a meaning to and relation between all the parts. … Only two animals can be traced: one is a bird—the ancient emblem of navigation; the other is apparently a bullock, which is placed in a recumbent position,—obviously the emblem of a settlement here, that animal being anciently considered the most important means to the cultivation of the soil.”

(From a letter by the Secretary of the Rhode Island Historical Society to the Society of Northern Antiquaries of Copenhagen, and published in their work entitled ”Antiquitates Americana:,” in 1837.)

“In the western parts of our country may still be seen numerous and extensive mounds, similar to the tumuli met with in Scandinavia, Tartar, and Russia; also the remains of fortifications that must have required for their construction a degree of industry, labour, and skill, as well as an advancement in the arts, that never characterized any of the Indian tribes. Various articles of pottery are found in them, with the method of manufacturing which they were entirely unacquainted. But, above all, many rocks inscribed with unknown characters, apparently of very ancient origin, have been discovered, scattered through different parts of the country, such as it was impossible so to engrave without the aid of iron or other hard metallic instruments.”

(From Carvalho's “Incidents of Travel and Adventure in the Far West,” published in 1856.)

“On Red Creek canon, six miles north of Parowan, there are very massive, abrupt, granite rocks, which rise perpendicularly out of the valley to the height of many hundred feet. On the surface of many of them, apparently engraved with some steel instrument, to the depth of an inch, are numerous hieroglyphics, representing the human hand and foot, horses, dogs, rabbits, birds, and also a sort of zodiac. These engravings present the same time-worn appearance as the rest of the rocks; the most elaborately engraved figures were 30 feet from the ground. I had to clamber up the rocks to make a drawing of them. These engravings evidently display prolonged and continued labour, and I judge them to have been executed by a different class of persons than the Indians, who now inhabit these valleys and mountains. Agee seem to have passed since they were done. When we take into consideration the compact nature of the blue granite and the depth of the engravings, years must have been spent in their execution. For what purpose were they made? and by whom? and at what period of time? It seems physically impossible that those I have mentioned as being 30 feet from the valley could have been worked in the present position of the rocks. Some great convulsion of nature may have thrown them up , as they now are Some of the figures are as large as life,—many of them about one-fourth size.

(From G.F. Von Tempsky’s “Mitla,” published in 1858.)

“Early before daybreak on the 24th we started, and arrived in Mitla about nine o'clock. … Immediately on the outskirts of the village we came upon the first group of ruins, composed of four buildings, fronting towards an open square in the midst of them. Two were entire ruins, with but some vestiges of the wall standing the other two were in better condition, excepting that they were roofless. The main building contains two small subterraneous chambers, wherein a pillar of stone can be seen, which is called the ‘pillar of death,’ because even the present Indians believe that whosoever among them embraces this column must die in a short time after. This belief does not extend to other races than themselves, because they have frequently seen white persons trying the experiment without any evil result. The walls of all these buildings have two distinct parts— the inner, which consists merely of round unhewn stones— boulders cemented together; and the outer, which is formed of a sort of mosaic, with this difference—that the figured surface of the common mosaic is formed of pieces of marble, &c., cemented on a bed of stucco, whereas the Mexican mosaic forms its figures by means of the head or outer part of oblong-shaped pieces of stone that are inserted, the rest of their length, in the spaces left for them in front of the inner portion of the wall. All these ornamental pieces are formed of a soft sandstone, cut with the greatest attention to the correctness of right angles as they all have to fit is their whole length close together, and to form a smooth surface exteriorly with their heads. Each piece is about seven inches in length, one in depth, and two-and-one- eighth in breadth. All the figures represented in the ornamental devices of this mosaic are rectangular or diagonal and exhibit a great variety in that limited system of design. The doors and windows of the buildings are square, wide, and low—their lintels formed of very large solid slabs of stone. The inside of these buildings had been plundered, long ago, of all interesting ornaments, such as idols, &c.; and there remained but the naked inner walls of round stones. The soil of the inner courtyard of these four buildings had been turned, at various times, by treasure-hunting governments, officials, and private individuals. … We wandered to another group of ruins, which lies contiguous to the former, and found that these ruins also represent four buildings, whereof three are of similar sizes and the fourth much larger than the rest, being the most important building of the two groups. This last building contains one large hall, wherein there are six solid stone pillars standing at an equal distance from one another, along the centre of the hall. They seem to have supported the roof, are of granite, each of one massive piece, and have neither pedestal, capital, nor architrave. Their height is about twelve feet,—their diameter about four feet at the base, from which it diminishes. To this hall adjoins a projecting part of building that looks towards the mountains in an opposite direction from the central courtyard. In it there are four apartments— three lesser ones, and a big one in the centre. One of the small ones still bears a flat roof of stone. The other three buildings of this group are merely small heaps of ruins, excepting one that has yet a window and two stone pillars standing erect. … We ascended the slopes of the volcano Izalco, whose crater illuminated part of our way. We passed the village of Izalco on the top of the slope, with a population purely Indian, all fast asleep during our passage. Mr. F. told me there of discoveries of subterranean buildings made in an accidental excavation on the mountain side. They have, according to him, ail the appearance of great antiquity.”