American anthropologists, who are steeped in isolationist evolution theory
in the origin and development of ancient American civilizations,
tend to avoid the subject of significant trans-oceanic
contacts of the type recorded in the Book of Mormon.
However, the late leading Mesoamerican art historian, Tatiana Proskouriakoff published
a paper in 1968 in which she recognized the Preclassic
bearded figures on LaVenta sculpture (Late Olmec/Jaredite and
early Mulekite time period) as "bearded foreigners". But
she did not suggest an obvious Middle Eastern origin from lack
of concrete evidence, where Mediterranean and Atlantic seafarers were vital to trade networks of that civilization.
Heavy bearded figures dating to early Nephite times are prominent
on Izapan as well as La Venta sculpture (for example, Izapa
Stelae 5, 11, 67; La Venta Stela 3 and Altar 3).
It is a fact that American Indians do not have much
facial hair to grow beards (Wirth 1986, p. 29, citing Sylvanus
G. Morley1956, p. 23). So how are the numerous sculptures
and the terracotta portraits of heavy bearded "Indians"
explained? Considering their prominence, there had
to be another dominant racial type in the high cultures of Mesoamerica
that no longer exists.
A logical explanation is provided in the decline of Nephite
peoples in the Book of Mormon. Mormon being a pure descendent
of Lehi (3 Nephi 5:20), implies a significant
number of the Nephite population retained their race of
Middle Eastern origin. Nephi also saw in vision that his
seed would be destroyed in a war with the Lamanites four
generations after the coming of Christ (1 Nephi 12:19-20). The decline of Mormon's people in war and survivors being assimilated
into the dominant Mesoamerican "Lamanite" population,
must have depleted the "beard" gene pool by the
time the Spaniards arrived and conquered Mesoamerica
in the 16th century.
Diane Wirth (1986: 32) cited a significant research by Alexander von Wuthenau
(1969:42): "I began an intensified study of pre-Columbian
terracotta heads. What I was looking for were typical
'Indian' heads. It was not long, however, before
I discovered that in the early, lower levels these 'genuine
Indians' were not to be found. The earliest figures
encountered were those with Mongoloid characteristics, and all
kinds of white people, especially Semitic types with and without
beards. What is considered to be genuine Indian only
developed, so far as I am able to judge on the strength of these
terracotta representations, in early and middle Classic times,
and probably derived from earlier types."
Kirk Magleby in a FARMS paper did a statistical analysis of more than 230 bearded
figures in Mesoamerican art and found a remarkably even
distribution throughout this high civilization area. Although
bearded figures date from all time periods, Magleby found that
they were more frequent during Book of Mormon times before A.D.
300, and became relatively rare by Spanish contact times.
Wirth also observed: "Several late Mexican
codices depict leaders with what appear to be appended false
beards, apparently an important feature of the elite, which
was a practice in ancient Egypt. This may also be a feature on some early Olmec (Jaredite period)
sculptures. The Indians who took pride in their ancestral heritage
may have worn false beards as symbols of greatness and royalty.
This was not unlike men of the Jewish culture in the Old World
who considered a man's beard a sign of dignity and honor. An
obvious decline in the number of bearded figures took place
at the close of the Preclassic period, precisely when the Nephite
civilization collapsed [circa A.D. 385]." False beards
was also a practice in ancient Egypt, which look similar to the King’s beard on La Venta Stela 3.
References
Kirk Magleby, “A Survey of Mesoamerican Bearded Figures”
(F.A.R.M.S. paper, 1979).
Alan C. Miner resource file for Step by Step though the Book
of Mormon project (unpublished).
V. Garth Norman research, “Izapa Sculpture,
Part 2”: Text. Papers of the New World Archaeological Foundation,
No. 30. (Provo, 1976).
Tatiana Proskouriakoff, Olmec and Maya Art: “Problems
of Their Stylistic Relation.” Dumbarton Oaks Conference
on the Olmec, edited by Elizabeth P. Benson, pp. 199-30.
(Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, 1968).
Diane E Wirth, A Challenge to the Critics. (Horizon
Publishers, 1986).
Alexander von Wuthenau, The Art of Terracotta Pottery
in Pre-Columbian Central and South America, (New
York, Crown publishers, Inc. 1969).
