By
F. Richard Hauck, PhD
Editors’ Note: On September 24 and
25, 2004 The
Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum will gather in
Salt Lake City for its 2nd Annual forum on the
Book of Mormon Lands. Meridian readers are invited and encouraged
to come and attend the two day event at the Sheraton Hotel.
Speakers will include Meridian’s Dr. John Pratt, Editors Scot
and Maurine Proctor, and Elder Ted E. Brewerton, Elder Robert
E. Wells, Elder William R. Bradford, Dr. Daniel Ludlow, Dr.
F. Richard Hauck (the author of today’s cover story) and many
others. Further information may be obtained about registration
and times by clicking here.
Today we begin the first in a series of articles on the lands,
archaeology and setting of the Book of Mormon.
Introduction
I
could not imagine in 1981, as I packed our hammocks, boots
and ponchos into the motorhome in a frozen Bountiful, Utah (the fourth Land of Bountiful),
that I might soon identify a massive fortification complex
in the highlands of Guatemala. I had no conception that the fortified complex at
Manti instead of being one or two miles square actually extends
for over ten miles along the ancient Nephite-Lamanite trail
that gives access through that mountainous wilderness. Nor
could I guess the size of the primary fortifications protecting
the main settlement of Manti; a complex that fortifies the
entire southern perimeter of the Coban valley for a distance
of at least nine miles. One could not begin to imagine that
evidences of the timber palisade walls would still be identifiable,
or that the narrow passage leading into the heart of the principal
Manti settlement would still largely intact and exposed to
view.
Nor
could I imagine that within the coming weeks, portions of
the Land of Zarahemla would be opened to
our view and assessment. Who could have guessed that that
three day experience in the vicinity of Nueva Cerros would
have to suffice for the next 11 years due to the threat posed
by the Communist guerrillas that infested the region? Who
could have thought that the next time that I would enter that
vast archaeological site would be in early 1993 as a guide
to the Proctors preparatory to their publication, Light
from the Dust?
I
could not imagine in 1981, the jungles to cut through, the
roads to be driven, the rivers to canoe, the mountains to
climb.
Nor
could one imagine the rain storms, the food, the mosquitoes
and ticks, the mud, the illness, the anger, the fear, blistering
heat, cold nights--terrible jungle nights, treacherous seas
in a dugout, breathtaking scenery, hiding from military attack
helicopters searching for Communist guerrillas, hiding from
the guerrillas, searches at gun point, field gear confiscations
by military and customs, night travel in rented cars, night
travel in armored vehicles through countless checkpoints controlled
by armed and poorly trained Indians, broken down vehicles
in safe places, broken down vehicles in guerrilla zones where
people unknown would stop and wait through the night as protection,
endless hours in garages, bad beds in worse hotels, wonderful
beds in too costly hotels, Guatemalan fast food, the kindness
and caring of the Indians, the love and giving of the Saints,
the loneliness of being far from wife and children.
Could
I have imagined exploring the possible ancient settlements
of Cumeni, and Desolation, or the lands of Cumorah, Desolation,
Bountiful (East Sea Bountiful and West Sea Bountiful), Nephihah,
and Nephi?
Could
I have imagined three years of manuscript preparation leading
to the 1988 publication by Deseret Book of my initial volume
on the theoretical basis of this research, Deciphering
the Geography of the Book of Mormon? Nor could one begin
to imagine the support and assistance from strangers, friends,
and associates that would make that publication a reality.
I could not anticipate kindness of its readers, nor the venom
of its detractors.
On
those cold January days of 1981, as we traveled south in the
motorhome gradually leaving behind our family and all of the
snow and ice of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and then Texas,
how could we have guessed all that was about to begin?
At the Crossroads
A group of people stand at the crossroads trying to determine which route
to take. As I approach, an individual calls out to me: "What
can you tell us about archaeology?"
"Archaeology,"
I respond, "is a learning process, it is all about understanding
man and his cultures by studying the remains of everything
that has been made, or done, or written. Archaeology is both
simple and complex; it is as diverse as the individuals who
follow its path. Archaeologists, for all their differences,
seek a common goal: the goal of learning something that has
been lost, or forgotten, or unknown sometimes for generations,
the goal of returning that knowledge to the world of the living.
How we arrive at that goal and what we do with the knowledge
gained after its realization depends on the individual.
Another
person asks: "What can you tell us about the setting
of the Book of Mormon?"
"The
Book of Mormon is also a learning process," I respond.
"It is as simple as understanding joy, and faith, and
hope; it is as complex as understanding man, and life, and
struggle. It is a mirror of mankind: it reflects both our
vanity and our sincerity, our goodness and our depravity.
Although that book is sweeping in its temporal scope, covering
a thousand years of Nephite progress linked to several thousand
years of Jaredite endurance, it is restricted in its geographic
scope. All its years of ancient history are encompassed within
the modern states of Guatemala, Belize and southeastern Mexico
-- an area no larger than Utah and Colorado combined but much
more diverse and tortured.
"Although
restricted in its geographic scope," I continue, "the
book is subtly expansive in its cultural and social depth.
It demonstrates the existence of primitive tribes inhabiting
territories that they claimed long before the arrival of the
intrusive Jaredite, Mulekite and Nephite/Lamanite peoples.
Those primitives, existing from day to day by hunting, fishing
and farming, were cultural sponges absorbing the discontented
from the more complex civilizations that are the actual focus
of the book. Sometimes the violent interaction within and
between these peoples reveals aspects of their cultures that
are not directly addressed by the historians. Such is the
case of the 72 to 60 B.C. war, which is contained in Alma
Chapters 47 through 62. That saga of war, rebellion and bloodshed
provides wonderful descriptions concerning geography, fortifications,
and tactics, descriptions which would never have been included
within the text under more tranquil circumstances."
"Like
archaeology," I continue, "The Book of Mormon is
all about discovery. Just as each time it is opened we learn
anew the concepts of its religion, it also contains within
its core a knowledge of its people and its places. It is
not enough to sample its wisdom and taste again the compassion
of its Deity. That very Deity that created both them and
us -- that very Deity intended for us to use all our unique
capacities to reach within that book and bring forth all of
its meanings, all of its knowledge, all of its purposes."
Someone
in the group catches my attention and asks, "What can
tell us about discovery! Tell us about using archaeology
to find and understand the places of the Book of Mormon."
"I
will tell you about discovery and the book," I reply,
"but you should realize that there is no quick fix, no
simple and easy explanation. The quick fixes and easy explanations
are readily available, but in the end, they do not expand
our knowledge of the Book of Mormon, but rather restrict our
capacity to expand our science. You need at least half as
much patience to understand me--as I must have to relate my
quest into the unique world of the past that exists on the
far side of the horizon.”
Moments of Discovery
Whenever anyone mentions archaeological discovery, I remember the ancient
Book of Mormon fortifications of Manti discussed in Alma Chapter
58 and a moment of discovery that occurred for me some 12
years ago. Although the intervening years have been filled
with exploration and research at a variety of North and Central
American locations, most of which are not associated with
the peoples of the Book of Mormon, my memory still vividly
recalls the identification of the Nephite fortifications at
Manti. It is one of the high points in my career as an archaeologist.
click
to enlarge
Morning
light dissipates patchy fog in a valley south of Coban, Guatemala.
From the detailed clues given in chapters 43 and 44 of Alma
about the battle between the Nephites and the Lamanites, that
battle may have taken place in this valley.
The
discovery of the Manti fortifications happened on a January
afternoon in 1981. My father, Forrest Hauck, and I had just
returned to his motorhome after a day of difficult hiking
through the shadowed forests of highland Guatemala. The experience
is permanently etched in the corridors of my mind.
