The
Birthdate of Quetzalcoatl (Christ)
By Bruce W. Warren
Editor's Note: We celebrate Christ's birth at Christmas
and consider his actual birthdate
on April 6th, according to revelation to the Prophet Joseph
Smith (D&C 20:1). Mesoamerican research by Bruce Warren
— with Extract Notes from Step by Step Through the
Book of Mormon by Alan C. Miner (unpublished)
—adds significant documentation to the April 6th date and adds
a powerful witness of the Savior's divinity.
D&C
20:1 says the following: “The rise of the Church of Christ in
these last days, being one thousand, eight hundred and thirty
years since the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in
the flesh... in the fourth month, and on the sixth day of the
month which is called April. “
Bruce
Warren notes that in 1987, Dennis O. Clawson was examining the
Olmec-Maya Long Count calendar of
Mesoamerica to see how the proposed birthdate
of Christ (Thursday, 6 April 1 B.C.) would be recorded.
To his
delight, the date was 7.17.17.17.13 1 Ben 6 Mak. The 6 Mak portion of
this date is the New Year's Day of a Mixtec
calendar. The 1 Ben portion is associated with the birth of
Quetzalcoatl, and the long-count date represents the beginning
of a major calendar round.
This
amazing parallel to the Book of Mormon account of the Messiah
in Ancient America and the unique but detailed correlation with
both the Olmec-Maya Long count calendar
and the Mesoamerican Calendar round is startling to say the
least. (Minerva Teichert's painting of the resurrected Christ in America with a Quetxzalcoatl
bird illustrates this connection.)
An indirect
proof of this birth-date for Quetzalcoatl (Christ) is the temple
at Chichen Itza. On the doorway of the El Castillo temple
at Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico,
there is a carved and bearded figure representing Quetzalcoatl.
At the
spring equinox, the sun casts a shadow across the corner of
the stepped pyramid, creating a serpent body of light along
the stairway balustrade to the carved, feathered serpent head
at the base. (See photo by Garth Norman.) This illuminated
serpent takes on the appearance of a serpent representing Quetzalcoatl
slowly descending from the top of the pyramid and the sun in
the heavens. Researchers from Merida discovered that the serpent of light reaches its maximum perfection
on April 6.
Although
this temple was built in the tenth century in celebration of
their ruler Ce Acatl Quetzalcoatl,
it already has been noted that because of the circumstances
of his birth, this ruler took upon himself the name of the legendary
god Quetzalcoatl. Thus, the type and shadow of this temple
perhaps extends back beyond the tenth century to the other Mesoamerican
god of rebirth, resurrection, and life.
As a
further type and shadow pointing to this ancient god, if one
were to extend the serpent forward in the same direction it
has moved down the steps, the serpent path would lead to their
sacred cenote, a well of sacrifice
and "living waters" to the feathered serpent
rain-life god.
.
At the
beginning of each calendar round, Mesoamerican priests had the
people begin life anew. At times,
temples were torn down and new ones constructed on top of the
old ones. Interestingly, the Aztecs rebuilt their
temple to Quetzalcoatl (their god of rebirth and resurrection)
in A.D.1507. That means that if: (1) the temple to Quetzalcoatl
was built to commemorate his birthday; and (2) the temple
of Quetzalcoatl was built to commemorate a new major calendar round; then
Quetzalcoatl was born in the year 1 B.C.” [Bruce Warren, Ancient
America
Foundation Newsletter, No. 3 December 1994, pp. 5-7]
Ammon O’Brien adds this insight pertaining to the day and the night
and the day as one day sign of the birth of the Savior as observed
in Mesoamerica. “One prolific source of
information on the ancient culture of Mexico is the work of Fray
Bernadino de Sahagun.
Looking at Book 7 Chapter 2 in his Historia
General de las Cosas de Nueva Espana (Florentine Codex), which deals with the cosmology
of the Nahuas, we find the legend
of a night when the moon appeared in glory.
The following
words are recorded: "Like the sun he shone, and it was
like daytime. It was said, 'It is almost like day; everywhere
it is bright. Light is spread everywhere.'"
[Ammon O'Brien, Seeing beyond Today with Ancient America,
pp. 271, 263-264, 25]
Copyright © 1999-2002 Ancient America Foundation.
The Ancient America
Foundation (AAF) is pleased to present AAF Notes: a series of
research articles by scholars of Book of Mormon culture and
history and reviewed by AAF editors. Visit our Web site:
HYPERLINK http://www.ancientamerica.org
This message may be forwarded with identifying information.
For more information or to subscribe or unsubscribe to AAF Notes
or utilize the AAF order form, visit http://www.ancientamerica.org
and click “Contact us”. Refer, by e-mail,comments
or questions to aaf@ancientamerica.org.
