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The
Birthdate of Quetzalcoatl (Christ)
By Bruce W. Warren Research with Extract Notes from Step by
Step Through the Book of Mormon by Alan C. Miner (unpublished)
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 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 birthdate 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 balastrad 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 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]
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
Copyright © 1999-2002 Ancient America Foundation. 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
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