Izapa Stela 5

Izapa Stela 5 is one of a number of large, carved stelae found in the ancient Mesoamerican site of Izapa, in the Soconusco region of Chiapas along the present-day Guatemalan border. These stelae date from roughly 300 BCE to 50 or 100 BCE, [Kubler, p. 328, or Pool, p. 273] although some argue for dates as late as 250 CE. [Guernsey Kappelman.]

Also known as the "Tree of Life" stone, [Stirling; Christensen.] the complex religious imagery of Izapa Stela 5 has led to different theories and speculations concerning its subject matter, particularly those involving Pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact. Though discovered and documented first in the 1930's, the stone is most noteworthy because of the controversy created by the proposition by Professor M. Wells Jakeman in 1953 that the stone was a record of the Book of Mormon tree of life vision. [Brewer, p. 12]

The stela

Documented by Smithsonian archaeologist Matthew W. Stirling in 1941, Stela 5 is composed of volcanic andesite and weighs around one-and-a-half tons. [Lowe at al., p. 110.] Stela 5 presents the most complex imagery of all the stelae at Izapa. [Both Jacobs and Guernsey Kappelman state this, with others.] Researcher Garth Norman, for example, has counted "at least 12" human figures, a dozen animals, over 25 botanical or inanimate objects, and 9 stylized deity masks.

Like much of Izapan monumental sculpture, the subject matter of Stela 5 is considered mythological and religious in nature [Pool, p. 271.] and is executed with a stylized opulence. Given the multiple overlapping scenes, it appears to be a narrative. [Kulbler, p. 328.]

Theories and speculations

Mainstream Mesoamerican researchers identify the central image as a Mesoamerican world tree, connecting the sky above and the water or underworld below. [See, for example, Guernsey Kappelman.]

Linda Schele and Mary Ellen Miller further propose that the stela records a creation myth, with barely-formed humans emerging from a hole drilled into the tree's left side. The associated seated figures are completing these humans in various ways. [Schele and Miller, p. 141.] Julia Guernsey Kappelman, on the other hand, suggests the seated figures are Izapa elites conducting ritual activities in a "quasi-historical scene", which is framed by, and placed in the context of, the "symbolic landscape of creation". [Guernsey, p. 124.]

Lehi's vision

Based on the "Tree of Life" theories put forth by Stirling and others, Brigham Young University Archeology chair and Professor M. Wells Jakeman proposed that the bas-relief image was a representation of Lehi's [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/1_ne/8/2-38#2 dream] of the tree of life in the "Book of Mormon". [Jakeman] Jakeman published multiple interpretations and theories about the stone during his lifetime and the Lehi theory quickly filtered through Mormon culture.

In support of Jakeman's speculation - a tree, a body of water, and a number of people are clearly present in the stela, as in the Book of Mormon story. "Latter-day Saints have either accepted or rejected Jakeman's proposal to varying degrees." [Brewer, p. 12]

Some Latter-day Saint researchers have claimed that the six figures at the level of the tree represent Lehi's family at the time of the vision, from left to right: Sariah, Lehi, Laman, Lemuel, Sam and Nephi. Four of the six figures are facing the tree, representing those who ate of the fruit in Lehi's vision, and the Laman and Lemuel figures are facing away representing their rejection of the tree. Many other parallels have been drawn between the symbology on this stone and Lehi's vision related in the "Book of Mormon". [See [http://www.mindspring.com/~kimball3/izapa.html The Izapa Culture: A Mesoamerican Tree of Life] ] Not all Latter-Day Saint scholars accept this proposition.

Out of Africa

Others have interpreted the imagery to support theories of an African origin citing, for example, what appears to be a boat at the bottom of the scene. [Clyde Winters is a particularly vocal proponent of this view (e.g. [http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/8919/nama2.htm "Evidence of the African Migration to America and Olmec Religion"] 0. See also Van Sertima, pp.74, 101.]

Consensus

Mainstream Mesoamerican scholars do not support linking Izapa Stela 5 to the Bible, the Book of Mormon, or an "out of Africa" theory. For example, Julia Guernsey Kappelman, author of a definitive work on Izapan culture, finds that Jakeman's research "belies an obvious religious agenda that ignored Izapa Stela 5's heritage". [Guernsey, p. 53.]

Notes

References

*aut|Christensen, Ross T., (1959) "The Symbol of the Tree of Life in Ancient America, and the New Tree-of-Life Carving Discovered at Izapa, Chiapas, Mexico," University Archaeological Society Newsletter 22 (1959): 4.
*aut|Clark, John, (1999) " A New Artistic Rendering of Izapa Stela 5: A Step toward Improved Interpretation", Maxwell Institute, 1999. Pp. 22–33
*aut|Jakeman, M. Wells, (1952) "An Archaeological Reconnaissance of the Xicalango Area of Western Campeche, Mexico." Bulletin of the University. Archaeological Society, no. 3. Brigham Young University, Provo.
*aut|Brewer, Stewart W., (1999); [http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=jbms&id=180 "The History of an Idea: The Scene on Stela 5 from Izapa, Mexico, as a Representation of Lehi's Vision of the Tree of Life"] , accessed June 2008.
*aut|Jacobs, John Q.; [http://www.jqjacobs.net/mesoamerica/izapa.html "The Izapa Ruins, A Photo Gallery"] , accessed December 2007.
*aut|Jakeman, M. Wells (1953) "An Unusual Tree-of-Life Sculpture from Ancient Central America," in "Bulletin of the [Brigham Young] University Archaeological Society" vol 4: 26–49
*aut|Guernsey, Julia (2006) "Ritual and Power in Stone: The Performance of Rulership in Mesoamerican Izapan Style Art", University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas, ISBN 978-0292713239.
*aut|Guernsey Kappelman, Julia; [http://www.utexas.edu/cofa/a_ah/dir/precol/izapa.htm Izapa (Precolumbian Art and Art History)"] , accessed December 2007.
*aut|Kubler, George (1990) "The Art and Architecture of Ancient America", 3rd Edition, Yale University Press, ISBN 0-300-05325-8.
*aut|Lowe, Gareth W. Thomas A. Lee Jr., and Eduardo Martinez Espinosa (1982) "Izapa: An Introduction to the Ruins and Monuments", in "Papers of the New World Archaeological Foundation" 31: 110.
*aut|Norman, V. Garth, (1973) "Izapa Sculpture, Part 1: Album". Papers of the New World Archaeological Foundation 30. Brigham Young University, Provo.
*aut|Pool, Christopher (2007) "Olmec Archaeology and Early Mesoamerica", Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-78882-3.
*|authorlink=Mary Miller |authorlink=Linda Schele|year=1986|title= The Blood of Kings: Dynasty and Ritual in Maya Art|publisher=Kimball Art Museum|location= Fort Worth, Texas
*aut|Stirling, Matthew W., (1943) "Stone Monuments of Southern Mexico," Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 138.
*aut|van Sertima, Ivan (1987) "African Presence in Early America", Transaction Publishers, ISBN 9780887387159.

External links

* [http://www.moroni10.com/lehi_stone.html Picture and drawing of the stone]
* [http://www.tektonics.org/qt/stela5.html LDS Apologetic Ministries]
* [http://www.mindspring.com/~kimball3/izapa.html Stela 5 at the Archaeological Ruins of Izapa]
* [http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/display.php?table=jbms&id=181&previous=L3B1YmxpY2F0aW9ucy9ib29rb2Ztb3Jtb252aWV3LnBocA= The History of an Idea: The Scene on Stela 5 from Izapa, Mexico, as a Representation of Lehi's Vision of the Tree of Life ]
* [http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/display.php?table=jbms&id=180&previous=L3B1YmxpY2F0aW9ucy9ib29rb2Ztb3Jtb252aWV3LnBocA=#Anchor-3.%20Ga-36140 A New Artistic Rendering of Izapa Stela 5: A Step toward Improved Interpretation]
* [http://members.tripod.com/~ronniesim/book_of_mormon.htm Mormon article containing a drawing of Stela 5]