Hebrew design in Mesoamerica: Temples match

By Michael De Groote
Mormon Times Published: 2009-10-18 00:15:20

It probably isn't too surprising to learn that the tabernacle of Mo ses and the Temple of Solomon have the same proportions. They all came from the same culture, after all. But what if temple complexes in Mesoamerica matched those same architectural proportions? Archaeologist F. Richard Hauck researched the shapes of ancient Hebrew sacred space. Relying on the work of Asher Kaufman, Hauck learned that the tabernacle of Moses and Solomon's temple both used cubit measurements of 43.7 centimeters and 42.8 centimeters in their construction. The building's spaces -- such as the Holy of Holies, sanctuaries, outer walls and other rooms -- were also proportionally related. Solomon's Temple was twice the size of the tabernacle, yet it kept the same ratios of width and length.

A proportionally enlarged plan for Solomons Temple is superimposed over the temple complex in Izapa, Mexico. The various temples, pyramids and buildings appear as topographical hills. The te mple is the pink and yellowish diagram. The Izapa buildings align with the temple priest storage areas in the pink and then in the entrance, sanctuary and Holy of Holies in the yellowish area (the Holy of Holies is to the left and has an Izapa building at each end). By F. Richard Hauck, used with permission.

Even the Ark of the Covenant matched those proportions on a much smaller scale. Hauck told participants of the seventh annual Book of Mormon Lands Conference, held Saturday, Oct. 17 in Salt Lake City, about his examination of the temple complex at the ruins of Izapa in Mexico. He plotted out the spatial relationships of Izapas various buildings and pyramids along various lines. He discovered that, like the Hebrew sacred spaces in the Old World, Izapa architects used cubit measurements of 43.7 centimeters and 42.8 centimeters. Then, one day, as he worked on recreating architectural drawings of Solomon's temple, Hauck said he felt inspired to compare the proportions of the Temple of Solomon with the shapes in the Izapa ruins. They matched. In the same way that the temple of Solomon was a larger version of Moses' tabernacle, the Izapa temple complex was aligned with the same proportions -- only 15 times larger than Solomon's temple. There was a direct correlation, according to Hauck, to Izapa's mounds and plazas with the tabernacle and Solomon's temple. "They were all built on the same model," Hauck said. From the cloth and wood tabernacle, to the stone temple of Solomon, to the huge complex of buildings in Izapa, there was a correlation in size, according to Hauck. "The measurements system used to design Izapa, and the basic architecture in Izapa were copied directly from sacred architecture employed by Moses and Solomon." To learn more about the Book of Mormon Lands Conference, presented by the Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum, go to www.bmaf.org.

E-mail: mdegroote@desnews.com
MormonTimes.com is produced by the Deseret News in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Copyright 2009 Deseret News Publishing Company

WHY MESOAMERICA? Criteria for Book of Mormon Lands and People There are several different theories held among Latter-day Saints for the location of Book of Mormon lands. Some place the geography of the book in upstate New York or near the Great Lakes. Others look to Peru and South America. The BMAF supports a Mesoamerican context for the major Book of Mormon sites. Other locations may meet some of the following criteria, but we feel that only Mesoamerica meets all these elements required by the book itself:

* A Narrow Neck of Land surrounded by 4 seas. * A Major River Flowing from South to North from a narrow strip of wilderness. * A High Civilization with Kings and Priests and City-States. * An Agricultural Base to Support Several Millions of People. * A Highly Literate Society (Written Language) with Scribes as Important Officers. * Functional Calendar and Dating Systems. * A Merchant Class Using Weights and Measures. * Engineers to Build Temples, Towers, and Highways, using Cement. * Highly-skilled Craftsmen - Precious Metals, Stonework. * A Warrior Society - Great Battles, Structured Armies, Sophisticated Fortifications. * Legends of a White and Bearded God. * These Criteria must be in the Western Hemisphere but where Joseph Smith could not have known about them in 1829.

ANY BOOK OF MORMON LANDS PROPOSAL MUST INCLUDE ALL OF THE ABOVE TO BE SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED.