2010 Expedition
In the Spring of 2010 a group of four members traveled to Mexico to further the ongoing project of Book of Mormon archaeology, but the approach this year was different as this crew spent most of its time at the archaeological site of Teotihuacan. Having made previous arrangements with Teotihuacan officials to catalogue and photograph the stone tablets that were found in the tunnel beneath the Pyramid of the Sun, the team was finally cleared to complete this project that began with a preliminary trip about eighteen months earlier.
While at Teotihuacan the group had the opportunity to photograph the shadow effects that took place on the western face of the Pyramid of the Sun during the equinox, but the crew was not aware of what they would find in the process of that filming. In the course of the three hours spent looking at the face of this pyramid the crew discovered the definite shadow of a cross on the face of the pyramid. This was a remarkable find and set the tone for the rest of the trip.
The team left Teotihuacan and visited the Moises family in Jalapa de Diaz. They were met by two little girls who were all giggles and grabbed the hands of the team members to escort them to the house. Aunt Martha is still doing well, Isabel is making ends meet through her sewing, and thanks to Mama the roof of the house is complete as she is the one who nailed the tin in place.
The team left this lovely family and was off to Ayoutla to spend a very cold night in the home of Joel. The team left early the next morning to get a good start on the path to the upper portions of this mountain on the western end of the "bowl" they call the Cumorah Valley. Gary, Neil and David all climbed while Don stayed with the van. The climb was as beautiful as it was difficult. The team made it to the eastern upper front of the mountain by 10:30 and began searching different paths to see where they went. In the course of the search Gary found a natural spring that indicates a person could stay in the upper elevations for months at a time without being detected. This is important as it may be good for arguments to support Ether's claim of remaining hidden in the recesses of the rocks for long periods of time. Gary also found a stone axe head on the southern side of the upper valley. The team continued to search until about 3:30 and then ventured back down the mountain to meet up with Don at about 5:30.
After a day of sleeping late, the crew left the State of Oaxaca and drove back to Teotihuacan to do the photography on the stone tablets. The project was so well planned that from set-up to completion and clean-up it took less than three hours. This provided extra time for the crew to research and gather further information on the site of Teotihuacan which came in handy for the last day of the trip.
It was Friday morning that the crew entered the site early to complete some filming on the Pyramid of the Sun. Two stayed at the Pyramid of the Sun while two ventured to the Citadel of Quetzalcoatl to test a budding theory of what these structures might represent. It was here that the buds turned to full blossom as many insights began to flood upon the understanding and it became very clear that the name "Teotihuacan" is accurate. Officials say that Teotihuacan is Nuahtl for "Birthplace of the Gods," but we now know it is more like "The Place That Marks the Birth of Our God." It appears that the structures here are a testament to the planetary alignments that marked the birth of our Savior and the layout of the structures of this site not only marks that alignment, but they tell a gospel story that is the Restored Gospel in its fullness.
The last day of our trip was remarkable and we spent the evening in awe of all that we had learned in such a short time. We know that the success of our endeavors are due in part to your continual prayer support and we want to thank all of you who have participated in praying for our success, but more importantly for God's work to move forward in these latter days--it is truly a team effort.
Teotihuacan Stone Catalogue Report
