Book of Mormon, D & C, Pearl of Great Price

The history books say that Christianity was introduced among the Mayans by the invading Spaniards. I do not think that this is necessarily true. If you look at their artwork and traditions, you can see that they knew Christ. They did not always understand Him, but he was present among them long before the Catholic priests came. In this blog I will share a few of the things I learned from my guide Helaman about their beliefs in Christ that many do not understand or choose to overlook. The Book of Mormon adds a great dimension to understanding who these people were, where they came from and how they knew of Christianity when Christ was born and lived on the other side of the world.

Let's start with their temples. They are fashioned after King Solomon's temple, and with the same layout as Moses' tabernacle in the wilderness. There was a progression of worthiness associated with the areas around the temple which itself consisted of two rooms: the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies where the priest could go once a year to be in the presence of God, or Gods, depending on their level of righteous at the time. In the workmanship of the adorned temples are symbols of Christ and God. The most significant one is found over many doors. It is the image of a man descending from the sky. He has been identified as everything from a myth to an alien when in fact; this represents one of the most sacred experiences among these people. It represents a visit of Christ. Jesus Christ spoke of other sheep that he must attend to after leaving his disciples. The people of the Americas were among these other sheep. 3 Nephi 11 shares this sweet experience when Christ descended from the heavens to administer to these people. This also explains the red hand prints found on many of their buildings. They are not the signature of the builder; they represent the healing hands of Christ as they remember the miracles He performed among them.

They believe He will one day come again, this time from the east, because this is what He promised them. That belief in a beloved "White God" is what allowed the Spaniards to conquer them.

There are other representations of His gospel, of the Godhead, of a resurrection from the dead, and many other gospel principles adorning these once sacred buildings. The alters of the temple were first used for animal sacrifices, just as they were performed among the Jews on the other side of the world. Much later, when the gospel had been corrupted, the methods became twisted but the underlying tradition was still there. A human sacrifice offered up a slit beating heart, then the priest would drink the blood and eat a piece of the flesh. They remembered the instructions of the White God, to no more offer animal sacrifices because He had fulfilled the law. They remembered that instead, they were to offer Him a broken heart and a contrite spirit. They remembered they were supposed to partake of the sacrament in His remembrance, but they had lost His spirit, the presence of the Priesthood and the written records of how and why these things should be done. It was confused, but the White God was still honored.

They believed in resurrection. Their graves were made in the form of a cross, because they knew Christ had died on a cross in order to break the bands of death. They provided steps at the foot of the cross, facing east, for the loved one to rise up when Christ came again.

Their stories and legends contain a feathered serpent who is the bringer of all good and his fallen brother the serpent without wings, who brings evil. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ we understand the relationship between Jesus Christ and Satan.

They also tell of the earthly mother of Jesus Christ, who picked up the feathers of a dove and placed them by her heart, thus becoming pregnant with the Great God's child through His spirit.

Yes, when the Spaniards arrived, they were desperately lost to the true gospel of Jesus Christ, but it had been there, and still manifested itself in their traditions. The Mayans had known Jesus Christ, the Spaniards just reminded them.