Izapa Stela 5 Totally Explained

Everything about Izapa Stela 5 totally explained

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, although some argue for dates as late as 250 CE. Also known as the "Tree of Life" stone, 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.

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. Stela 5 presents the most complex imagery of all the stelae at Izapa. 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 and is executed with a stylized opulence. Given the multiple overlapping scenes, it appears to be a narrative.

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. 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. 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".

Out of Africa

Others have interpreted the imagery to support theories of an African origin, citing what appears to be a boat at the bottom of the scene. This is done in support of a two-race Mayan-Olmec theory of Mesoamerica, one of African origin and the other of Middle Eastern or Asiatic origins.

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 dream

of the tree of life in the Book of Mormon. 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, other Latter-day Saint researchers have claimed that the six figures at the level of the tree may represent Lehi's family at the time, 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. Not all Latter-Day Saint scholars accept this proposition.

Consensus

Mainstream Mesoamerican scholars don't 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".

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