Chichen Itza and links to Lehi and the 3 Nephites

While re-reading Dr. Jerry Ainsworths "The Life and Travels of Mormon and Moroni" I stumbled across an interesting section where he is speaking briefly about the history of Chichen Itza and some of the writings of Linda Schele and David Freidel. They say that although the genealogy of the people of Chichen Itza is incomplete, the original father of these people was named Lord Jawbone (Forest of Kings, 362). Any Bible dictionary will identify the Hebrew name Lehi as meaning "Jawbone."

These authors further report that the ancient settlers of that area never appointed kings for themselves. In other words, they could not have been those whom the Book of Mormon traditionally identifies as Lamanites, who were always ruled by kings. Instead, "three brothers" ruled the people at Chichen Itza, with none viewed as superior to the others (Forest of Kings, 359-60).

These statements suggest that the people of Chichen Itza may have been led there, as well as governed, by the Three Nephites. Their migration from the land northward could have commenced as early as A.D. 326, when Mormon was fifteen years old. At that time, the Three Nephites withdrew from among the Nephite nation in general (see Mormon 1:13-15). Schele and Freidel note that the three brothers were called "lords of fire" (Forest of Kings, 360). The Book of Mormon records that the Three Nephites possessed power over fire (see 4 Nephi 1:32)