Lehite Temples

Six LDS Temples were dedicated in 1983, all by President Gordon B. Hinckley who at that time was Second Counselor in the First Presidency serving with Presidents Spencer W. Kimball and Marion G. Romney.

Temples Dedicated in 1983

The dedication dates were:

• Atlanta, Georgia June 1, 1983 The Book of Mormon did not figure in the dedicatory prayer.
• Apia, Samoa August 5, 1983 Pres. Hinckley in the prayer quoted the Prophet Jacob 2 Nephi 10:21 describing the isles of the sea.
• Nuku'alofa, Tonga August 9, 1983 Pres. Hinckley in the dedicatory prayer said the Book of Mormon was a "record of the forebears of the people of Tonga."
• Santiago, Chile September 15, 1983 Pres. Hinckley did not explicitly mention the Book of Mormon in the dedicatory prayer, but he referred to "this great continent of South America which is part of the land of Zion."  
• Pape'ete, Tahiti October 27, 1983 Pres. Hinckley in the prayer twice alluded to the fundamental Book of Mormon promise that obedience yields prosperity 1 Nephi 2:20 (among others).  
• Mexico City, Mexico December 2, 1983 Pres. Hinckley in the dedicatory prayer said that most of the Saints in Mexico and Central America "have in their veins the blood of Father Lehi."

As part of his talk in the Mexico City temple, Pres. Hinckley said "Six new temples have been dedicated this year. These were unplanned in terms of particular prophecy but most of these temples have been built to serve descendants of Lehi ... I believe the Lord has touched His prophet [Spencer W. Kimball] to bring into play those processes by which He is remembering ancient covenants concerning descendants of Lehi."
Gerry Avant, LDS Church News History Revisited, published June 22, 2018.

See also "Father Lehi in the Mexico City Temple."

Father Lehi in the Mexico City Temple

Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley, then Second Counselor in the First Presidency with Pres. Spencer W. Kimball and Pres. Marion G. Romney, dedicated the Mexico City Temple in multiple sessions on December 2 and 3, 1983. The Mexico City Temple was designed with Maya architectural motifs such as the basket weave pattern reminiscent of Uxmal and other famous Maya sites.

Pres. Gordon B. and Sis. Marjorie P. Hinckley
at the Dedication of the Mexico City Temple
December 3, 1983 Photo by Gerry Avant

In the dedicatory prayer, Pres. Hinckley said these memorable words: "Bless Thy saints in this great land and those from other lands who will use this temple. Most have in their veins the blood of Father Lehi. Thou hast kept Thine ancient promise. Many thousands 'that walked in darkness have seen a great light.' " (2 Nephi 19:2 quoting Isaiah 9:2)

At one point in the dedicatory service, Pres. Hinckley spoke to Father Lehi who was present in the room. This is how Gerry Avant, long-time editor of the LDS Church News, remembered the incident:

"President Hinckley spoke with a quivering voice as he testified that souls 'from the other side of the veil' were present ... President Hinckley then named specifically ... Brigham Young, who sent missionaries to the country. He stated the names of several of the missionaries and the first mission president. He named the first Mexican who was baptized and pronounced the names of several others who had occupied a place in the history of the Church in Mexico."

Sister Avant continued, "President Hinckley had been speaking several minutes. He paused and explained that there was another person from the other side of the veil he had not mentioned. In a strong voice filled with emotion and joy, President Hinckley exclaimed, 'Welcome, Father Lehi! Oh, how your heart must rejoice!' "

LDS Church News History Revisited, published June 22, 2018.

See also "Lehite Temples."

King from 10 BC

At the site of Uaxactun, Peten, Guatemala, Slovak archaeologists have uncovered an anthropomorphic scepter or ceremonial blood letter bearing the image of a king. The artifact, reported in the February 2016 edition of Mexicon, dates to ca. 10 BC.

Uaxactun Cache Objects Dating to About the Time of Christ

The object is carved from dark green stone and includes 23 finely incised pre-classic glyphs. These glyphs are some of the earliest known writing in the Maya lowlands.

Artist's Rendering of Scepter or Blood Letter
26 Centimeters (about 10 inches) High

The pointed shaft is not sharp enough to have functioned effectively as a perforator, but the concave cavity on the back of the figure's head probably functioned like a spoon to hold the king's own blood offered as a sacrifice on behalf of his people. The cultural practice of auto-sacrifice, described in Alma 34:11, was widespread among Mesoamerican royalty.

The scepter or blood letter was part of a ritual cache oriented to the cardinal directions. The cache included a ceremonial celt or axe, a jade bead, and a zoomorphic figurine in an offering bowl. The jade bead represented life and resurrection. See the blog article "Partake of the Fruit."

The scepter or blood letter shows little Olmec influence in contrast to earlier artifacts from Uaxactun. Its writing is clearly antecedent to the well-known later Classic Maya script. Its imagery includes avian, serpent, and lightning symbolism.

Three of the 23 incised glyphs are the "bearded old man" glyph (viejo barbudo) known from other late Preclassic inscriptions.

3 Instances of the "Bearded Old Man" Glyph

Bearded figures are relatively more frequent in Preclassic (prior to AD 250) than in later times. For context, see point #10 in the article "Top 10 Archaeological Evidences for the Book of Mormon."