ABSTRACT

In several ways, the highways discussed in the Book of Mormon are similar in form and function to highways constructed in ancient Mesoamerica.

EVIDENCE SUMMARY

Expansive systems of highways were constructed by several ancient American societies, and their remains have long been studied by archaeologists. The ancient Maya, in particular, built and used highways “from the Late Formative through the Postclassic periods” (ca. 400 BC–AD 1500) in a manner that fits descriptions of highways found in the Book of Mormon.

“Many Highways”

The Book of Mormon mentions that during a period of peace “there were many highways cast up, and many roads made” (3 Nephi 6:8; emphasis added). Ancient Mesoamerica featured vast networks of highways that cumulatively extended for hundreds of miles. Major sites had dozens of such roads. For instance, more than 80 of them have been documented at Chichen Itza alone. In addition, recent data from an aerial laser technology called LiDAR has allowed researchers to identity many more highways hidden beneath the dense jungle.

“Cast Up”

The description of highways being “cast up” (3 Nephi 6:8) indicates that many roads in the Book of Mormon were more than just well-worn paths. Human construction was involved to raise them above ground level, similar to the “cast up” roads of ancient Israel (see Isaiah 57:14–15; 62:10).

Highways in Mesoamerica were likewise elevated. For instance, anthropologist John L. Sorenson commented that the “66 feet (20 m) wide and up to 7 feet (2 m) high” road at Dzibilchaltun in the lowland Maya area involved “massive construction [that] surely qualifies as ‘cast up’.” Concerning Mesoamerican highways, Mark Wright has explained:

Although they varied in height and width, their construction was generally composed of rubble lined with large stones at the edges and large cobblestones in the interior, progressively getting smaller from bottom to top, finally gradating to fine gravel near the surface and topped with fine powdered limestone (called sascab), which was pressed smooth with stone rollers.

“The Highway Which Led to the Chief Market”

Ancient Maya highways often connected major districts or building complexes within their sprawling cities. Metropolises like El Mirador had numerous causeways that branched out from the city, somewhat like spokes on a wheel. In many cities, at least one major road led to what researchers believe were central market plazas. The “highway which led to the chief market” near Nephi’s garden tower is consistent with this commonly proposed architectural layout for ancient Maya cities (Helaman 7:10).

“City to City,” “Land to Land,” and “Place to Place”

Anthropologist Justine M. Shaw has proposed that highways among the ancient Maya naturally fit into three categories, which she labeled as (1) “local intrasite,” (2) “core–outlier intrasite,” and (3) “intersite.” As explained by Shaw,

The first, referred to here as “local intrasite,” connects major architectural groups within and immediately around the site core. … The second category, “core–outlier intrasite,” runs 1 to 5 km to connect the core with more distant portions of the site, such as outlying groups. … The final proposed category is the ‘intersite’ sacbeob, which connect spatially distinct sites that are at least 5 km apart.

Mormon similarly assigned highways into three categories, describing them as leading from (1) “city to city,” and (2) “land to land,” and (3) “place to place” (3 Nephi 6:8). This possibly suggests that highways in both ancient Mesoamerica and in the Book of Mormon may have been grouped into three separate tiers, perhaps based on distance and other factors.

Straight Paths

According to Shaw, “Nearly all Maya causeways are straight” and “even when features of moderate size lie in the projected path of a sacbe, every effort is made to maintain the same line, even to the point of covering earlier constructions.” Alma’s message to the people of Gideon stressed the importance of making the Lord’s “paths straight” because the Lord “cannot walk in crooked paths” (Alma 7:19–20). While Alma’s language and imagery is biblical, his message would have been especially impactful in a Mesoamerican setting—where people went out of their way to literally make paths straight.

Conclusion

At this time, no ancient American highways or roads can be definitively linked to Book of Mormon peoples. Yet, as summarized above, several features of ancient Mesoamerican highways are consistent with the highways described in the Book of Mormon. The significance of these parallels is increased by the fact that in 1829, when the Book of Mormon was translated, most Americans likely didn’t know or expect that native civilizations had anciently built such extensive systems of transportation.