King Pacal’s Sarcophagus Lid
Location: Palenque (pah-lehn-kay) in Chiapas, Mexico
Description: Like pyramid tombs in Egypt, a pyramid tomb was found in the Temple of Inscriptions at Palenque. This suggests cultural ties between Central America and Egypt. As documented in the Bible, the Israelites once resided in Egypt (prior to the Exodus). In the Book of Mormon, Hebrew travelers journey to a new land (Central America), and therefore bring their Egyptian influences with them.
On the large lid of this sarcophagus found at Palenque is carved an image of a “man reclining and below are the open jaws of the lord of the underworld, while above him rises the Mayan “tree of life””. [24]
A drawing of the sarcophagus lid can be found at the Mesoweb website.
The photo below of the tomb reproduction was taken at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. Photo copyright © 1994 Church of Christ (Temple Lot) Board of Publications, used with permission.
Copyright © 2011 Church of Christ (Temple Lot) AVA Committee