Mesoamerican Theorists
have inundated us with legends of ancient
settlement, recorded in the 16th century by Fernando Alva de Cortes
Ixtlilxochitl, the Lords of Totonicapan, and others; however, none remark of
the earlier legends of the Andes in South America and, specifically, the Four
Brothers who Settled the Andes, sometimes referred to as the Wandering.
First of all, the
Book of Mormon tells us that four main brothers
came to the Land of Promise:
Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi (1 Nephi 2:5). These were the sons of Lehi at the time the family left
Jerusalem. Two more sons were born
in the wilderness during an eight-year trek (1 Nephi 17:4; 18:7); however, they
were quite young when they reached the Land of Promise for during the voyage,
they still required much nourishment (1 Nephi 18:19). Certainly, only four
adult brothers were among the Lehi Colony when it reached the Land of Promise.
This should
suggest that we we should find something in the
history or legends regarding the first settlers of this land as brothers, and
we do in the Andes of South America, which parallels the events of the Book of Mormon quite closely.
Eight early
and respected historians of Peru and the Andes give
us a detailed account of the fundamental legends that came out of the Inca
barrios of Cuzco at the time the Spaniards arrived. They are Pedro Sarmiento de
Gamboa, Juan de Santa Cruz Pachacuti, Miguel Cabello Balboa, Pedro de Cieza
de Leon and Juan de Betanzos, all wrote of these legends, as did Garcilaso de
la Vega, Alonso Ramos Gavilan, and Martin de Moru. In fact, almost every
chronicler has some reference to the story of the Wandering and the Four
Brothers that settled the Andes.
Those who
wrote about the Legend of the Four Brothers included (LtoR) Gamboa,
Pachacuti, Cieza de Leon and Balboa
These early
legends of the beginning, referred to as the mists of
pre-Inca history, cover four successive Peruvian epochs, beginning with the
people of the First Age (Pacarimoc Runa)
who were white, agriculturists, and strong in their religion for they
worshipped Viracocha, the Creator, as the one and only god. The descendants of the older and
legitimate sons became the people of later epochs, while descendants of other
sons became the indigenous natives (Indians).
Originally there
were four sons who were sent by their father to
administer in his name and were perceived as propagators of the truth and
militant soldiers of a new and exclusive gospel. Each of these original brothers was married to a
"sister-wife" and they had a golden staff of "peculiar
properties" which "informed them when their mission was at an
end" by remaining fixed on an "unknown promised land toward which
they were journeying."
En route "difficulties developed with the oldest and most
troublesome of the brothers," who had been prevailed upon to return
"to the place of origin to retrieve some golden vessels they had failed to
bring with them." And
when one of the brothers was near death, he designated his grown son as his
heir and successor.
As recorded
by these historians, this legend dates to a people
who spoke a pre-Quechua language and considered themselves indigenous to the
valley of Cuzco, yet pre-dated the Inca Empire by many centuries. They
considered themselves unwarlike, but chose leaders who were "war-leaders,"
and whose services were not hired or paid. The leading brother of the four was
elected to be the war-leader and his great successes earned him the coveted title
of capac, or chieftan, which was an
honorific title of true eminence. Later, this brother moved further away and
appointed one of his brothers to be the "field guardian" of the
community.
Three
brothers became the leaders of three groups or
tribes who called themselves by separate names but were united and had to
escape into the Andes with some of their people. There was a brother who did
not combine with the league of three, and a long-lasting dualism occurred
between the two groups. Each group
cherished a separate history, which carried down even into Inca times. One brother led his people into the
wilderness where the "warlike orientation of these footloose people was
evidenced," and became adept at raiding the valley below," and who perfected
the ritual huarachicoy or breechcloth
ceremony. One brother was so brave
and strong and skilled with weapons that the other two brothers were affronted
and humiliated at not being able to match his feats. They were galled by envy and sought to kill their brother.
It
should be noted that though the earliest repetition
of these legends have been badly eroded by time, what remains has been
faithfully recorded as early as the 16th century. Obviously, the legends have been
enhanced with exotic additions, had survived more than a thousand years after
the demise of the Nephite Nation by the time Sarmiento and others recorded
them, yet enough remains to draw some interesting parallels with the Book of
Mormon.
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