Commenting on Ether 13:13 and its Mesoamerican background, Brant Gardner wrote that:
. . . Ether, like the prophet’s
in Shule’s time, was in physical danger. For his own protection, he hid in the “cavity
of a rock,” or a cave. A cave offers protection from the elements, provides a
defensible position against wild animals, and is not a humanmade construction,
therefore not advertising human presence. In addition to being an effective
hiding place, in Mesoamerica it was also a sacred place where the levels of the
world met. The Mesoamerican tower-temples touched the level of the heavens,
while caves touched the underworld. If Ether participated in the Mesoamerican
mindset, he would logically understand a cave as a potential place to commune
with God. (Brant A. Gardner, Second Witness: Analytical and Contextual
Commentary on the Book of Mormon, 6 vols. [Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford
Books, 2007], 6:306)
In a footnote for the above, Gardner quotes from Karen
Bassie-Sweet, From the Mouth of the Dark Cave: Commemorative Sculpture of
the Late Classic Maya (1991). Here is a somewhat fuller quotation of the work:
The importance of caves in
Precolumbian Mesoamerican culture has been discussed by several scholars (Grove
1973; Heyden 1975; Schavelzon 1980). Numerous kinds of historical activities
occurred at caves.
The rites associated with caves
were initiations related to social incorporation, such as baptisms or the
entrance to adolescence or adulthood, and sociopolitical ceremonies, such as
investitures and ascensions (Heyden 1975). Other rites involving exorcism and
the cure of illness were also carried out in caves. As well, many mythological
events were thought to have occurred at caves. A cave was the location of the
birth of gods and races. The sun and moon were said to be born from a cave
(Heyden 1975:134; Schavelzon 1980:159). The Aztec believed they originated from
Chicomostoc (Seven Caves). A womb/vagina is represented in many Mesoamerican
birth metaphors by a cave (Heyden 1975; Brady 1988:52).
The importance of caves during
the Classic period in the Maya region can also be demonstrated. In this
chapter, I will establish that certain signs and symbols in Mays art represent
the personification of specific caves and cave tunnels, and that many of the
rituals illustrated in Classic Maya art, including the Period Ending events and
accession events, were performed at cave locations. (Karen Bassie-Sweet, From
the Mouth of the Dark Cave: Commemorative Sculpture of the Late Classic Maya [Norman,
Okla.: University of Oklahoma Press, 1991], 77)
