Back to Stela 5

The ground panel is indeed intriguing. The incised lines may represent a rod of iron or pathways that lead to the tree of life.

The six triangles or pyramids are even more intriguing. As shown in the accompanying picture, Norman discovered that by extending the lines of the pyramids, six extend to ears of different individuals. Two lead to the eyes of the Sariah figure and the ancestral figure. And two lines extend to the top of the stone or to the sky panel.

The parable of the tree of life parallels the parable of the four soils. The Savior said:

Behold a sower went forth to sow: And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the WAY SIDE, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

Some fell upon STONY PLACES,, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

And some fell among THORNS, and the thorns sprang up, and choked them:

But others fell into GOOD GROUND, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. (Matthew 13:4-8)

The Savior emphasized the following point when asked why He spoke in parables:

Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they SEEING SEE not; and HEARING they HEAR not, neither do they understand. (Matthew 13:13)

First, I will summarize the parallels between the parable of the four soils with the different people represented in Lehi's dream and the 15-ton stone monument at Izapa, Stela 5.

Four Soils	Tree of Life
1. Some fell by the wayside.	1. Some did not partake of the fruit.
2. Some fell in stony places.	2. Some got lost in forbidden paths.
3. Some fell among thorns.	3. Some partook of the fruit and then were ashamed.
4. Some fell in good ground.	4. Some held on to the iron rod and partook of the fruit.

As stated above, you will observe that when the lines are extended from the pyramids, six of them point to the ears, perhaps suggesting the concept of "who hath ears let him hear."

Two of the lines extend to the eyes, which may suggest the Savior's statement of "and seeing they see not."

As the picture puzzle is unraveled in more detail, we will see that, in reality, four groups of people are moving toward the tree in the Izapa monument, Stela 5, just as four groups of people are mentioned in the parable of the four soils and just as four groups of people are found in the dream of Lehi.