How are you? I see you're doing a film on Tulum. Just a friendly note to you to be careful in your research on Tulum and take anything told to you by the LDS family guides with a grain of salt. If BMAF can be of any help to you in research, we have a researcher on staff. Just please watch the archaeological dates for Tulum and good luck. Doug

Thanks. I assume that (Doug) is unaware of the original dedicatory stone found at Tulum, that is now in England, placing the dedication of the site to 421ad. The Toltec took over the place, made some changes and placed a new dedicatory stone, dating to the 13th century. The place is referred to now as a 13th century Toltec fortress. It was neither. I'm aware of the crazy things the LDS guides say about Tulum. They don't have a clue. Jerry

I am not aware of a stone that is now in England. Most of the material I've read on Tulum places its beginning around 600-700 AD. I will add that it is one of the nicest ruins I've seen, sitting on the coast as it does. I would think that a well-done DVD would be a good seller. We would want to sell it on the BMAF website and maybe have a presentation at one of our conferences.

I'm glad you're not going to repeat the Jose DAvila apocrypha dished out by the Limhi and his brothers. As you create your film and discover things and have adventures, I think it would be nice every three months or so to write up a short 8-12 paragraph article and send it to me. I'll mail it out to our members and then put it on the website.

I got an e-mail from a member lady in Norway who is very in to BofM geography. She told me she is a Jerry Ainsworth fan.

Our reference for the date and stela is one of the earliest pamphlets produced about Tulum, which had a photo of the original stela, indicating the stone has since been removed to England, as many of the early artifacts have been.

We are currently trying to locate the stela in England, and get a current photo of it. The one left by the Toltec is still available, but can no longer be read, due to the deterioration from the elements. The uniqueness of the site however is not the stela, but the configuration of the stone wall, as well as the site itself, along with the ceremony that it was built to conduct.

When I first visited Tulum the front wall extended beyond the two side walls of, for the distance of about an eighth of a mile, having a bend it it. Plus the two walls on the north and south sides do not run parallel to each other, as the south wall runs inward slightly.

When viewed from above, (with the extended wall being considered), the wall configures to the same shape as the big dipper. Since the wall has no mortar in it, it is clear it was not a defensive wall - as it can be dismantled very easily. In fact, those stones that once made the handle of the dipper, have since been removed by the local people to build homes, etc. But the stones were there in 1975 when I first visited the site.

The story of Tulum is very different from what is currently being taught about it, including the things taught by the current LDS guides.

Doug, I'll send a copy to you once the DVD is finished. Then you can make a judgment as to whether you would like that presented at the BMAF conference. Thanks for the consideration.

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