Mayan Beekeeping 🐝

[ZealouslyStriving]

DING DING DING!!! Score another one for the Book of Mormon:

https://www.newsweek.com/mayan-bee-discovery-1904616

 

Edited May 25 by ZealouslyStriving

[Pyreaux]

Not that Fawn Brodie or Michael Coe ever read the BoM well, it says the Jarodites brought bees across the desert of Arabia, it does not say they brought them onto the barges. Evidence of beekeeping further south than thought should help the Mesoamerican BoM geography models.

[marineland]

1 hour ago, Pyreaux said:

Evidence of beekeeping further south than thought should help the Mesoamerican BoM geography models.

Assuming another non-Book of Mormon culture could not have originated that.

[CV75]

3 hours ago, ZealouslyStriving said:

DING DING DING!!! Score another one for the Book of Mormon:

https://www.newsweek.com/mayan-bee-discovery-1904616

 

This species is native to the region from Costa Rica to Yucatan and has been used by lowland Maya for thousands of years. See 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stingless_bee 

https://news.mongabay.com/2019/01/house-of-the-royal-lady-bee-maya-revive-native-bees-and-ancient-beekeeping/#:~:text=Melipona beecheii is one of,Mayan culture for many generations.

[ZealouslyStriving]

The part that most interested me is the aspect of beekeeping (which is alluded to in the Book of Mormon) not just gathering from wild hives.

Edited May 25 by ZealouslyStriving

[ZealouslyStriving]

21 minutes ago, marineland said:

Assuming another non-Book of Mormon culture could not have originated that.

The assumption for many years is there was no beekeeping ("domesticating") in ancient America and was used as a argument against the Book of Mormon.

[InCognitus]

The Mayans even have a god of bees and honey (Ah Muzen Cab).  

I've heard that not only have these glyphs been translated to say they had Beehives, but they also mention Laurals and Mia Maids.  

[The Nehor]

Ummmm….we have known that Mayans practiced beekeeping for a long time. This find just shows that it was more widespread than could previously be shown. All the previous finds were further North.

This doesn’t support the Book of Mormon more in any way unless you have a very specific geographic model.

I also seriously doubt that the Jaredites would have brought the bees on their ocean voyage. After a year on the ocean all you would have is dead bees.

We have no written record of any of the migrants to the New World mentioned in the Book of Mormon practicing beekeeping. They very well might have. I suppose you could posit that the Jaredites used their knowledge of beekeeping to start up again once they arrived and somehow this was passed down to the Maya.

Best estimates of when Mayan beekeeping began also don’t fit well with Jaredites giving them that knowledge unless they only had contact with the Jaredites in very late Jaredite history.

[Calm]

43 minutes ago, The Nehor said:

After a year on the ocean all you would have is dead bees.

Speculating:  Didn’t they frequently stop?  As in more island hopping?  Maybe unload the bees and let them forage a few days?  A month or so?
 

Responding:  I don’t know much about bees, but I am thinking that wouldn’t work as they are sensitive creatures and would need too long to adjust to stay healthy.

Edited May 25 by Calm

[The Nehor]

15 hours ago, Calm said:

Speculating:  Didn’t they frequently stop?  As in more island hopping?  Maybe unload the bees and let them forage a few days?  A month or so?
 

Responding:  I don’t know much about bees, but I am thinking that wouldn’t work as they are sensitive creatures and would need too long to adjust to stay healthy.

I am not a beekeeper but I don’t think it would work. The feast and famine seasonal cycle of bees would be disrupted heavily. I mean ideally the bees would “think” it is winter while you are traveling but the time cycles wouldn’t match up and you would need very long stops for them to replenish. Also if the people are using the bees as a food source it is even less likely the bees survive. It does make you wonder what the Jaredites were eating.

[Pyreaux]

On 5/25/2024 at 10:48 AM, marineland said:

Assuming another non-Book of Mormon culture could not have originated that.

Yes, see, archeology mostly operates on "parallel evidence", "parallel evidence" only shows the two people behaved the same way but doesn't prove they are one and the same. Even if the people we find are non-Book of Mormon people, the more it shares with the narrative supports the historicity of the Book of Mormon. If theories that the beekeeping-Jaredites were part Olmec, iirc the Olmec were based more south. So, finding bee culture more south does help that theory. 

Edited May 26 by Pyreaux