How could Joseph Smith have known about ancient cement technology in the first century B.C. in Mesoamerica?

Question

No one in the nineteenth century could have known that cement, in fact, was extensively used in Mesoamerica beginning largely at this time, the middle of the first century B.C.(See Matthew G. Wells and John W. Welch, "Concrete Evidence for the Book of Mormon," Insights).

One of the most notable uses of cement is in the temple complex at Teotihuacan, north of present-day Mexico City. According to David S. Hyman, the structural use of cement appears suddenly in the archaeological record. And yet its earliest sample "is a fully developed product." The cement floor slabs at this site "were remarkably high in structural quality." Although exposed to the elements for nearly two thousand years, they still "exceed many present- day building code requirements." (David S. Hyman, A Study of the Calcareous Cements in Prehispanic Mesoamerican Building Construction (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University, 1970), ii, sec. 6, p. 7.)

For more info visit http://www.jefflindsay.com/myturn.shtml#cemen

Answer 1

He didn't know. Thus, the information was given to him by revelation. And he did not author the Book of Mormon. He couldn't! Joseph Smith was a poor farm boy with little education. He just didn't know. So everything was information he gathered while translating the Book of Mormon (through revelation) and while receiving revelation.

Answer 2

How? Maybe because he read about the Aztecs. Maybe he just assumed that anyone who built big pyramids would have cement. Maybe because cement had existed in the Western World for 2000 years and he never considered it ever had to be discovered.

Note that though he got cement right, he said the cement city was constructed about 1300 years before Teotihuacan (or any other Aztec city) was built.

This is proof?

Answer 3

So why could Joseph Smith not explain why Native American DNA is Very different from Middle Eastern DNA?

The Haplotyeps are completely different.

If Native Americans came from the Israelites we would see some genetic correspondence.

Answer 4

I don't claim that Joseph Smith was a fraud. He probably did have spiritual visions and spoke with angels who have knowledge far beyond our own human capabilities.

However, demons are angels too. Just because he was able to communicate with spirit beings doesn't make his word the truth.

All religions have hints of truth and are full of errors. This is why we do not put our faith in religion. We put our faith in a person who was the human incarnation of the heavenly Father.

Answer 5

While your shooting arrows in the dark you just might hit something. I don't believe that he did know, but that may be an explanation if he did. How come Joe didn't know that there was not a civilization of millions of Jewish people living in New York, and engaging in warfare 6000 years ago?

Answer 6

Anyone at the time who looked closely enough could have seen that. There were human hairs sticking out of the rocks that the temple was made of. That tells you that the rocks were man made. He just either looked closely at the temples, or someone told him about it, and he came to that conclusion.

Answer 7

maybe Moroni [sp?] told him

Answer 8

mormans are a joke

Answer 9

He didn't.