Introduction

The Naacal tablets (also known as the Niven’s tablets), are clay tablets with images and lines discovered in Mexico in 1921 ^[1] by William Niven. Similar tablets were found and translated by James Churchward in India. Both sets of tablets are thought to be related, and are believed to be written in the ancient language of an early civilization.

Discovery of the tablets

William Niven

Niven, a mineralogist and archaeologist originally from Scotland began working as a jewelry salesman in his early twenties. He later became a prospector and prominent mineral dealer. His first mineralogical discovery in 1889 was in Texas, where he identified three new minerals.^[2] . Niven's worked on many sites between 1890 and 1910, before finally moving on to the Valley of Mexico.

In the early 1910’s, Niven reported that he found engraved stone tablets in Placero del Oro during an excavation in the Valley of Mexico. He claimed to have discovered a total of 2600 tablets altogether. The tablets contained pictographs: characters and pictures of recognizable subjects such as birds or plants. The paints used on the tablets were said to have been made from iron oxide^[3] Niven spent many years trying to learn the cultural origin and meanings of the symbols on the tablets, but to no avail. Eventually, he organized the collection in his own private museum in Mexico City, where people could view not only the tablets, but also his other findings.^[4] Niven spent a lot of time trying to get his work regarding the tablets recognized by people. At the time of his death, the tablets became better known due to the involvement of James Churchward.

James Churchward

Churchward served in the British army and learned of the tablets while stationed in India. He claimed to have been shown the tablets by a priest who taught him how to decipher the symbols^[5]. Churchward says that he found these tablets years before Niven found the ones in Mexico and that, upon hearing of his own discovery in India, Niven sent Churchward rubbings of the finds in Mexico. Churchward believed the tablets contained the stories of the Naacal people, of the hidden continent Mu. The only ones who knew of their beginnings were the Naacals themselves and those who they taught. According to Churchward, the stories contained on the tablets tell the Creation story of the Naacal people, which Churchward claimed the Creation story in the Bible was modeled upon.^[6]

Churchward found the tablets difficult to decipher, and studied what he called the "Naga-Maya" language in order to determine the esoteric meanings of the symbols. He claimed that, with the help of the priest, he was able to learn the language and decipher the tablets.^[7]

Others

Two other archaeologists that took an interest in the tablets were Ludovic Mann, who found the carvings similar to Scandinavian petroglyphs he had studied^[8], as well as John Cornyn, a specialist in Aztec literature, who claimed to have deciphered some of the iconography.^[9]

Tablets Content

The clay tablets Churchward claimed to have found contained pictures and lines, some recognizable, some which had to be deciphered. Churchward wasn't able to determine their exact age, but because he believed them to be the word of the first ever civilization, he guessed they could be as old as 100,000 years old.The tablets discuss the beginnings of the Naacals, and how they came from the mother land. Their island, Mu, was broke up by earthquakes and sunk to the bottom of the Pacific, destroying the land and its people. Churchward arranged the tablets, which he deciphered, according to subject. There were ten series, each containing 2-16 tablets. ^[10]

Series 1- A description of creation down to and including advent of man
Series 2- The raising of the mountains by the “fires underneath” and provisions for the disposal of future gases
Series 3- The origin and workings of the great forces throughout the universe
Series 4- The origin and workings of the earth’s great primary force, showing two divisions and differentiation between the two
Series 5- The origin and workings of the earths great atomic force- a subdivision of one of the two principal divisions
Series 6- The origin of the force that creates and sustains life, with its workings. A subdivision of the two principal divisions.
Series 7- The origin of life, showing what life is, the changes in the forms of life- imperative as the earth developed.
Series 8- The creation of man, showing what man is and in what way he differs from all other creations.
Series 9- The advent of man upon earth and where he first appeared, which was called in the tablets “the Motherland of Man.”
Series 10- This series consisted of only two tablets, but they were much larger than the others. They served as a key to the writings and vignettes on the other tablets.

Controversy

There are people who do not believe the tablets that Niven's discovered are ancient pre-Hispanic objects.^[11] Given the large number of tablets found, it would have been quite the task to fake. Sylvanus Morley, an archeologist, felt that the tablets were "too crudely done to be real... still, most of his stuff is undoubtedly genuine."^[12] Also, there is no reason to believe that the Niven's tablets are in any way related to those that Chuchward claimed to have found. More research needs to be done on Niven's work, and the rubbings of the tablets deserve more attention before determining authenticity.

Churchward claims to have deciphered his tablets with help from divine psychic abilities^[13], but there is no support for the fact that the Naacal tablets actually say what he claims. His tablets have not survived to the present day. He admits his shortcomings, stating, "Words are used and names are given which apparently have died out... so that my translations may be, to some extent, inadequate."^[14] There is no doubt that Niven's tablets existed, since there are photographs that have survived. However, their relation to the lost continent of Mu, a common subject of pseudoarchaeology, is highly suspect. The tablets and Churchward’s story are interesting because of the entertainment value, not because of evidence of their existence, but that does not mean that they should not be further studied.

Reference List

^ Wicks, p.213
^ Wicks p.xi
^ Lost Continent p.18
^ Wicks p. xii
^ Lost continent, p.16
^ Lost Continent p.15
^ Lost continent p.16
^ Chapman p.13
^ My-Mu
^ Lost Continent, p.10-11
^ (References required)
^ Wicks p.216
^ Bad archaeology
^ Children of Mu p.23

Bibliography

Bad Archaelogy.http://www.badarchaeology.net/forgotten/mu.php

Chapman, Glen W. Niven's Buried Ancient City in Mexico. http://chapmanresearch.org/PDF/Niven%27s%20Buried%20Ancient%20City%20in%20Mexico.pdf 2001

Churchward, James. Lost Continent of Mu, The Motherland of Men 1926.

Churchward, James. Children of Mu.

My-Mu.com. "Did Churchward give Niven a Bad name in 1926?" http://www.my-mu.com/bon/b01-2012_1.html

Wicks, Robert S. and Roland H. Harrison. Buried Cities, Forgotten Gods: William Niven's Life of Discovery and Revolution in Mexico and the American Southwest. Texas Tech University Press, 1999. Print.

[1] Wicks, p.213

[2] Wicks p.xi

[3] Lost Continent p.18

[4] Wicks p. xii

[5] Lost continent, p.16

[6] Lost Continent p.15

[7] Lost continent p.16

[8] Chapman p.13

[9] My-Mu

[10] Lost Continent, p.10-11

[11] (References required)

[12] Wicks p.216

[13] Bad archaeology

[14] Children of Mu p.23

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