Monte Nyman notes that in commenting upon his recording only a hundredth part of what he had available to him, Mormon wrote that there were many other particular and very large records of every kind that had "been kept chiefly by the Nephites" (Helaman 3:13-15). The word chiefly indicates that the Lamanites also kept some records and implies that they were known to Mormon at the time he abridged the Nephite records. It is not stated how he knew of them or whether they were in his possession and had "been handed down from one generation to another by the Nephites" (Helaman 3:16). [Monte S. Nyman, "Other Ancient American Records Yet to Come Forth," in Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, vol. 10, num. 1, 2001, p. 60]
Helaman 3:15 But behold, there are many books and many records of every kind, and they have been kept chiefly by the Nephites ([Illustration]): The Codex Borgia. This startlingly vivid codex is an undisputed example of pre-Columbian American hieroglyphic writing and one of only sixteen to survive contact with western civilization. It is named the Codex Borgia for the famous Italian family who purchased it for their collection and later gave it to the Catholic church. Thought to have been produced in Western Oaxaca in southern Mexico in the fourteenth century, it consists of thirty-nine skin leaves, brilliantly painted on both sides, and screenfolded into a book containing a 260-day ritual calendar used in religious ceremonies. The leaves measure approximately ten inches square. (Vatican Library, Rome.) These codices have not been dated precisely, but recent archaeological excavations have uncovered three more. One, dating from about A.D. 450, was discovered in 1970 by the BYU-New World Archaeological Foundation at Mirador, Chiapas, in Mexico. It was too badly decayed to be unfolded and therefore cannot be deciphered. Finds which also appear to be remains of ancient codices dating perhaps as early as the first century B.C. have been reported from excavations at Altun Ha in Belize and Cerro de las Mesas in Veracruz, both in Mexico. [Paul Cheesman, "Ancient Writing on Metal Plates," The Ensign, October 1979, p. 46]
Helaman 3:15 But behold, there are many books and many records of every kind, and they have been kept chiefly by the Nephites ([Illustration]): A Facsimile of the Codex Borgia. A facsimile of the codex Borgia, which was discovered in central Mexico and reports dynastic events and conquests going back as early as A.D. 700. It is a folded deer-skin "book" identical in form to the codices of the Maya, which were written on paper made from the pounded bark of wild fig trees, which was then covered with lime plaster and painted in multicolors with both figures and hieroglyphs. [John L. Sorenson, "Digging into the Book of Mormon," The Ensign, October 1984, pp. 18-19]
Helaman 3:15 There are many books and many records of every kind, and they have been kept chiefly by the Nephites ([Illustration]): The transmission of sophisticated elements of cultural knowledge through the generations in Mesoamerica depended on written records. This fine Jaina-style figurine from around A.D. 700 underlines how the control of books conferred power on the lowland Maya elite, one of whom is shown here, and on the elite in other Mesoamerican societies. [John L. Sorenson, Images of Ancient America, p. 159]