PARALLELS
Mesoamerican and
Ancient Middle Eastern Traditions

by Diane E. Wirth

Left: Incense burner from the Maya site of Iximché, Guatemala, depicting a man with a beard. Right: Portrait of a beardless king from the Maya site of Palenque. Natives of the Americas cannot grow full beards. Then why did the man on the left have one?

Did ancient civilizations travel to the New World before Columbus arrived in 1492? Traditional archaeological teachings say "no," but evidence to the contrary is mounting.

Now, Diane E. Wirth has assembled and analyzed an exhaustive collection of evidence that reveals the stunning parallels between Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations and the cultures of the ancient Middle East. In PARALLELS, she examines the similarities between Middle Eastern traditions, beliefs and iconography and those of Mesoamerican cultures.

PARALLELS brings out in the open the long debated and very controversial subject of isolationism (Bering Strait theory) and diffusionism (theory of trans-oceanic voyages) regarding the influence of the ancient Middle East on the Western Hemisphere. It is a bold, fascinating, and reader-friendly study full of information on the plausibility of foreigners from the Middle East influencing New World cultures.

Included in its 8-1/2 x 11" soft covers with perfect binding are 211 pages, 290 illustrations, 824 endnotes, 9 tables and 517 sources in the bibliography.