New World Archaeological Foundation

"NWAF" redirects here. For the annual beer festival in the UK, see National Winter Ales Festival.

The New World Archaeological Foundation (NWAF) is an archaeological organization run by Brigham Young University. When founded it was the largest archeological project funded by a religious institution.[1] It was founded by Thomas Stuart Ferguson who sought to show how the history of Mesoamerican cultures proved the historicity of the Book of Mormon. Ferguson however found evidence to the contrary and from 1961 he kept a low profile as a secretary to the foundation which then became associated with the Brigham Young University and renamed as the BYU-NWAF.[2]

  1. ^ Michael D. Coe, "Mormons and Archaeology: An Outside View" Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Summer 1973 page 45
  2. ^ Larson, Stan (1990). "The Odyssey of Thomas Stuart Ferguson". Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. 23 (1): 55–93. ISSN 0012-2157. JSTOR 45225844.