About the Ancient America Foundation

The roots of Ancient America Foundation reach back to the early efforts of faithful Latter-day Saint scholars who wanted to better understand the cultural and historical setting of the Book of Mormon. In the 1930s, Milton R. Hunter, Hugh W. Nibley, M. Wells Jakeman, and Thomas Stuart Ferguson met at UC Berkeley and began a more systematic study of the Book of Mormon’s ancient setting. Their work helped give rise to the Itzan Society, which later developed into the BYU University Archaeological Society in 1946, and then into the Society for Early Historic Archaeology in 1967.

Ancient America Foundation was formally incorporated in Utah on February 1, 1983, The founding Board of Trustees included Vaughn Hansen, Bruce Jensen, and Richard Hauck with Paul R. Cheesman encouragement and membership. . These men were guided by a deep love for the Book of Mormon and a desire to encourage serious study of the ancient context. When the Society for Early Historic Archaeology ended in 1988, its assets were transferred to Ancient America Foundation, helping AAF carry forward part of that earlier legacy.

Through the late 1980s and early 1990s, the board evolved. Many of the original board left and Garth Norman and Bruce Warren joined.  Along with Michael Smith, Macoy McMurry, and Richard Miner, this group helped guide the foundation through many years of faithful research, publication, and collaboration.

Over time, AAF supported and encouraged the work of these scholars. Garth Norman became one of the most enduring figures in the history of the foundation. Garth’s service was marked by devotion, academic seriousness, and a sincere desire to bring more light and truth to Book of Mormon studies. As one of the longest standing directors for over 30 years, and the longest standing president of 17 years, he cared deeply about the archaeology of Mesoamerica and its significance to the Book of Mormon. He sought to bring researchers together, encourage collaboration, and hold the work to high standards. Garth was sustained by friendship, shared purpose, and his deep conviction that this work mattered.

After the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies became part of BYU’s Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship in 2002, some former FARMS researchers began using AAF as a fiscal sponsor for selected projects. Kirk Magleby joined and helped lead AAF. In 2015, when Lynne H. Wilson and John W. Welch founded Book of Mormon Central, with Kirk Magleby contributing, it began under the AAF umbrella. That arrangement later changed, and Book of Mormon Central became a dba of the legal entity Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum. In 2023, Book of Mormon Central changed its name to Scripture Central.

When Garth Norman passed away at the end of 2021, Ancient America Foundation was preserved  through the work and contributions of Cheryl Norman, and Kirk Magleby.  In 2025, after a management change at Scripture Central, several people joined AAF and began helping build the organization into a renewed force for Book of Mormon advocacy, research, and digital publishing. Today, Ancient America Foundation is a nonprofit research and publishing organization dedicated to missionary productivity, gospel advocacy, informed testimonies, and faithful scholarship.

AAF now publishes new content regularly across multiple media channels in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Its purpose is to help people become excited about the Book of Mormon, invite them to read it for themselves, and support creators who can become effective voices for the ongoing Restoration. The foundation continues to welcome friends who want to share time, treasure, or talent in advancing the cause of the Book of Mormon and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the world.

Across its history, Ancient America Foundation has been carried forward by people who believed that the Book of Mormon deserves faithful, serious, and generous study. From the early work of the Itzan Society, UAS, and SEHA, to the incorporation of AAF in 1983, to the long service of Garth Norman and others, to the renewed energy of the present day, AAF’s story is one of persistence, collaboration, and consecrated effort. Its mission remains rooted in the conviction that careful scholarship and sincere faith can work together to strengthen testimony, support missionary work, and bring greater understanding to the Book of Mormon.