In 3 Nephi 8:22 it says that "there was not any light seen . . . neither the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars . . ." According to Warren and Ferguson, Ixtlilxochitl stated that "the sun and the moon eclipsed, and the earth trembled, and the rocks broke, and many other things and signs took place . . . This happened . . . at the same time when Christ our Lord suffered, and they say it happened during the first days of the year." (Hunter and Ferguson 190) [Bruce W. Warren and Thomas Stuart Ferguson, The Messiah in Ancient America, p. 58]
3 Nephi 8:22 There was not any light seen . . . for so great were the mists of darkness which were upon the face of the land ([Illustration]): This dramatic photograph shows the first stage of the 1974 eruption of the Volcan de Fuego, in Guatemala. Simultaneous eruptions from several volcanoes could have produced the "thick darkness" (3 Nephi 8:20) mentioned by the Nephite reporters. [John L. Sorenson, Images of Ancient America, p. 204]
3 Nephi 8:23 Because of the darkness and the great destruction which had come upon them ([Illustration]): Ash from volcanoes could have smothered crops, animals, and humans over wide areas. The type of desolation resulting is illustrated by this scene near the volcano El Chichon in highland Chiapas in 1982. [John L. Sorenson, Images of Ancient America, p. 204]