A Summary of Several Theories of Book of Mormon Lands in Mesoamerica

The Book of Mormon does not state into which sea the River Sidon empties, so the mouth of the river is not shown.             (See Alma 22:32 and Helaman 3:8)  Note that neither passage states that the piece of territory mentioned extends from the sea West to the seat East, only from the sea West to an unspecified place a relatively short distance to the east.  The line 
between the lands Bountiful and Desolation was a position that required specific fortifications, not that the fortifications ran 
all the way from the sea West to the sea East.  There is nowhere in Mesoamerica or Central America (including the
Isthmus of Panama), where a person could have traveled from ocean to ocean, through dense jungles and over mountains,   in one to one and one-half days.

 

Hill Cumorah/Ramah is the Hill Vigía in the Tuxtla Mountain Range just northwest of the Isthmus of Tehuántepec

Hill Shim is in the Tuxtla Mountain range in Veracruz, Mexico

Narrow Strip of Wilderness separating the lands of Zarahemla and Nephi runs directly north and south in eastern Chiapas and western Guatemala

In order to orient his map so that the Book of Mormon lands mentioned as being northward and southward from each other, he employs a directional system that is cultural (somewhat similar to what other groups have used in the past and still do in other parts of the world) rather than as we understand the cardinal directions.  On the map, this is called “Nephite North,” a designation that other scholars have applied to his concept, although he doesn’t use it himself.  Under this approach, the Gulf of Mexico is the Sea East; the Pacific Ocean is the Sea West.

 

The chain of coastal cities mentioned with Moroni being the southernmost and Bountiful being the northernmost are along the gulf coast of Veracruz and Tabasco from roughly the mouths of the Grijalva and Usumacinta rivers to the Isthmus of Tehuántepec, a distance of approximately 75 miles.  By this method, he ignores the vast Yucatán Peninsula as being in Lamanite territory and thus beyond the knowledge of the Nephite record keepers.

 

The Land of Bountiful is quite small and lies between the Land of Desolation at the Narrow Neck and the larger Land of Zarahemla to the south.

 

River Sidon is the Río Grijalva.

 

Land of Nephi is the Guatemalan Highlands. 

Waters of Mormon likely Lake Atitlán.

Land of First Inheritance – Guatemala – El Salvador border

 

Current archaeological ruins or sites proposed as Book of Mormon locations.

Amatenango, Mexico – Cumeni      Macuspana, Mexico – Land of Siron            Amatitlán, Guatemala – Shemlon       Mirador, Mexico – Ammonihah

Antigua, Guatemala – Middoni       Motozintla, Mexico – Antiparah                   Canchon, Guatemala – Lemuel       Oaxaca, Mexico – Moron

Chiapa de Corzo, Mexico – Sidom       Ocozocuautla, Mexico – Noah                Chicomuselo, Mexico – Judea       Pinula, Guatemala – Shimnilon

Chimatenango, Guatemala – Ishmael   Río Blanco, Guat – Jacobugath             Chontalpa, Mexico – Nephihah       Sacatepequez, Guatemala – Midian

Comitan Valley, Mexico – Gideon      San Isidro, Mexico – Aaron                        Frailesea, Mexico – Melek       San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala – Ani-Anti

Guajilar, Mexico – Zeezrom       San Miguel, Mexico – Land of Jershon              Huehuetenango, Guat – Valley of Alma      Santa Rosa, Mexico – Zarahemla

Izapa, Mexico – City by the Sea       Santiago Atitlán, Guat– Jerusalem             Kaminaljuyú, Guatemala – City of Nephi      Pilapan, Mexico - Teancum

Kaminaljuyú Valley, Guat. – Shilom       Teapa, Mexico – Land of Antionum       Laguna Mecoacan, Mexico – Moroni       Tonalá, Mexico – Land of Joshua

La Libertad, Mexico – Manti       Acayucan, Mexico - Jashon                               La Venta, Mexico – City of Mulek      Huayapan, Mexico – Land of Shem

 

 

Narrow Neck of Land is the Isthmus of Tehuántepec, Mexico

Hill Cumorah/Ramah is the Hill Vigía in the Tuxtla Mountain Range just northwest of the Isthmus of Tehuántepec.

 

Narrow Strip of Wilderness separating the lands of Zarahemla and Nephi is the Cuchumatanes Mountain Range running from sea to sea (Gulf of Honduras to the Pacific Ocean) through southern Guatemala.

Accepts the cardinal directions as presently understood, so that the Sea East is the Gulf of Honduras, and the Sea West is the Pacific Ocean.  The Gulf of Mexico, rather than being called the Sea North is “ . . . the place where the sea divides the land.” (Ether 10:20)

 

The chain of coastal cities mentioned with Moroni being the southernmost and Bountiful being the northernmost are along the east coast of Belize and into southern Yucatán, a distance of approximately 210 miles.

 

He uses one verse (Alma 22:31) to designate all the land northward from the Isthmus of Tehuántepec as Land Desolation; and all the land southward (including the Land of Nephi) as Land Bountiful.  This infers that the Land of Zarahemla is a subsidiary of the greater Land Bountiful, rather than the other way around, according to most other researchers. 
(Most verses that mention both lands of Bountiful and Zarahemla infer that Bountiful is smaller and a subsection of the land Zarahemla. 3 Nephi 3:23)  In this way he has the Land Bountiful abutting the Land Desolation at the Narrow Neck, even though the City Bountiful is over 100 miles east across the Yucatán Peninsula on the coast of eastern Mexico.  The Yucatán Peninsula is a major part of the Land Bountiful.

River Sidon is the Río Grijalva.

Land of Nephi is the Guatemalan Highlands. 

 

Waters of Mormon likely Lake Atitlán.

 

Waters of Ripliancum is the Papaloapan Water Basin of Veracruz state.

 

Land of First Inheritance – Izapa, Mexico

Current archaeological ruins or sites proposed as Book of Mormon cities.

Cerros, Belize – Mulek               Chiapa de Corzo, Mexico – Sidom               Kaminaljuyú, Guatemala – City of Nephi               Laman Ayin, Belize – Jershon

La Venta, Mexico – Jaredite City of Lib               San Lorenzo, Mexico – Kish/Desolation (Jaredite city)               Teotihuacán, Mexico – Jacobugath

 

Features of the Richard Hauck Model

(Archaeologist)

 

Narrow Neck of Land is a narrow transportation corridor, about 26 miles long, between the Pacific Ocean and the Sierra Madrein Chiapas, Mexico, leading to and across the Isthmus of Tehuántepec.

 

Hill Cumorah/Ramah is in the Tuxtla Mountain Range, a bit northeast of the Hill Vigía, just northwest of the Isthmus of Tehuántepec.

 

Narrow Strip of Wilderness separating the lands of Zarahemla and Nephi is the Sierra de las Minas on the east merging with the Cuchumatanes Mountain Range on the west and linking with the Sierra Madre on the west, running from sea to sea through southern Guatemala.

 

Accepts the cardinal directions as presently understood, so that the Sea East is the Gulf of Honduras, and the Sea West is the Pacific Ocean, as reckoned by the Nephites living in the Land of Zarahemla.  The Sea South is a section of the Pacific Ocean near the Sea West; the Sea North is the Gulf of Mexico, as reckoned by the Nephites living in the Land Northward.

 

The chain of coastal cities:  these sites are situated around Lake Izabal and northward almost to the Belize border, a total distance of less than 60 miles.  Lake Izabal is connected to the Gulf of Honduras by a very wide river, so that the lake and river are considered as an extension of the sea.

 

The local Land of Zarahemla is in the Petén lowlands of central Guatemala in the area of Nine Hills, along the Río Usumacinta (River Sidon).

 

The Land of Bountiful, the Land Zarahemla, and the Land Southward are all synonymous as regarding the general larger lands.  Smaller local lands are usually associated with their respective cities

River Sidon is the Río Usumacinta, with its tributaries – Río Chixoy and Río Negro.

Land of Nephi is the Guatemalan Highlands, including the Motagua River Valley and not extending much into Honduras and El Salvador.

Waters of Mormon likely in the Salamá Valley drainage to the north of the City of Nephi.

Waters of Ripliancum is the Papaloapan Water Basin in Veracruz state.

Land of First Inheritance is near Tapachula, and Izapa, Mexico.

Current archaeological ruins or sites proposed as Book of Mormon cities.

Aguacatan/Xolchun, Guatemala – Zeezrom                    Cambote, Guatemala – Cumeni                Castile San Felipe, Guatemala – Jershon

Chamá, Guatemala – Melek                                            Cobán, San Juan Carchas, El Paraiso, Guatemala – Manti region

El Portún/Log Mangales, Guatemala, locality – Shemlon       Izapa, Mexico – Judea   Possibly La Laguna/Tzalcam

(Salamá Valley), Guatemala – City of Nephi             Nine Hills, Guatemala – Zarahemla               San Juan/Salamá, Guatemala, locality – Shilom

Tatocapan/Pollinapan, Mexico – Cumorah/Ramah battlefield               Tzutzuculi, Mexico – City Desolation

 
 

Features of the Garth Norman Model

(Archaeologist)

Narrow Neck of Land is the Isthmus of Tehuántepec, Mexico.

Narrow Pass is the Tehuántepec Pacific Coastal Plain

Hill Cumorah/Ramah is the San Martín volcano in the Tuxtla Mountain Range just northwest of the Isthmus of Tehuántepec.

Narrow Strip of Wilderness separating the lands of Zarahemla and Nephi are the Cuchumatanes and Las Minas Ranges.

Accepts the cardinal directions as presently understood, so that the Sea East is the Gulf of Honduras as well as the
eastern part of the Gulf of Mexico, and the Sea West is the Pacific Ocean.  The Sea South, south of the Land Northward,
is the greater the Pacific Ocean near the Sea West; the Sea North is the Gulf of Mexico 

The coastal cities of Zarahemla (Alma 51:26) mentioned with Moroni being the southernmost and Bountiful being the
northernmost is broken between southern and northern defense fronts.  The abridged history of battles does not
include Omner in the middle, which gives place for the Yucatán Peninsula crossing.  Moroni is located on the
Belize/Guatemala border, then the cities are located northward along the coast to Omner at the Belize/Yucatan
border, then due west to Golfo Aguacatal, then along the gulf coast of Mexico at city Bountiful on the Narrow Neck,
a distance of approximately 600 miles.

The Land of Zarahemla is the state of Chiapas and northern Guatemala 

The Land of Bountiful is a small area of Veracruz and Tabasco, touching the Sea West on the Chiapas/Oaxaca border.

River Sidon is the Río Usumacinta.

Land of Nephi is the Guatemalan Highlands. 

Waters of Mormon is likely a spring-fed lake near Antigua, Guatemala (Chimaltenango Valley).

Waters of Ripliancum is the Papaloapan Water Basin of Veracruz state.

Land of First Inheritance is Usulutan, El Salvador, just south of the Guatemalan border.

Current archaeological ruins or sites proposed as Book of Mormon cities.