They discuss early church assumptions as to where the people of the book of mormon lived, and then discuss the plausible locale that is theorized by most lds scholars today. If you arent familiar with the book of mormon, please see my book of mormon introduction page and get your own free copy at mormon. There were massive earthquakes, and darkness covered the land. A comparison of book of mormon geographies showing new york to be the most viable setting for book of mormon events. While nothing can take the place of a spiritual witness of the truthfulness of the book of mormon, an understanding of the correlating evidence of the book of mormon, especially as it relates to geography, can provide greater appreciation for this inspired book of scripture. Deseret book, 1985 and his masterpiece, mormons codex. I purchased this book a few days prior to leaving, had it personalized and signed by him, and read it before, during, and after my adventure in the book of mormon lands. Oct 31, 2012 the 10th annual book of mormon lands symposium was held in salt lake city to discuss the research and discoveries most recently made supporting the mesoamerican setting of the events of the book. Exploring the book of mormon in americas heartland. The book of mormon geography lands and map with dna evidence. Some placed the nephite capital city zarahemla in mesoamerica, others in south america. Archaeological and historical evidence jareditesolmecs. Book of mormon difficulties, contradictions and explanations. This site can be used as a study guide to help understand the book of mormon.
Book of mormon societies parallel mesoamerican civilizations. See my answers to questions about the book of mormon here. The three authors of an lds guide to mesoamerica, walk us through the lands of the book of mormon. By the 1930s, when ferguson learned about mesoamerican. Read the s of posts he has made over the last three years explaining why south america is the book of mormon lands yet the land of promise is both north and south america. The land of zarahemla is at a lower elevation relative to the land of nephi. In addition, the entire story of the book of mormon occurred within a small 500mile radius within mesoamerica. Oct 03, 2016 a comparison of book of mormon geographies showing new york to be the most viable setting for book of mormon events.
Foundation for ancient research and mormon studies. Lunds love for history and the book of mormon has taken him to mexico, honduras, belize and guatemala more than twenty times. To help with the increasing amount of new information, a blog site has been setup for research relating to the book of mormon lands in baja california. Includes every geographical place mentioned in the book of mormon.
Apr 06, 2007 i had the pleasure of being amongst many on a tour to mesoamerica with john lund. The critics would have us believe that there is little if any difference between biblical archaeology and book of mormon archaeology. Cheesmans, the world of the book of mormon, deseret book, 1978. Joseph is a student of mayan history, ancient languages and the book of mormon.
The 10th annual book of mormon lands symposium was held in salt lake city to discuss the research and discoveries most recently made. There is not a single authenticated or documented historical account, which has been verified by official church historians, that establishes that the prophet joseph smith relinquished his revelatory position that the heartland of north america were the lands of the book of mormon, or that its history occurred in mesoamerica. Deseret book, 20, ably demonstrate that there is a plausible geographical and cultural setting that can. Phyllis carol olive, lost lands of the book of mormon, 83.
Mesoamerica has become the focal point for understanding the book of mormon. Mesoamerica, the region of southern mexico, guatemala, and adjacent nations. Tres zapotes is close to where the final jaredite and nephite battles are believed to have been fought. Book of mormonlamanitesrelationship to amerindiansmaya and. See more ideas about book of mormon, america and ancient civilizations. Why did snakes infest jaredite lands during a famine. Book of mormon and the ruinsthe main issues hugh nibley. We build enduring faith in jesus christ by making the book of. Anthropologist mark wrights 2008 fair conference address on similarities between mesoamerica and the book of mormon.
Book of mormon lands discovering the lost lands of the. The olmecs are thought to have been contemporaries with the jaredites, while the chiapas may possibly have been associated with some of the nephite peoples. That sound made its way into later book of mormon languages and survived the centuries until today. The hopewell when european colonists began to expand west beyond the allegheny mountains, they found tens of thousands of mounds scattered all across the land. Nor were there any animals in the americas which could be domesticated for food or milkthe peccary, or american hog, is irreclaimable in its love of freedom. All opinions, speakers and presenters represent and express their own individual opinions, and not necessarily the opinions of firm foundation, book of mormon evidence, or its employees, and no information or opinions represent the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. Have you ever wanted to visit book of mormon lands. Proposed book of mormon geographical setting wikipedia. Book of mormon geography jeff lindsays site and the shake.
Archaeological sites in mesoamerica book of mormon central. View the original article at the book of mormon resources blog. The fight over book of mormon geography deseret news. You will walk away with a greater knowledge and appreciation of mesoamericans and their. This is a touchy subject since so many people are convinced joseph said the final nephite battle was in new york. We build enduring faith in jesus christ by making the book of mormon accessible, comprehensible, and defensible to the entire world. Joseph smith did not receive revelation where book of mormon lands were located, but his last statements about book of mormon geography point us to mesoamerica. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints released a statement today concerning the geography of the book of mormon in the form of a new gospel topics. Book of mormon lands discovering the lost lands of the book.
Ever since it was first published in 1830, claiming to contain the word of god as recorded by precolombian americans in a golden bible, it has had its passionate defenders and equally adamant critics. Archaeological evidence indicates that these ancient jaredite people, who according to the book of mormon lived on the western hemisphere from approximately 2500 b. The book of mormon describes massive destructions when christ was crucified. There are several theories held among latterday saints for the location of book of mormon lands. The main passage mentions the land of nephi bordering on the seas, a narrow. Some place the geography of the book in upstate new york or near the great lakes.
The book of mormon and defensive fortifications in mesoamerica. Oct 27, 2010 these man credited joseph smith with teaching them that the land of bountiful mention in the book of mormon was in central america. The lands of te book of mormon are found in mesoamerica. Book of mormon geography, the near cumorah setting there have been numerous attempts to locate the long, lost lands of the book of mormon over the years. Apr 07, 2011 if you would like consider the true book of mormon lands do some research from the author who wrote the book lehi never saw mesoamerica.
Written records are a prominent feature of peoples described in the book of mormon. Book of mormon central bomc is a team of ardent students of the nephite scripture working together to share the wonders of this inspired masterpiece with the world. One hill is located in the land of desolation where the final battles of both the jaredites and nephites took place. The main passage mentions the land of nephi bordering on the seas, a narrow strip of wilderness, the land of zarahemla, and the headwaters of the river sidon see alma 22.
Cities were burned, buried with earth, and sunk under water. This book locates everything from the narrow neck, to zarahemla, from cumorah, to the land of promise, bountiful. Book of mormon geography jeff lindsays site and the. The interpretion of the image as referenced in joseph allens book exploring the lands of the book of mormon is listed below the image. Did you know that there are two hills name cumorah. Critics have long focused on the inconsistency between book of mormon claims the mesoamerican setting that has long prevailed in the church.
He has explored the anthropology of mesoamerica, which is southern mexico and northern central america and has found conclusive evidence to support his theories. He is a great teacher, a brilliant scholar, and gifted with a sense of humor. Although historians and archaeologists consider the book to be an anachronistic invention of joseph smith, many members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church and other denominations of the latter day saint movement believe that it. A book that introduces all the requirements of book of mormon lands. Others argued for a setting in the american heartland. The maya and the olmec have a written languagea requirement for book of mormon peoples, who kept records. Wells jakeman claimed that a carved stone monument unearthed in izapa, mexico, in 1941 depicted lehis vision of the tree of life as reported in the book of mormon. In 1978, the company was known as middle america tours and it became the largest company to conduct tours to the lands of the book of mormon, an area today known as mesoamerica.
Book of mormon tours which take interested members to see the lands of the book of mormon in mesoamerica. Finally there is a way to really explore john sorensons book of mormon geography. It uniquely goes about verifying each requirement, step by step. Byu library, an account of our book of mormon lands tour, 27 january to 16 february 1961. Lund, mesoamerica and the book of mormon is this the place. Unlike the humid jungles of mesoamerica, the desert lands of the bible tend to preserve artifacts. Shown here are various archaeological sites in mesoamerica that may correspond to book of mormon places. Archaeological evidence has placed ancient american peoples such as the olmecs, teotihuacans, zapotecs, mayans, and chiapas in various general locations in mesoamerica. It is clear that the primary reason mormon scholars wish to locate book of mormon lands in mesoamerica is the fact that this was the center of the maya civilization, the only precolumbian new world civilization that had a written language. Book of mormonlamanitesrelationship to amerindiansmaya. The aztecs and toltecs knew nothing about the people who had occupied the land before them.
Even the hill cumorah, where joseph smith obtained the gold plates, is not really the same hill cumorah mentioned in the text. I had always felt that much of the book of mormon content could not be explained had its geography been set in the north climate, terrain, dress and this book. However, when serious book of mormon students first begin with a detailed consideration of the internal map implicit to the book of mormon and then search for a plausible location that fits the book of mormons map, there has consistently been one general result. On february 1, 2018, national geographic broke a story about some incredible new discoveries in mesoamerican archaeology using new technology. What could joseph smith have known about mesoamerica. The name being a nahuatl word meaning cincorn and tepechill. The 10th annual book of mormon lands symposium was held in salt lake city to discuss the research and discoveries most recently made supporting the mesoamerican setting of the events of the book. Below is the modern map of the area of smiths youth. Mayan civilization and parallels to the book of mormon. How do these new discoveries relate to the book of mormon. On subsequent days, the story was picked up by other major media outlets such as bbc, washington post, npr, the new york times, and. Tres zapotes is close to where the final jaredite and nephite battles are. Claims the narrow neck of land is the isthmus of tehuantepec, and the basic area is that of mesoamerica. After several months of intense careful study of the text i have put together the following proposed map, showing the relative positions of book of mormon lands, cities, rivers, etc.
The book of mormon events did not occur in mesoamerica or anywhere south of texas. Massive structures of every conceivable type were found, including pyramids, cone shaped mounds, hilltop forts, terraced platforms, and effigy mounds in the shape of various animals. Allen pointed out in his book, exploring the book of mormon lands, that a candidate for hill shim is found in southern vera cruz by the name of cintepec. John sorensons landmark works, an ancient american setting for the book of mormon salt lake city. Which is what makes the book of mormon all the more convincing. Book of mormon tours 275 n e, orem, utah 84097 rated 4. Since the publication of the book of mormon in 1830, mormon archaeologists have attempted to find archaeological evidence to support it. Made popular by his 1985 publication an ancient american setting for the book of mormon, sorensons geographic model for the book of mormon has withstood the test of time and remains the preeminent geographic model for book of mormon events. Many accounts of significant lands and cities are given in the book of mormon. His dissertation was on the subject of the white god quetzalcoatl.
A complete description of the book of mormon geography bomgeography, including an internal map model, external map model i. Sorenson is convinced that the events in the book of mormon took place in a much smaller area than many believe. Many latterday saints are disturbed when they read of remains that must be much older than book of mormon times. This page is a supplement to my book of mormon evidences page. The book of mormon and mesoamerican archeology book of. He also taught them that moroni had traveled from central america to palmyra, newyork dedicating future temple sites along the way. The 10th annual book of mormon lands symposium was held in salt lake city to discuss the research and discoveries most recently made supporting. The name mesoamerica is a term used to identify the heartland of a number of significant precolumbian cultures. This over 2000 year time period, allow them to spread out over the land from at least as far south as peru, traveling by boat along the west coast. Others look to peru and south america, or to the baja peninsula, or texas, and some even propose the malaysian peninsula. For the first 150 years of mormonisms existence, everyone thought it was a story about a people who left the middle east and came to south or central america, and who fought wars clear up into new york state where.
As each new theory surfaces, we gain fresh hope of acquiring additional insights into it ancient location, but are all too often disappointed. The book of mormon is supposed to be a history of real people living in a real place. If you would like consider the true book of mormon lands do some research from the author who wrote the book lehi never saw mesoamerica. Mesoamerica is the site of the only literate precolumbian population. How a mormon lawyer transformed archaeology in mexicoand. Mesoamerica and the book of mormon linkedin slideshare. In this page, i discuss the recent discoveries in mesoamerica which have caused a complete paradigm shift in the thinking of scholars. A summary of several theories of book of mormon lands in. Dec 02, 2016 to help with the increasing amount of new information, a blog site has been setup for research relating to the book of mormon lands in baja california. The book of mormon and mesoamerican archeology the book of mormon is a highly controversial book in the light of mesoamerican archeology. A summary of several theories of book of mormon lands in mesoamerica the contents of all bmaf publications are the sole responsibility of the individual authors and therefore do not necessarily represent the views of bmaf or the church of jesus christ of latterday saints.
Unfortunately, exploring and testing his geographic. I had the pleasure of being amongst many on a tour to mesoamerica with john lund. This fact alone virtually eliminates any other geographical area from being considered as lands of the book of mormon 7 socalled dna proofs use unsubstantiated theories. The scientific legacy of a quest to prove the book of mormon. Jan 22, 2011 anthropologist mark wrights 2008 fair conference address on similarities between mesoamerica and the book of mormon.
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