Includes every geographical place mentioned in the book of mormon. 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. How a mormon lawyer transformed archaeology in mexicoand. In 1975, he submitted a paper to a symposium about book of mormon geography outlining the failure of archaeologists to find old world plants, animals, metals, and scripts in mesoamerica.
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. In addition, the entire story of the book of mormon occurred within a small 500mile radius within mesoamerica. The maya and the olmec have a written languagea requirement for book of mormon peoples, who kept records. Proposed book of mormon geographical setting wikipedia. The lord covenanted with enos to bring forth the book of mormon to the lamanites, enos 1. Even the hill cumorah, where joseph smith obtained the gold plates, is not really the same hill cumorah mentioned in the text. Internal book of mormon geography focuses on the relationships between lands and other geographic features, independent of where they might be physically located on todays maps. The grijalva river and the river sidon by joseph l. Mesoamerican enthusiasts have argued that book of mormon people may have used. Proposed map of the lands and sites of the book of mormon. A complete description of the book of mormon geography bomgeography, including an internal map model, external map model i.
The book of mormon and the bible will grow together, 2 ne. Letter vii was originally published in the messenger and advocate 1835 and copied into joseph smith, history, 18341835, shortly thereafter. Book of mormon tours which take interested members to see the lands of the book of mormon in mesoamerica. Metals and golden plates in mesoamerica, daniel johnsons 2010 bmaf lecture. Even the hill cumorah, where joseph smith obtained the gold plates, is not. Today, while some individuals still argue for a book of mormon setting in the great lakes region of the united states and canada, 2 most latterday saint scholars acknowledge mesoamerica as the most likely region that matches descriptions found within the book. Why does the book of mormon mention wine, vineyards, and. The book of mormon and defensive fortifications in mesoamerica. The only thing more confusing and bizarre than the premise, which is that the place names in mesoamerica is the key for locating actual places in the book of mormon, is the authors incredible certainty that he is correct.
I still think there is a serious problem of imprinting a particular geographyeven an abstract onebut if the people involved accept the scripture on faith alone, they may never care about the realworld geography, so a mental abstract map is no problem. It is a record of gods dealings with ancient inhabitants of the americas and contains the fulness of the everlasting gospel. However, joseph smiths understanding of the book of mormon is not the main topic of this article. Oct 02, 2014 finally there is a way to really explore john sorensons book of mormon geography. Havent you always wanted to have a detailed map of just where everything is in the book of mormon. Garth normans map book of mormon archaeological forum. 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. Home true book of mormon geography lands western new. This map plausibly positions these and other book of mormon locations in the general mesoamerican arena. The name mesoamerica is a term used to identify the heartland of a number of significant precolumbian cultures.
And this is a copy of the book of mormon map elaborated since 2011 on this blog. This book locates everything from the narrow neck, to zarahemla, from cumorah, to the land of promise, bountiful. Why did moroni include mormons condemnation of infant baptism. Other locations may meet some of the following criteria, but only mesoamerica meets all these elements required by the book itself. The lord could have removed all questions regarding the exact locations of these events but he did not. 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.
Tres zapotes is close to where the final jaredite and nephite battles are believed to have been fought. The river sidon the most prominent river in the book of mormon is the river sidon. The book of mormon only mentions one beverage among the nephites and lamanites. A contemporary mormon view is that these civilizations rose and fell in mesoamerica. It should be obvious that the large blank spots on this map are relative cultural. This book of mormon map along with a wall map are available for down loading in color and the book of mormon geography book a promised land, the land of promise with all the mormon. Jan 22, 2011 anthropologist mark wrights 2008 fair conference address on similarities between mesoamerica and the book of mormon. He is a great teacher, a brilliant scholar, and gifted with a sense of humor. Virtual book of mormon book of mormon maps and learning tools. Lunds love for history and the book of mormon has taken him to mexico, honduras, belize and guatemala more than twenty times. For that reason, our design team has chosen to develop an internal map.
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. The three authors of an lds guide to mesoamerica, walk us through the lands of the book of mormon. A limited geography model for the book of mormon is one of several theories by latter day. Updated book of mormon map book of mormon, lds seminary. While this description of mesoamerica is only a broad sweep, the conditions described in the book of mormon clearly fit the problem. Mesoamerica, the region of southern mexico, guatemala, and adjacent nations. The book of mormon geography geography map, dna, lands. Bmaf supports a mesoamerican context for the major book of mormon sites. The book of mormon itself is the best source for understanding the geographical locations contained therein. 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. Sep 08, 2015 and this is a copy of the book of mormon map elaborated since 2011 on this blog.
Mesoamerica is the site of the only literate precolumbian population. After all, when you read the bible, you can turn to the maps and see where everything happened. The church and byu stay neutral in questions of exactly where the book of mormon took place. Skeptics have argued since its publication in 1830 that the the book of mormon is the creative work of a religious con man, whose purported visit by an angel and account of hidden gold plates from which the book was written undermine it outright. A detailed map for the book of mormon has been produced by archaeologist garth norman which may solve a longstanding puzzle. Book of mormonlamanitesrelationship to amerindiansmaya. Muleks party first arrived in the land north see helaman 6. Book of mormon geography jeff lindsays site and the shake.
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 mormon s map, there has consistently been one general result. Whats more the record in the book of mormon describes a high civilization, with a written language, a centralized government, a religious hierarchy, and controlled trade activity. Anthropologist mark wrights 2008 fair conference address on similarities between mesoamerica and the book of mormon. The lords words will hiss forth unto the ends of the earth, 2 ne.
This map includes the ancient culture areas of the maya, and the oaxaca, gulf coast, central plateau, and northwest areas of mexico. John lund on book of mormon in mesoamerica youtube. It too has large blank spots along the grijalva river where our correlation of nephite and. The main passage mentions the land of nephi bordering on the seas, a narrow strip of wilderness, the. A summary of several theories of book of mormon lands in. Book of mormon geography jeff lindsays site and the.
As the above logo depicts, we do respect this mandate, and our model is unique in this regard. Sep 02, 2015 john lund talks about the book of mormon and mesoamerica at the learn our religion lecture series. 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. Archaeological sites in mesoamerica book of mormon central. Finally there is a way to really explore john sorensons book of mormon geography. Middle america tours was the wholesale operators for such companies as byu travel study, murdock travel and the foundation of ancient research in mormon. In summary, degroote did outline the strengths and weaknesses quite well of the. Tres zapotes is close to where the final jaredite and nephite battles are. How does the book of mormon help date the first christmas. Plausible locations in mesoamerica for book of mormon places.
A pan mesoamerica legend tells of a core people descended from seven tribes, which may coincide with the seven lineages mentioned three times in the book of mormon. During king noahs reign in the land of nephi, for instance, it mentions that he. Such maps can be a useful introduction for those who are new to the book of mormon. While much of the book is sound and wellreasoned, from time to time, he shows his bias for a mesoamerican setting. Although historians and archaeologists consider the book. Any book of mormon lands proposal must be able to demonstrate all. For that reason, our design team has chosen to develop an internal map that shows relational directions and approximate distances that match the. Middle america tours was the wholesale operators for such companies as byu travel study, murdock travel and the foundation of ancient research in mormon studies. I love this map and i think it will improve the quality of my study.
Plausible locations in mesoamerica for book of mormon. 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. This page is a supplement to my book of mormon evidences page. Interactive book of mormon map virtual book of mormon. The book of mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the bible. 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. 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. Gods word is to be established by two or more witnesses 2 cor. Book of mormonlamanitesrelationship to amerindiansmaya and. Book of mormon maps and learning tools virtual book of. Since the publication of the book of mormon in 1830, mormon archaeologists have attempted to find archaeological evidence to support it. Metals and golden plates in mesoamerica, daniel johnsons. Apr 06, 2007 i had the pleasure of being amongst many on a tour to mesoamerica with john lund. 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.
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. Though there are a few who hold to a more north american setting, many more scholars seem to support a mesoamerican setting. Reply to pros, cons of book of mormon geography theories book. In this page, i discuss the recent discoveries in mesoamerica. Discussion regarding the historicity of the book of mormon often focuses on archaeological issues, some of which relate to the large size and the long time span of the civilizations mentioned in the book.
Famsi map of mesoamerica foundation for the advancement. Designed for multiple use as study guides, handouts, and masters for creating projectable images, the charts convey a wealth of information that will enrich personal study and. This site can be used as a study guide to help understand the book of mormon. Book of mormon charts charting the book of mormon is a collection of more than 175 visual aids that promote deeper understanding and appreciation of the book of mormon.
Many accounts of significant lands and cities are given in the book of mormon. A discussion of the arabian, or old world, geography of the book of mormon enjoys many advantages over discussion of new world. Why did moroni include mormon s condemnation of infant baptism. Sep 10, 2015 and this is a copy of the book of mormon map elaborated since 2011 on this blog. 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. This book provides the most cogent short and clear walk through the book of mormon, identifying each city and land relevant to the nephite travels and wars including zarahemla, bountiful.
He talks about the olmecs and ancient codex in this short clip. Popular mesoamerica books meet your next favorite book. I still think there is a serious problem of imprinting a particular geographyeven an abstract onebut if the people involved accept the scripture on faith alone, they may never care about the realworld geography, so a mental abstract map. The book of mormon geography lands and map with dna evidence. Book of mormon in north america maps book of mormon evidence. It comes with an optional explanatory booklet entitled book of mormon. 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 number seven was significant to the precolumbian communities of mesoamerica, as it was in the book of mormon. Revisiting the seven lineages of the book of mormon and the. Shown here are various archaeological sites in mesoamerica that may correspond to book of mormon places.
It too has large blank spots along the grijalva river where our correlation of nephite and lamanite geography finds nothing noteworthy enough to get mentioned in the text. Book of mormon lands map, january 2016 book of mormon central. New revelations of the americas before columbus by charles c. A limited geography model for the book of mormon is one of several theories by latter day saint movement scholars that the book s narrative was a historical record of people in a limited geographical region, rather than of the entire western hemisphere as believed by some early latter day saints. The main topic of this article is whether or not the claims made by adherents of the lgt are compelling given the context of what we know today about ancient mesoamerica. 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. Mesoamerica and the book of mormon linkedin slideshare.
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