A Reader’s Exception to Baja Critique—Part VI

Continuing with the reader who identified himself only as Elbeau, who took several exceptions to a previous series of post about Baja California not qualifying for the site of the Book of Mormon Land of Promise (The Fallacy of Extremist Theories--the Baja California Theory). His critiques of our posts, along with current answering responses, are listed below:

11. Our post said "Rosenvall's Land Southward, is hot and humid, and sub tropical."

Elbeau's comment: "This description fits much of Rosenvall's Land Southward, but not the VERY LARGE cape area of the peninsula where he alleges that Lehi's group actually landed. That area is barren in some low-lying areas, but is mostly dominated by beautiful tropical areas (which you actually acknowledge in one of your other posts) capable of growing pretty much anything Lehi would have brought from Jerusalem. The B of M CLEARLY describes many wilderness areas so from a climate perspective, the wildly varying conditions encountered fit quite well."

Response: Let's take this statement one part at a time:

1) "Very large cape area of the peninsula where he [Rosenvall] alleges that Lehi's group actually landed." First of all, this cape area is on the East Sea, about 75 miles south of the area of La Paz, and is referred to as the EAST CAPE, or Cabo del Este. This area is along the road through San Antonio and San Bartolo, with access to the numerous beaches facing Punta Pescadero and the area that is known as Rancho Buena Vista and Los Barriles.

The East Cape area is on the East Sea (Sea of Cortes) and not the place that Mormon describes Lehi landing , which was along the West Sea south (shown here on the proposed Baja model). According to Alma 22:28, the place where Lehi landed was "on the west in the land of Nephi, in the place of their fathers' first inheritance, and thus bordering along by the seashore." Rosenvall is not at liberty, nor is anyone else, to place a landing site in a different location than Mormon tells us. Nor is his erroneous placement an argument in favor of an area that is more suitable to planting seeds

As for the East Cape, while it is a pleasant climate and attracts tourists year round, it is not a Mediterranean Climate. Just like Florida or Hawaii, which both have pleasant climates and attract tourists in droves, it does not mean that Mediterranean seeds would have grown there in 600 B.C. when there were no nutrient additives, vitamins for the soil, special fertilizers, technology of modern crop management practices, etc., In the East Cape of Baja California Sur, the soil is very sandy and erosion easily takes place. There is less than ten-inches of rain a year, and this area easily qualifies as a desert; however, the temperatures average between 63º and 84º F. making it comfortable year-round. The area experiences hurricanes during October and September, and is called a dry-TROPICAL climate, which is far from a Mediterranean Climate.

The East Cape is still a desert, and away from the tourist area of man-made lawns, gardens, and planting using modern technology, the land is still a desert as shown in these pictures. Left: Within a mile of the coast, overlooking the Cape area; Right: A beach along the Cape area showing the desert land inland

While the East Cape is not where Mormon describes the Land of their Father's first landing, it still is just a desert area with a nice climate and fabulous fishing along the Sea of Cortes. But it is, inescapably, on the EAST side of the proposed Land of Promise. Mormon describes Lehi's landing site on the WEST side of the Land of Promise. Differences like this are really neither debatable or arguable points--West is West, and East is East, no matter the climate or other matters.

2) "is mostly dominated by beautiful tropical areas (which you actually acknowledge in one of your other posts) capable of growing pretty much anything Lehi would have brought from Jerusalem." This is answered above, but needs to be clearly understood. There are places all around the world where various plants will grow, and do so in profusion. Tropical and sub-tropical climates are found all over the Southern Hemisphere. However, the point here is, Lehi's seeds came from Jerusalem: "And it came to pass that we did begin to till the earth, and we began to plant seeds; yea, we did put all our seeds into the earth, which we had brought from the land of Jerusalem. And it came to pass that they did grow exceedingly; wherefore, we were blessed in abundance" (1 Nephi 18:24). Jerusalem is a Mediterranean Climate (outside the Mediterranean Basin, there are only five other such climates in the entire world--two of which are in the Western Hemisphere: Chile at the 30º South Latitude, in South America, and Southern and middle California, in North America). Mediterranean seeds would not grow outside of another Mediterranean Climate in 600 B.C., and even today require much care and technology to do so.

3) "The B of M CLEARLY describes many wilderness areas so from a climate perspective, the wildly varying conditions encountered fit quite well." This has also been answered elsewhere many times. "Wilderness" in Joseph Smith's time and even mostly today, is not defined as a barren desert such as the Baja peninsula, but as "a tract of land that is unoccupied, uncultivated, and unchanged by man." And as has been stated elsewhere numerous times, in the United States, a "wilderness" typically means a forest type area.

(See the next post, "Soils and Climates of Baja California and the Land of Promise," for more information on this)