In one article by a Mesoamerican Theorist, it is
claimed: “The critical criteria for
identifying the New World setting for the Book of Mormon prove that
Mesoamerica—and only Mesoamerica—is the land of the Book of Mormon; and the
Isthmus of Tehuantepec is the only
narrow neck of land (isthmus) that matches the content of the Book of Mormon
and that reflects findings from the archaeological and historical records of
Mesoamerica.” Yet, numerous
questions abound about Mesoamerica, with the biggest regarding the directions
of the land. The second is the size, shape, and distance of their so-called
“narrow neck of land.”
The
Mesoamerican narrow neck of land
Mormon describes this narrow neck of land in three
ways: 1) It was a separating point between the Land Northward and the Land Southward
(Alma 22:32); 2) It was narrow enough for a Nephite to cross in a day and a
half (Alma 22:32); and 3) It was narrow enough for the Nephites to use as a
guardable passage into the Land Northward (Alma 52:9). It was also significant
enough for the Lamanites and Nephites to use as a singular dividing line
between the Land Southward and the Land Northward in their treaty (Mormon
2:29). It was obviously the only passage from the Land Southward into the Land
Northward (Alma 50:34; 63:5).
This narrow neck played a significant role in the
Nephite way of thinking. It was, as Mormon described, a way to keep an enemy
from moving into the Land Northward (Alma 22:33). It should be kept in mind
that Mormon, among other things, was the commander-in-chief of all the military
for about 60 years, beginning at the age of 16 (Mormon 2:2). He saw the land
through military eyes, understood the significance of the Nephites’ early
decisions, and here applauded their understanding of keeping the Lamanites from
gaining any land to the north, especially in getting into the Land Northward.
Thus he said, “Therefore the Lamanites could have no
more possessions only in the land of Nephi, and the wilderness round about. Now
this was wisdom in the Nephites -- as the Lamanites were an enemy to them, they
would not suffer their afflictions on every hand, and also that they might have
a country whither they might flee, according to their desires” (Alma
22:34). Now this “country whither they
might flee,” was the Land Northward, and the reason they “might have” this
country to the north was because they could guard the narrow neck of land from
anyone getting through the narrow pass into the Land Northward (Alma 50:34).
One of the important things to keep in mind is
that the Nephites knew it was a
narrow neck of land. But how could they have known this? They had no aerial
photography or satellite images to show them the land narrowed at this point;
consequently, to know it was narrow it had to be so significantly narrow that
it could be seen from ground level looking along the coast where the land would
have to have been indented. We need to keep in mind that when we look at a map,
we can see the coastal lines of any land, country or continent. Over the years,
it has become imbedded in the conscious of people that lands indent, thrust or
bulge outward, etc. However, to the Nephites, this was not the case. They could
tell coastal features only because they could see them, either from the land
along the coast, or from their sailing along the coast. Consequently, the
indentation of a narrow neck of land had to be significant enough for it to be
obvious to the naked eye.
To further understand this, we need to take a look
at the incline of the narrow neck compared to the distances involved. As an
example, a shoreline whose curvature is gradual over several miles would not be
seen from a person looking along the shore.
Top
Left: The curving shoreline of a bay is very obvious; Right: Also, the curving
shoreline of the coast is obvious, but in neither case can one know it is a
narrow neck between two lands; Bottom: A curving shoreline where the other
shore is not seen does not look like a narrow neck of land
Naturally, we can look at an aerial view and see
its curvature; however, the Nephites had no such advantage. They could stand
along the shore and look in both directions, but if the change was not abrupt
and noticeable, they would not have known there was a narrowing of the land.
Take, as an example, a distance of 200 miles east of Coatzacoalcos (the
northern point of the Mesoamericanist's narrow neck of land). This coastline is so straight, it
would defy anyone at any point to know that it was narrowing and creating a
narrow neck along this distance of the Bay of Campeche from Cuidad del Carmon.
On the west side of Coatzacoalcos, the land juts outward and runs for 35 miles,
then dips in slightly for the next 30 miles, where it runs for another 100
miles on a straight line before turning outward again. In short, this is a
distance of about 375 miles one would have to basically view to know there was
a significant narrowing of the coastline.
The Bay of Campeche is to the north,
the Gulf of Tehuantepec is to the south
Now, even if that could somehow be seen or
understood, there would also have to be some similar understanding of the
opposite shore, some 200 miles or more to the south (140 miles at the narrowest
point). Here, at the southern point of the so-called narrow neck, an area
called San Mateo del Mar (just south of Salina Cruz), there is a basic straight
shoreline southward for about 300 miles before the land bends slightly inward
and runs straight for another 240 miles. To the north of San Mateo del Mar the
shore line just outward and runs straight for about 90 miles to Puerto Angel,
before turning and running straight for about 500 miles.
When
these two shorelines are seen without their opposite shorelines, it is not
possible to think of them as being narrow necks of land. The Nephites would not
have seen such slight indentations as a narrow neck of land since they had no
aerial or satellite photographs or images to view
Consider that we are dealing with a people who
walked or rode horses. It took them some time to cover the mileage along the
shoreline—and at no time did they have any elevated vantage point to see more
than a few miles at a time. Nor could they have ever seen both shores at once;
consequently, there is no chance they ever would have surmised that this
Mesoamerican area was a narrow neck or “small neck of land between the land
northward and the land southward” (Alma 22:32).
Keep in mind that this distance along the shore is
like looking south of Salt Lake City toward St. George and trying to see if
there is any change in any topography other than high mountains. Or, in
California, looking from San Diego to Santa Barbara and seeing and distinctive
curve of the coastline, or from Lompoc to San Francisco. It simply is not
possible to see curvature over a great distance, or even a short one where a
gradual change takes place. From Redondo Beach in California to Pacific
Palisades is about 15 miles where the shore juts suddenly out into the sea,
however, along that 15 miles, it is impossible to see this drastic change in
the shoreline further away than about 5 miles. This particular point in the
shoreline is similar to that of Mesoamerica, yet it does not signify to anyone
standing on the shore that it is a narrow neck of land, or even a narrowing of
the land—all you see is the land going straight, then bending out into the sea
further.
This
is the shore along Redondo Beach, which is obviously an indentation from the
Palos Verdes Peninsula (foreground)—far more pronounced than Mesoamerica;
however, it is not a narrow neck of land, only an indentation in the shoreline
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