Where are the Buildings?

One of the ways we should be evaluating people’s ideas and views regarding the geographical placement of the Land of Promise, is to evaluate their ideas, beliefs, theories and opinions, by comparing that to what is actually written in the scriptural record. As an example, when Nephi says that he saw in a vision: “I looked and beheld many waters; and they divided the Gentiles from the seed of my brethren. And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land” (1 Nephi 13:10,12)—it is quite clear where the Gentiles were (Europe), who the man was (Columbus), and where the “seed of my brethren” were in the Land of Promise (the Americas).
    Thus, it cannot be claimed that the Land of Promise, which promise was given to Lehi (2 Nephi 1:5), was located in any other areas, such as Olsen’s Malay Peninsula, or the claim of the Comoros Islands or northeast Africa. The Gentile that crossed the many waters that led to the clear and specific results outlined in Nephi’s account of his vision (1 Nephi 134:13-19).

In the Heartland model, the area Joseph Smith named Zarahemla, across the river from Nauvoo—a flat area with nary a single ruin and no history of any advanced civilization having lived there 

Yet, theorists continue to place their Land of Promise models in lands and areas that do not match the descriptive information about those lands, which Mormon gave us in his abridgement. Take the descriptions of the entire Land of Promise in which specific locations are given of things that existed in the land, but not found in one of the major locations of theorists.
    After the death of Lehi, Nephi’s brothers sought “to take away his life” (2 Nephi 5:4), and he “fled into the wilderness” with “all those who would go with him” (2 Nephi 5:5), and they “journeyed in the wilderness for the space of many days” they settled down and “pitched their tents” and “my people would that we should call the name of the place Nephi” (2 Nephi 5:8). In this area they settled, planted crops and harvested them, and raised flocks, and herds, and animals of every kind” (2 Nephbi 5:11).
    Here Nephi taught his people “to build buildings, and to work in all manner of wood, and of iron, and of copper, and of brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious ores, which were in great abundance” (2 Nephi 5:15). Now, it should be kept in mind that except for Nephi, Sam and Zoram, this group had little knowledge and certainly no first-hand knowledge, of buildings of any kind. So what kind of buildings did Nephi teach his people to build?
    One insight into this is that Nephi said, “And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things; for they were not to be found upon the land, wherefore, it could not be built like unto Solomon's temple. But the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine” (2 Nephi 5:16, emphasis added).
    Consequently, the temple Nephi built was not exactly the same as Solomon’s Temple, particularly it did not have the many “precious things” that the Jerusalem temple possessed, but the manner of the construction was the same, and the workmanship of the building was exceedingly fine. We also know that the workmanship included wood, iron, copper, brass, steel, gold, silver, and precious ores, which were in great abundance” (2 Nephi 5:15).

Solomon and the Elders of Israel looking over the plan for the temple provided by David who received it from the Lord

In addition, since the manner of temple construction among the Israelites was precise, dictated to them by the Lord. As David told Solomon: “David gave Solomon the plans for all the Temple buildings, for the storerooms and all the other rooms, and for the Most Holy Place, where sins are forgiven. He also gave him the plans for all he had in mind for the courtyards and the rooms around them, and for the storerooms for the Temple equipment and the gifts dedicated to the Lord. David also gave him the plans for organizing the priests and Levites to perform their duties, to do the work of the Temple, and to take care of all the Temple utensils. 
    He gave instructions as to how much silver and gold was to be used for making the utensils, for each lamp and lampstand, for the silver tables, and for each gold table on which were placed the loaves of bread offered to God. He also gave instructions as to how much pure gold was to be used in making forks, bowls, and jars, how much silver and gold in making dishes,  and how much pure gold in making the altar on which incense was burned and in making the chariot for the winged creatures that spread their wings over the Lord's Covenant Box.  King David said, “All this is contained in the plan written according to the instructions which the Lord himself gave me to carry out” (1 Chronicles 28:11-19).
    With such an embedded history relating to the construction of a temple, it would be inconsistent of Nephi to do any less than the very best his capability and technology in the new land could provide. To believe his construction, after his specific description would have been something that would not have lasted, is not in keeping with the religious fervor of Nephi and his people.
    In addition, when Nephi says he taught his people to build buildings, what other buildings would they have built? First of all, houses, then later public buildings, such as sanctuaries and synagogues that were built after the manner of the Jews (Alma 16:13)—certainly something the Nephites would have learned from Nephi; and also a spacious palace, and many elegant and spacious buildings (Mosiah 11:9).
    All of these were built in the land of Nephi, in the city area of Nephi, therefore, it would have been so constructed not only to last, but for the temple to be a lasting edifice to the Lord. To believe that such construction was made simply of wood that would deteriorate and vanish over the centuries, as Heartland and Great Lake theorists claim, is not at all what Nephi would have built.
    So the question is, “Where are the Buildings?”
    In addition, when contentions among people increased in 50 BC, “an exceedingly great many who departed out of the land of Zarahemla, and went forth unto the land northward to inherit the land. And they did travel to an exceedingly great distance, insomuch that they came to large bodies of water and many rivers” (Helaman 3:3-4). These Nephites “spread forth into all parts of the land, into whatever parts it had not been rendered desolate and without timber, because of the many inhabitants who had before inherited the land. And there being but little timber upon the face of the land, nevertheless the people who went forth became exceedingly expert in the working of cement; therefore they did build houses of cement, in the which they did dwell” (Helaman 3:5-7).

An old Roman cement structure along the Appian Way

Now, cement does not deteriorate over time and such houses made of cement would have remained standing for quite a while, and such walls would still be visible today. Therefore, the Land Northward in any Land of Promise would have to show evidence of ancient, Nephite era buildings scattered across the land. Now since no such buildings exist in the Heartland or Great Lakes models, it holds that these two areas could not possibly be the Land of Promise as claimed by North American theorists.
    So the question again is, “Where are the Buildings?”
    One more example is found of buildings, and that is in the 43-man rescue expedition king Limhi mounted in the city of Nephi around 121 BC that was sent out to find and seek succor from their Nephite brethren in the city of Zarahemla (Mosiah 8:7). Unable to find the land of Zarahemla, the expedition became lost for many days, but “having traveled in a land among many waters, having discovered a land which was covered with bones of men, and of beasts, and was also covered with ruins of buildings of every kind, having discovered a land which had been peopled with a people who were as numerous as the hosts of Israel” (Mosiah 8:8).
    So we find that there were observable buildings far north in the Land Northward, there were cement buildings around this same area; and there were buildings of fine workmanship in the Land Southward, first around the area of the City of Nephi, including a temple like unto the temple Solomon built, and then in the Land of Zarahemla.
    These were not flimsy stick and birchbark long houses and wigwams that are claimed to have been houses of indigenous people of the northeast United States, including the Great Lakes area; in the Heartland, were ancient houses made of woven saplings plastered with mud and roofed with poplar bark. The oldest and largest city built in the U.S. was Cahokia, an unknown people who built wattle, twigs and daub houses atop flat platforms. Only the mounds remain.
    So the question again is, “Where are the buildings” that Nephi built, including the temple? Where are the buildings the Nephites built? Where are the buildings the Jaredites built? Surely there would be some ruins about in North America like those found in other parts of the Americas dating to Nephi times.