About 125 years later, Jarom, the grandson of Nephi’s brother, reports that the Nephites had “multiplied exceedingly, and spread upon the face of the land, and became exceedingly rich in gold, and in silver, and in precious things, and in fine workmanship of wood, in buildings, and in machinery, and also in iron and copper, and brass and steel, making all manner of tools of every kind to till the ground, and weapons of war—yea, the sharp pointed arrow, and the quiver, and the dart, and the javelin, and all preparations for war” (Jarom 1:8).
Therefore,
from the very beginning, the Nephites had both iron metal, and steel
(carbonized iron) with which they made tools and weapons, including swords
(which Nephi made), and arrows, darts, and javelin, as well as tools of all kinds.
In other words, the Nephites from the very beginning had iron and made metal
tools, including the working of steel. We also find that about 220 years later,
the Nephites were making arrows, swords, scimitars and all manner of weapons
which they could invent, many out of metal (Mosiah 9:16; 10:1), of which they
had iron (Mosiah 11:3,8). In fact, as early as around 2000 BC or a little
later, the Jaredites had steel (Ether 7:9) and iron (Ether 10:23).
Therefore, to locate an area for the Land of Promise, we need to find an area that had iron, and it was mined by the Jaredited and later the Nephites. This eliminates Mesoamerica without question.
The
Maya, and other cultures of Mesoamerica lived “in a world without metal, untouched
by the Iron Age.”
It is a well-known fact among archaeologists that the Maya civilization did not have the advantage of an available source of iron ore. In Mexico iron ore is only found over 1000 miles to the north in the state of Colima. Archaeologists have determined that the Maya had no metal tools, but used stone tools fabricated from chert and obsidian—they also had no draft animals nor iron to make plows.
In fact, “The emergence of metallurgy in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica occurred relatively late in the region's history, with distinctive works of metal apparent in West Mexico by roughly AD 800, and perhaps as early as AD 600” (Dorothy Hosler, Dorothy (1988). "Ancient West Mexican Metallurgy: South and Central American Origins and West Mexican Transformations," American Anthropologist, vol.90, 1988, pp832–855; "Sound, color and meaning in the metallurgy of Ancient West Mexico," World Archaeology, vol.27, 1995, pp100–115).
In addition, metallurgical techniques likely diffused northward from regions in South America and later Central Amerixa, which may have been from maritime trade routes, including such trade items as alloys of copper-silver; copper-arsenic, copper-tin, and copper-arsenic-tin (David M. Pendergast, "Metal Artifacts in Prehispanic Mesoamerica," American Antiquity, vol.27, 1962, pp520–545).
Pendergast goes on to outlined that the metal items that were crafted throughout Mesoamerica may be broken into three classes: utilitarian objects, objects used for individual ornamentation, and ceremonial/ritual objects—the latter two categories comprise the bulk of distinctly Mesoamerican artifacts, with metals playing a particularly important role in the sacred and symbolic cultural realms (Scott E. Simmons, et al., "Maya Metals: The Context and Significance of Copper Artifacts in Postclassic and Early Historic Lamanai, Belize," Journal of Field Archaeology, vol.34, no.1, 2009, pp57–75).
It should also be noted that the earliest and most diverse finds of metal artifacts are from West Mexico stretching in a belt along the Pacific coast from Guerrero to Nayarit. This indicates that this region was a regional nucleus of metallurgy, from which elements of technique, form and style could have diffused throughout Mesoamerica.
In
fact, according to Dorothy Hostler, between 800 AD and 1200 to 1300 AD, West Mexican smiths worked primarily in
copper during the initial period, with some low-arsenic alloys, as well as
occasional employment of silver and gold. Lost-wax cast bells were introduced
from lower Central America and Colombia during this phase, along with several
classes of cold=worked ornaments and hand tools, such as needles and tweezers.
The prototypes for these small, often utilitarian items appear rooted in
southern Ecuador and northern Peru. Small copper rings, generally found in
burial contexts, are also common to Ecuador and Western Mexico and are abundant
during this phase.
By 1200/1300 AD to 1521 AD, metal smiths demonstrated increasing technical sophistication, producing both utilitarian and status-linked items. During the latter phase, the Purépecha of Michoacán in West Mexico emerged as a technological hub, with metal artifacts also appearing at the adjacent zones of Guerrero and Jalisco.
Whatever opinion one may have concerning other materials and arts, it is conceded that aboriginally there was neither smelting of iron nor working by means of it in America.
Obviously, other ores took their places in the Indian economy along with stone and copper, to be battered, rubbed, bored, sawed, and edged; but the fact remains that prior to the invasion of America from the Eastern hemisphere in historic times the native tribes manufactured no iron products and did not use iron as a metal in their industries. They are not now skillful in the manipulation of it. The fence between the purely native America that every ethnologist desires so earnestly to understand and the other America that is always obtruding itself upon the student was wrought. of iron.
The
American tribes eagerly adopted finished knives, axes, saws, files, needles,
cooking pots, arrowheads, lance blades, weapons, and a thousand other inventions
in lieu of their own poorer tools and utensils. In accepting the working parts
of iron they continued to manufacture the manual parts and the haftings after
their own fashions, to cover these with old devices full of meaning, and, in
addition, to put their new tools upon the copping of whatever pleased them in
the possession of their conquerors. They laughed at the gold and silver money
which was offered to them and appeared very eager for any articles made of
steel; for they like them above everything, and would give whatever they most
prized- their bows, arrows, boats, and oars ; and when they had nothing more to
give they stripped themselves and gave their shirts (Otis T. Mason,
Introduction of the Iron Age into America,” The
American Anthropologist, Vol.IX, No.6, Washington DC, June 1896, pp190-193).
Of the indigenous Americans, “The amount of iron in tools and manufactured products to be found in ethnic collections does not express the knowledge of iron possessed by each people. The collector, of his own instinct or obeying instructions, carefully avoids iron and iron- made things. They are white man’s work ; they are modern.”
So we ask once again, where is the metal? It did not exist in Mesoamerica during Jaredite or Nephite times, nor did it exist in North America dring Jaredite or Nephite times. Only in South America do we find metallurgy or iron and steel dating back to around 2000 BC.
Therefore, to locate an area for the Land of Promise, we need to find an area that had iron, and it was mined by the Jaredited and later the Nephites. This eliminates Mesoamerica without question.
It is a well-known fact among archaeologists that the Maya civilization did not have the advantage of an available source of iron ore. In Mexico iron ore is only found over 1000 miles to the north in the state of Colima. Archaeologists have determined that the Maya had no metal tools, but used stone tools fabricated from chert and obsidian—they also had no draft animals nor iron to make plows.
In fact, “The emergence of metallurgy in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica occurred relatively late in the region's history, with distinctive works of metal apparent in West Mexico by roughly AD 800, and perhaps as early as AD 600” (Dorothy Hosler, Dorothy (1988). "Ancient West Mexican Metallurgy: South and Central American Origins and West Mexican Transformations," American Anthropologist, vol.90, 1988, pp832–855; "Sound, color and meaning in the metallurgy of Ancient West Mexico," World Archaeology, vol.27, 1995, pp100–115).
In addition, metallurgical techniques likely diffused northward from regions in South America and later Central Amerixa, which may have been from maritime trade routes, including such trade items as alloys of copper-silver; copper-arsenic, copper-tin, and copper-arsenic-tin (David M. Pendergast, "Metal Artifacts in Prehispanic Mesoamerica," American Antiquity, vol.27, 1962, pp520–545).
Pendergast goes on to outlined that the metal items that were crafted throughout Mesoamerica may be broken into three classes: utilitarian objects, objects used for individual ornamentation, and ceremonial/ritual objects—the latter two categories comprise the bulk of distinctly Mesoamerican artifacts, with metals playing a particularly important role in the sacred and symbolic cultural realms (Scott E. Simmons, et al., "Maya Metals: The Context and Significance of Copper Artifacts in Postclassic and Early Historic Lamanai, Belize," Journal of Field Archaeology, vol.34, no.1, 2009, pp57–75).
It should also be noted that the earliest and most diverse finds of metal artifacts are from West Mexico stretching in a belt along the Pacific coast from Guerrero to Nayarit. This indicates that this region was a regional nucleus of metallurgy, from which elements of technique, form and style could have diffused throughout Mesoamerica.
By 1200/1300 AD to 1521 AD, metal smiths demonstrated increasing technical sophistication, producing both utilitarian and status-linked items. During the latter phase, the Purépecha of Michoacán in West Mexico emerged as a technological hub, with metal artifacts also appearing at the adjacent zones of Guerrero and Jalisco.
Whatever opinion one may have concerning other materials and arts, it is conceded that aboriginally there was neither smelting of iron nor working by means of it in America.
Obviously, other ores took their places in the Indian economy along with stone and copper, to be battered, rubbed, bored, sawed, and edged; but the fact remains that prior to the invasion of America from the Eastern hemisphere in historic times the native tribes manufactured no iron products and did not use iron as a metal in their industries. They are not now skillful in the manipulation of it. The fence between the purely native America that every ethnologist desires so earnestly to understand and the other America that is always obtruding itself upon the student was wrought. of iron.
The American Indian obtained metal
through purchase or trade, then place their own haft and decorations to it
Of the indigenous Americans, “The amount of iron in tools and manufactured products to be found in ethnic collections does not express the knowledge of iron possessed by each people. The collector, of his own instinct or obeying instructions, carefully avoids iron and iron- made things. They are white man’s work ; they are modern.”
So we ask once again, where is the metal? It did not exist in Mesoamerica during Jaredite or Nephite times, nor did it exist in North America dring Jaredite or Nephite times. Only in South America do we find metallurgy or iron and steel dating back to around 2000 BC.
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