Corianton’s Resupply Ship

It has been suggested by Mesoamerican Theorists that Corianton sailed north to resupply those emigrants who had gone north into the Land Northward (Alma 63:10). The question might be asked, why would Corianton, or anyone else, take supplies to those who went into the Land Northward beyond the narrow neck of land? Obviously, they could have taken all the supplies they needed as they traveled overland into the Land Northward since the Nephites in that land filled it up from sea to sea (Helaman 3:8). Besides, ships cannot take supplies inland where these Nephites were near the Land of Many Waters (Helaman 3:4).

If, however, these 5,400 men, plus wives and children, who went to “the land which was northward” (that is, a land which was beyond the Land Northward), went by ship as is clearly stated (Alma 63:4-7), then it would be understandable they were limited as to the amount of supplies, i.e., tools, instruments, animals, etc., they could take on the ships Hagoth built. It would also be understandable they would need additional supplies brought to them to build a new civilization in a land previously unoccupied so far away.

We also know there were two distinct emigrant movements at this time. The first occurred around 55 B.C. (Alma 63:4), which was associated with movement over the Sea (Alma 63:6), and the second, spread over the intervening years between 54 to 46 B.C. (Alma 63:9; Helaman 3:5), which was associated with movement by land (Helaman 3:3-4). It would not seem reasonable that these two emigrant movements—occurring about 9 years apart—were to the same general areas, especially the way they are described in the scriptures covering these events.

Corianton obviously went to an area where he was not available to be recalled to take over the most important duty of keeping the sacred records (Alma 63:10-11), which seems to negate the Mesoamerican Theorist’s claim he was in the Land Northward. There seems little doubt he sailed by ship to the same location as those who left by ship ahead of him for the purpose of taking additional supplies immediately needed in a land beyond the Land of Promise. Had he merely been in the Land Northward, which had contact with Bountiful and Zarahemla, word could have been sent to him to return for this duty. So why wasn't he called home by his prophet-father to take over the most sacred and important responsibility of the records? Because he was not in the Land of Promise at all, no more than those 20,000 or more emigrants that sailed north in Hagoth’s ships.

Thus we have two Nephite settlement areas, one north of the other. This clearly suggests that the southern Nephite settlement, the Land of Promise, was in the Andean area of South America, and the second, the one that arrived in the north via Hagoth’s ships, would be the Nephite settlement in Mesoamerica.