Narrow Neck of Land and the Fallacy of Mesoamerica’s Isthmus of Tehuantepec - Part II

The following is taken from pp 13-15 of a February 10, 1852, Scientific Commission Report entitled: “The Isthmus of Tehuantepec: The Results of a Survey for a Railroad to Connect the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans“ by John Jay Williams.
“From the mouth of the Coatzacoalcos, which discharges itself into the Gulf in 18º 8’ 20” north latitude, and 94º 32’ 50” longitude west (from Greenwich), to the harbor of Ventosa on the Pacific, situated in 16º 11’ 45” north latitude and 95º 15’ 40” west longitude, the distance in a direct line is 143 ½ miles. The coast-line on either side have a general direction nearly east and west.”

This verifies the two major problems with the Isthmus of Tehuantepec being the Narrow Neck of Land in the Land of Promise—that is, too wide, and running in the wrong direction. In addition the topography report goes on to describe the numerous streams and rivers one would have to cross and the many dense forests one would have to penetrate, and the numerous low-lying broken hills climbed by anyone crossing this Isthmus, especially in the era 600 B.C. to 421 A.D., all of which would take extra time to maneuver through.

John L. Sorenson can claim all he wants that the Nephites did not understand cardinal directions, but when a survey taken to plot and build a railroad shows that this isthmus runs almost due west and east, it is hard to imagine that anyone in any culture would consider that to be “northward” as he does.
Another problem for Mesoamerican theorists is that from their “narrow neck of land,” which opens northward into southern Mexico, which opens northward into the United States, which opens northward into Canada and the Arctic, how far northward would be “the furthermost parts of the land northward” (3 Nephi 4:23), or how far northward would be the northernmost part of the land” (3 Nephi 7:12)?

Northernmost literally means “most northern” or “farthest north.” The word “furthermost” means “most distant” or “furthest.” There simply is no other way to state these two scriptures than that King Jacob was fleeing to the most northern part of the Land Northward in order to escape those who threatened he and his band, where he could set up a kingdom of his own beyond the reach of his enemies (3 Nephi 7:12), and Zemnarihah commanded his robbers to march into the furthermost parts of the Land Northward (3 Nephi 4:23), an escape that was thwarted by Gidgiddoni.

Obviously, then, for these comments to be made about “northernmost” and “furthermost,” there must be some point at which the Land Northward terminated. And just as obviously, this fact does not fit the Mesoamerican model, nor does it fit the Great Lakes model, since that furthermost land in both cases would be the arctic. For such statements to be made, the Land Northward had to have had a terminus beyond which people could not travel. Such a terminus is described by Jacob when he told the Nephites they had been led across the sea to an isle of the sea where they were located (2 Nephi 10:20).

Thus, the Andean area of South America, which was at one time an island from Colombia to about the middle of Chile, would fit these two incidents, because in B.C. times, prior to the rising of the Andes and the Southern American plate, had a northern terminus and was, in fact, an island as Jacob said.

(See the next post, “Narrow Neck of Land and the Fallacy of Mesoamerica’s Isthmus of Tehuantepec - Part III,” covering the fallacious Mesoamerican position on directions)