One More Time—the Narrow Neck of Land was not in Mesoamerica

The common acceptance among Mesoamerican theorists is that the Gulf of Tehuantepec is the Narrow Neck of Land in the Land of Promise. As John L. Sorenson wrote and has been quoted in earlier posts: “The only ‘narrow neck’ potentially acceptable in terms of the Book of Mormon requirements is the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in southern Mexico.”

Once again, that isthmus is 140 miles across.

Now, when Ether wrote: “And it came to pass that there began to be a great dearth upon the land, and the inhabitants began to be destroyed exceedingly fast because of the dearth, for there was no rain upon the face of the earth. And there came forth poisonous serpents also upon the face of the land, and did poison many people. And it came to pass that their flocks began to flee before the poisonous serpents, towards the land southward, which was called by the Nephites Zarahemla. And it came to pass that there were many of them which did perish by the way; nevertheless, there were some which fled into the land southward. And it came to pass that the Lord did cause the serpents that they should pursue them no more, but that they should hedge up the way that the people could not pass, that whoso should attempt to pass might fall by the poisonous serpents” (Ether 9:30-33)

In order to get from the Land Northward to the Land Southward, the animals had to pass through the small or narrow neck of land (Alma 22:32) that was between these two lands. To either side of the neck was water (Alma 22:32; 50:34; Ether 10:20), thus the animals had to cross on dry land.

The Lord stopped the serpents from chasing the animals when reaching this narrow neck: “the Lord did cause the serpents that they should pursue them no more, but that they should hedge up the way that the people could not pass” (Ether 9:33).

Now the question arises, if the narrow neck was 140 miles wide, as in the case of Sorenson’s Mesoamerican model, how would that have been possible, for “whoso should attempt to pass might fall by the poisonous serpents” (Ether 9:33). Obviously, the poisonous serpents covered the narrow neck approach into the Land Southward. Whether there was a narrow pass, canyon, or gorge through this land, 140 miles in width would seem to negate any possible way to keep the people from following the animals for food.

Thus, no Jaredite passed into the land Southward until much later when “in the days of Lib the poisonous serpents were destroyed. Wherefore they did go into the land southward, to hunt food for the people of the land, for the land was covered with animals of the forest. And Lib also himself became a great hunter. And they built a great city by the narrow neck of land, by the place where the sea divides the land. And they did preserve the land southward for a wilderness, to get game. And the whole face of the land northward was covered with inhabitants” (Ether 10:19-21).

People who are starving and dying from starvation, are not likely going to let a few hills, mountains, swamps or other terrain to keep them from finding a way through the 140-mile width of Mesoamerica’s narrow neck of land. The entire thought of such a width in light of this is nonsensical, as it is in regard to an earlier post about the narrow neck being militarily guarded to keep anyone from getting into the Land Northward in the time of the Nephites. In either of these two cases, the narrow neck had to be very small and very narrow.

In addition, Sorenson writes about the swamp next to the narrow pass (see the first of this series of posts); however, this narrow pass was bordered by the sea, not a swamp. Mormon wrote: “And it came to pass that I did cause my people that they should gather themselves together at the land Desolation, to a city which was in the borders, by the narrow pass which led into the land southward. And there we did place our armies, that we might stop the armies of the Lamanites, that they might not get possession of any of our lands; therefore we did fortify against them with all our force. And it came to pass that in the three hundred and sixty and first year the Lamanites did come down to the city of Desolation to battle against us; and it came to pass that in that year we did beat them, insomuch that they did return to their own lands again. And in the three hundred and sixty and second year they did come down again to battle. And we did beat them again, and did slay a great number of them, and their dead were cast into the sea.” (Mormon 3:5-8)

It also seems obvious, that Sorenson and other Mesoamerican theorists have either not read the scriptural record carefully, or have chosen to ignore it when it disagrees with their model. When Mormon tells us it was narrow, it seems only reasonable that we believe him.