Questions That Have to be Answered About the Land of Promise – Part IV

Continuing with the last post where the first fifteen questions were asked and answered. The following begins with question 16:

Question 16: “Where can be found seams and cracks and tall mountains?”

Answer: The hills in the Eastern U.S., like much of the Rocky Mountains in the West, are gradual uplifts that, except for the volcanic lava evidence in the Rockies, are made of large rocks or boulders, mostly rounded, and usually in huge uplift slabs of solid rock. In the east, the hills are mostly earth, while in the Rockies the mountains are solid rock. At one time, western North America lay underneath a shallow sea, which deposited many kilometers of limestone and dolomite, with the ancestral Rocky Mountains consisting largely of metamorphic rock forced upward through layers of the limestone laid down in the shallow sea. The mountains have since eroded leaving extensive deposits of sedimentary rock. However, in the Andes of South America, the slabs of rock that have been pushed upward are full of seams and cracks, with rarely an appearance of solid rock.

Left: Rocky Mountain uplift of solid slab rock; Right: Andes uplift of once solid slab rock now broken in seams and cracks

The highest peak in the continental U.S. is Mt. McKinley at 14,505 feet, then Mt. Elbert, in Colorado at 14,440 feet. The highest peak in the Northeastern U.S. is Mt. Washington in New Hampshire at 6,288 feet, and southeastern U.S. is Mt. Mitchell in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, at 6,684 feet, and after that, Spruce Knob in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia at 4,863 feet. The highest point in New York is Mt. Marcy in the Adirondacks at 5,344, in the Catskills 4,180, in the Bershires 2,818, in the Taconics 2,323, Finger Lakes 2,140, Tug Hill 2,110, Hudson-Jersey Highlands, 1,664, Terminal Moraine, 410. The highest peak in Central America, is Mt. Volcan Tajumulco in Guatemala at 13,815 with six other mountains above 10,000 feet, with two above 9,000 feet, one a above 7,000 feet, and two above 6,000 feet.

On the other hand, the highest peak in South America is the Aconcagua at 22,837 feet, with over seventy summits above 18,000 feet. Stated differently, South America has over 70 summits higher than the highest peaks in all of the Eastern United States. Obviously, then where we find seams and cracks and tall mountains in the Western Hemisphere is in the Andean area of South America.

Question 17: “Where is there evidence of extensive irrigation dating back into Book of Mormon times?”

Answer: While this is not directly found in the scriptural record, irrigation has always been associated with the Lord’s people and is a big part of the “Desert blossom as a Rose” (Isaiah 35:1). The point is, where ancient civilizations existed, there was usually a need for irrigation. In the Andean area of South America is one of the most intricate and extensive irrigation systems ever found. When the Spanish conquistadors arrived, they were astounded by the irrigation system they found and compared it favorably with that of the Roman Empire.

Left: A unique circular opening into underground irrigation channels that have been dug all under the Peruvian desert; Right: An example of the surface irrigation channels that run for miles upon miles, bringing water down from the mountains to the valleys and coastal regions

Question 18: “Where can fortified walls, walled cities, fortresses and resorts be found guarding the north country from southern invasion?”

Answer: Stone fortresses, resorts, and defensive walls are found all over the Andean area of South America and nowhere else in the entire Western Hemisphere that guard areas leading into the north from the southern areas, including mountain overlooks, long miles of extensive walls with intermittent forts (resorts) located that archaeologists all agree were built to stop invasion from the south.

Hilltop forts guarding passes leading from the south into northern countries

Question 19: “Where can roads and highways be found?”

Answer: The scriptural record shows that the Nephites had roads and highways, which obviously were part of the development of the Nephite nation, just as the Roman roads did—both were essential to move armies from one point to another, a need the Nephites had for several hundred years of constant warfare. While we don’t know how many highways and roads the Nephites built, we do know that according to Nephi, there were many highways cast up, and many roads made, which led from city to city, and from land to land, and from place to place, but we do know that Rome built 29 great military highways radiated from the city, and there were 372 great road links. And since Roman roads are still quite evident throughout Italy and parts of Europe, we should find evidence in the area of the Land of Promise of Nephite roads and highways. There are only two places where ancient roads are found in the Western Hemisphere, and that is in the Andean area of South America and in Mesoamerica; but in Peru, there is an ancient highway system far beyond anything found elsewhere outside ancient Rome. This complex of highways and interconnecting roads in Peru does actually what Nephi said, "connecting city to city, and from land to land, and from place to place."

Question 20: “Where can two unknown grains comparable to corn, wheat and barley be found in the Western Hemisphere?”

Answer: Unknown meaning unknown to Joseph Smith in 1829, so he had to use the original words from the plates—neas and shuem. Perhaps the first point should be made about the comparable value. Corn is used to make a variety of goods including sweetener, oil, flour and even plastic. Corn is low in saturated fat and cholesterol, as well as sodium. It's also a good source of dietary fiber, thiamin and folate. However, 82 percent of the calories in this food are from carbohydrates. This high-carbohydrate content is why corn can be used to make corn syrup, a low-priced sugar alternative. Peruvian Quinoa has a high-protein content, which makes it a great cholesterol-free and low-fat source of protein for vegetarians and vegans. According to the USDA nutrient database, 1 cup of cooked quinoa (185g) contains 8.14 grams of protein. To put that in reference, the recommended daily protein intake is about 56 grams for most men and 46 for most women. Quinoa provides 3.4 grams of fat. By comparison, 185 grams cooked lean ground beef provides 33 grams of fat. Secondly, no other food anywhere in the Western Hemisphere besides Peruvian quinoa and kiwichi, can be found that would have been unknown to the farmer environment of New England in 1829 when Joseph Smith translated the record. Quinoa and kiwichi are indigenous to the Andean area of South America and found nowhere else until the 20^th century when some other areas have transplanted these crops.

(See the next post, “Questions That Have to be Answered About the Land of Promise – Part V,” for the continuation of these all-important questions)