How Can Anyone Defend Mesoamerica as the Land of Promise? – Part III

Continuing from the last post regarding the inroads into complete dominance of the Mesoamerican scene as being the location of the Book of Mormon, and the total absence of any connecting factors between the Book of Mormon and Mesoamerica.
    The point of all this is to show that Mesoamerica is not a defensible position. Of course, the first and foremost difference between Mormon’s many descriptions and the Mesoamerican theorist, is the shape and design of the Land of Promise, along with its directional alignment.

The Directional Seas are not aligned with the directions they are named; the ocean to the north of the Narrow Neck is claimed to be the Sea East, and the ocean to the south of this neck is claimed to be the West Sea

• Mormon says north and south.
Sorenson, Nibley, and other Mesoamerican theorists says east and west.
But there are many other areas of immediately interest and, likewise, of immediate concern:
• Nephi tells us and Mormon verifies that there were no other people in the Land of Promise other than the Jaredites, Nephites, Mulekites and Lamanites.
Sorenson, Nibley, Roberts and other Mesoamerican theorists tell us there were all sorts of other people in the Land of Promise.
• Mormon says both the Jaredites and Nephites used metallurgy extensively.
Sorenson in his 1985 landmark book argues for metallurgy existence in 600 A.D., and claims the future will show us more and it is only a matter of time—however, 34 years later, no change in metallurgy archaeology in Mesoamerica has yet been discovered, despite the extensive work done in that area, both by Church archaeologist and others.
• Mormon says there is a Sea North and a Sea South.
Sorenson and other Mesoamerican theorists say there are only two seas, the Sea East, located in the north, and Sea West, located in the south.
• Mormon says Hagoth’s sailed to the north from his shipyard on the West Sea near the Narrow Neck of Land

 To leave the Mesoamericanists’ Narrow Neck, where Hagoth had his shipyard, the ship would have to travel southwest or nearly 1000 miles before it could turn toward the north (northwest)

Sorenson’s map shows Hagoth’s ships had to travel 950 miles to the southwest before they could turn northward. This is an interesting fact, in light of Sorenson, in his book (p266) claims the immigrants would not have traveled by ship more than 200 miles into the Land Northward.
• Nephi says they planted all their seeds from Jerusalem and they grew exceedingly and provided an abundant crop.
Sorenson’s landing area for Nephi is a sub-tropical climate in an area where Jerusalem seeds would not grow and still won’t produce wheat and barley today.
• Jacob says, and Nephi records on the plates, that the Nephites landed and lived on an island.
Sorenson and other Mesoamericanists claim Nephi landed on, and the Nephites lived on, an isthmus.
• Moroni says that the Jaredites had two unknown animals of great worth to man, equivalent to the value of the elephant.
Sorenson says these might be the Sloth and Tapir, two animals of very limited use to man and certainly not in the category of an elephant in their value.
• Mormon says the narrow neck of land can be walked across in a day and a half by a Nephite.

The Isthmus of Tiahuanaco would take a little over four days to walk across, averaging 30 miles a day or about 1.6 miles per hour for 12 strait hours, and six straight hours on the second (½) day 

Sorenson says his narrow neck is 125 miles across (actually 144 according to the Mexican government), far from crossable in a day and a half.
• Mormon tells us that all the Jaredites had been wiped out and killed, that only Coriantumr and Ether remained.
Sorenson, Nibley and others tell us that Jaredites survived and lived into the Nephite era and influenced the Nephites.
• Mormon says the Land of Promise was full of metals, including copper, in abundance.
Mesoamerica, specifically Guatemala produces little copper, often none for several years on end. Honduras produces very little. Compared to 5,750 tons from Chile (the leading producer in the world), 1,380 tons from Peru (3^rd largest producer in the world).
• Mormon tells us that gold was an abundant metal in the Land of Promise.
Guatemala produces 9 tons of gold per year compared to Peru’s 165 tons (Peru is 7^th in the world in gold production, Chile was 17^th, for a combined 190 tons, compared to Guatemala and Honduras who produced 10 ton combined [Chile was expected to mine 140 tons in 2016]).
• Mormon tells us that silver was an abundant metal in the Land of Promise.

Guatemala produces 191.6 tons of silver per year compared to Peru’s 3,500 tons (Peru, Chile and Bolivia produced 5,900 total make them the largest producer of silver in the world, compared to Guatemala and Honduras production of 225.6 ton)
• Mormon says that the hill Cumorah is within the Land of Cumorah, which is within the Land of Many Waters.

While Mormon places the hill Cumorah and the Land of Many Waters in the same area, Mesoamericanists have them far apart
Sorenson places his Land of Many Waters in Mesoamerica 350 miles away from his hill Cumorah.
• Moroni tells us that the Land of Promise had a Sea that Divideth the Land.
Sorenson and other Mesoamericanists do not have such a sea. The Gulf of Guayaquil between Peru and Ecuador in South America divides the land where these two countries meet.
• Mormon tell us that Mulek landed along the seashore and settled there and lived there from the time they first arrived in the Land of Promise.
Sorenson and others tell us that Mulek landed among the Jaredites in the Land Northward and migrated down to Zarahemla later.
• Moses tells us in the Bible that the Flood came in 2344 B.C.
Sorenson, using the Mayan calendar, tells us it occurred in 3113 B.C.
• Moroni tells us that the Nephites spoke Hebrew throughout their time in the Land of Promise.
Sorenson claims that “in the first centuries after Nephi’s landing, no indication is given that the Hebrew speech of the Nephites changed to any other tongue though the possibility remains.” Other Mesoamerican theorists claim that “it is unlikely that the Hebrew persisted down to the time of Cumorah.”
• Mormon tells us that they grew Wheat and Barley in the Land of Promise.
Sorenson tells us that it must have been some other crops because wheat and barley will not grow in Mesoamerica.
• Mormon tells us that the Lord provided plants and herbs to cure the disease of fevers.
Sorenson never mentions diseases, plants, herbs or cures. Besides, the cure for deadly fevers—quinine—is only found in Peru from the bark of the cinchona tree.
•Mormon tells us that Hagoth built exceedingly large ships.
Sorenson claims that Hagoth’s ships were hardly like ships that came later, but were just large dugout canoes or rafts.
(See the next post, “How Can Anyone Defend Mesoamerica as the Land of Promise? – Part IV,” for more insights into how far afield this research went in trying to establish Mesoamerica as the Land of Promise, and why it simply is not tenable today)