While we have addressed this issue several times in the past, it is an issue that is constantly bandied about by theorists who try to convince us that It seems highly probable that when Lehi and his family arrived in the Promised Land they found a fairly significant but scattered people already inhabiting the land.
The fact that this is not supported by the Book of Mormon, nor is there any mention by any of the ancient writers that would suggest such a thing, these theorists—especially those who promote Mesoamerica, the Heartland or Great Lakes theories—continue to make such claims. Many go so far as to say that “because other people are not mentioned in the Book of Mormon doesn’t meant they did not exist,” and go on to claim they did. This is because such beliefs and opinions in their location require the presence of earlier people in the land than when Lehi arrived, in order to align their location with the claimed historical understanding of the ancient past.
Such changes are critically important for the theories to find support among historians and scholars because it leads to the Book of Mormon agreeing with so-called historical “facts.” Thus, such approaches to the location of the Land of Promise is not only contrary to the written record, but is paramount to changing the meaning of the written record in order to find support to one’s opinions or beliefs.
Theorists claim the Land of Promise had a backward people there before Lehi landed
In addition, theorists claim these people “were without government, without religion, and perhaps with but minimum language skill. The core of their culture had been destroyed. While once a great and cultured people, by the time of Lehi's arrival they had been scattered and divided. Had they by that time degenerated to a level of mere subsistence? Our record gives us few clues.” Actually our record in the Book of Mormon gives no clues whatsoever to such a previous people.
John L. Sorenson claims that “A number of statements in the Book of Mormon text indicate the presence in Lehi’s promised land of peoples other than those descended from Lehi’s party. Reasons why the topic is not addressed more explicitly in the record include a focus on the Nephites (and not on other people), a generic treatment of Lamanites, and a desire not to waste space on something obvious or insignificant” (Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Studies, (2016) "Journal of The Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture Volume 25," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies: vol. 25, no. 1, Article 12, 2016).
However, Sorenson’s argument is flawed. As an example, while Momon does not give us the names of Nephi’s sisters in his abridgement, or how many there were, he does mention them. He also does not give us the names of Ishmael’s sons, but again, he does mention them. Thus, we know of their existence. He also does not tell us much about the people of Zarahemla who would not have been descended from Lehi, but again, he does mention them. Nephi doesn’t even tell us the name of his wife—but he does describe her presence. So if there were other people in the land, at least we could expect Nephi to tell us in his writing or Mormon in his abridgement—even if briefly.
Also, it is hard to believe other people in the land with whom the Nephites interacted with, and no doubt would have attempted to bring “into the fold,” would certainly have warranted a specific, if not brief, mention.
Mosiah I discovers Zarahemla
While it is true that four hundred years after Lehi landed, Mosiah I found Zarahemla, where the Mulekites had always been since their landing just after Lehi. They, of course, brought no records with them had no records, denied their God, and their Hebrew language had been so altered over time that it could not be understood—nor did they have any interaction with the Nephites. However, theorists claim that these unknown people had been “a fairly significant but scattered people already inhabiting the land.” Obviously, they were not the Mulekites—the only other people mentioned in the ancient record.
In fact, according to Lehi, there should have been no people in the land, for it was intended as an inheritance for his family and their descendants, “A land which the lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed, yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever” (2 Nephi 1:5, 3:2; 10:10). Lehi also stated: “covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever” (2 Nephi 1:8) and “that they may possess this land unto themselves” (2 Nephi 1:9).
It should also be noted, for those theorists who like to point out that others could be led to the Land of Promise, that the Lord covenanted with Lehi that the Land of Promise was for any “who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord” (2 Nephi 1:8).
Note that the important phrase “should be” is a future tense statement. That is, the Lord was promising Lehi that the land would be reserved for him and his posterity because “it is wisdom that this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations” (2 Nephi 1:8, emphasis added)—again, a future tense statement.
Thus, there can be no question that shortly after Lehi landed, the Lord promised him that the land would be kept for his posterity free of others until such time as the Lord would lead others there. And the others the Lord was commenting about were the Gentiles coming to this land as Nephi saw in his vision—which was the coming of Columbus (1 Nephi 13:12), the Spanish conquistadors (1 Nephi 13:14), and the Gentiles (Europeans) coming out of England (1 Nephi 15-19) and the establishment of the Constitution of the United States and, in fine, the various groups would not utterly destroy the descendants of Lehi (1 Nephi 13:30).
Nephi requests to see all that his father had seen
All these things both Lehi and Nephi saw in their visions before ever setting sail for the Land of Promise. At that time there were no other people in the Land of Promise and would not be, other than Lehi’s combined family, for some 2000 years when Columbus discovered the Western Hemisphere and later the English, French and Spanish settled the land.
To claim that “It seems highly probable that when Lehi and his family arrived in the Promised Land they found a fairly significant but scattered people already inhabiting the land“ and to claim that the Land of Promise was covered or scattered with people when Lehi landed is neither “highly probable,” nor consistent with the Book of Mormon record of the Land of Promise, and certainly is in opposition to the several promises the Lord gave to Lehi for himself and his descendants.
Clear evidence for the presence of others in substantial populations is present in the Book of Mormon. The demographic or cultural history of Lehi’s literal descendants must take into account these other groups.” However, in his work, Sorenson gives no concrete evidence, stating only nebulous ideas that have no substantiation in the scriptural record.
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