Following are more comments or questions we have received from various readers of this blog.
Comment #1: “It is well known that the cinchona tree produces quinine that cures feve but in….Alma it talks about herbs in the plural that are good for curing diseases, or something like that” Bradley S.
Response: The scripture you refer to is: “And there were some who died with fevers, which at some seasons of the year were very frequent in the land -- but not so much so with fevers, because of the excellent qualities of the many plants and roots which God had prepared to remove the cause of diseases, to which men were subject by the nature of the climate” (Alma 46:40).
As can be seen, there is no mention of herbs in this passage. As for plants and roots, the cinchona is a plant that has roots, and there are other plants and roots that are used throughout the Andean area that are used as remedies for certain ailments—especially those for the different elevations of the mountain heights and the valleys.
Other plants of medicinal value in Andean Peru
One of those other plants is called "muña" (Minthostachys spicata), a Peruvian native mint plant that when rubbed in the hands emits its fragrance that when breathed offers relief for those suffering from nausea, dizziness, headaches or other undesirable effects of high altitudes. In addition, this herb is also used in order to make medicinal infusions for diarrhea and dysentery due to colds; the leaves used as plaster are an efficacious anti-inflammatory. Besides this, there are many other such plants and herbs in the Andean area that help in the cure of numerous diseases, etc.
Another such plant is the “Uña de Gato,” (Uncaria tomentosa) Its common name refers to the curved thorns of this woody vine that look like claws. The inner bark and root have been used for centuries in Peru because they contain high levels of alkaloids that activate the immune system, reduce inflammation, protect against tumor growth and carcinogens and prevent gene mutations. It is also used for many gastrointestinal problems and has antiviral properties that can stop the spread of viruses.
Comment #2: “I have a friend who is pressing me about the Central American Isthmus of Rivas between Lake Nicaragua and the Pacific Ocean as the narrow neck of land? What can I say to him?” Marcus W.
Response: We have written about Nicaragua in other posts, but for brevity here, there are four important points to cover in an answer:
1) According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the Isthmus of Rivas is 110 miles long and 12 miles wide. Before the construction of the Panama Railway, the width (from Pacific Ocean to Lake Nicaragua) was “an important portage” (carrying boats overland). Since the Book of Mormon describes movement through (not across) and the distance appears limited, Rivas does not fit such description”
The Isthmus of Rivas located between the Lake Nicaragua and the Pacific Ocean, was an important portage between the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans before the construction of the Panama Railway
2) The width of 12 miles at San Juan between San Juan and La Virgen, hardly seems to be “a day and a half journey for a Nephite,” especially when we consider that the topography was conducive to travel for those transporting boats or cargo across it. One might think a day and a half would be at least twice that distance, perhaps a little more—and too, the topography of this crossing, especially following the basic straight route of today’s highway NIC 16, is comparatively flat (elevation of the entire isthmus is between sea level and 200-feet), no doubt heavily wooded in B.C. times, and easily traversed. To think that it would take a Nephite one and a half days (about 18 to 20 hours of walking time, meaning averaging about 6/10ths of a mile an hour) appears to be ridiculous;
3) According to archaeologist J.F. Bransford in Archaeological Researches in Nicaragua, “an Aztec colony [the Nicaros] occupying the narrowest part of the belt [isthmus of Rivas] between the Pacific and Lake Nicaragua.” There is no indication in the Book of Mormon that this narrow neck of land was conducive to a settlement. The city the Jaredites built was by it, not in it (Ether 10:20); and Hagoth’s shipyard was near it, not in it (Alma 63:5).
Hagoth’s ship launched in his shipyard near the narrow neck of land
In fact, when Mormon describes Hagoth’s shipyard, he wrote: “he went forth and built him an exceedingly large ship, on the borders of the land Bountiful, by the land Desolation, and launched it forth into the west sea, by the narrow neck which led into the land northward.” Note, he describes the lands on either side of the narrow neck rather than the neck itself, suggesting this neck was not very long in distance—certainly not 110 miles in length as is Rivas;
4) The citing above regarding “a day’s travel” across the narrow neck of land is inaccurate. The distance of traversing the narrow neck is in Alma 22:32 and states a day and a half; the distance of a day’s travel is in Helaman and covers a different area—a defensive position in Bountiful: “And in the fifty and seventh year they did come down against the Nephites to battle, and they did commence the work of death; yea, insomuch that in the fifty and eighth year of the reign of the judges they succeeded in obtaining possession of the land of Zarahemla; yea, and also all the lands, even unto the land which was near the land Bountiful. And the Nephites and the armies of Moronihah were driven even into the land of Bountiful; And there they did fortify against the Lamanites, from the west sea, even unto the east; it being a day's journey for a Nephite, on the line which they had fortified and stationed their armies to defend their north country” (Helaman 4:5-7, emphasis added).
There are two important things about this passage: a) There was a land between the Land of Zarahemla and the Land of Bountiful (“the land which was near the land Bountiful”), and b) The Nephites had been driven into the Land of Bountiful where they made their stand: “And the Nephites and the armies of Moronihah were driven even into the land of Bountiful; And there they did fortify against the Lamanites, from the west sea, even unto the east; it being a day's journey for a Nephite, on the line which they had fortified and stationed their armies to defend their north country.”
The Isthmus of Rivas, as shown, is mostly a flat area, making crossing an easy jaunt and not take a day-and-a-half
In short, the Isthmus of Rivas does not meet any of the criteria Mormon gives us about the Narrow Neck of Land. The quote given above comes from the website of James Warr’s “A New Model for Book of Mormon Geography,” and more specifically his “The Narrow Neck of Land Key to Book of Mormon Geography.” Warr has several points that simply do not meet the scriptural criteria he loves to quote.
Comment #3: “In reading about the Inca, I find they are the ones that created the legend-myth about three brothers and four sisters emerging from caves near Lake Titicaca around AD 1200. This blows your theory of this legend referring to Lehi.” Angelien
Response: As is well documented by numerous scholars, the Inca were notorious for borrowing deities, legends, myths, etc., for their own purposes and glorification. The Inca often established legends about themselves and adopted stories into their pantheonic history as a means to intimidate and control the people they conquered. The interesting thing about this particular “legend-myth” as you call it, is that it obvious came from elsewhere—and strip it of its Incanisms, it does strike at an earlier, much more complete story with some very specific purposes involved. I suggest you read some of the early chroniclers who nearly all wrote about this legend—in its original and complete form, it really sounds like the story of Lehi and his sons as we have suggested.
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