Page 2

	Home
	Page 1
	Page 3
	Maps

Not long after Lehi's group landed in the New World, Lehi died and the Lord warned Nephi to flee from his brothers. Nephi took Zoram and three of his brothers and their families: "And we . . . did journey in the wilderness for the space of many days. And after we had journeyed for the space of many days we did pitch our tents. And my people would that we should call the name of the place Nephi; wherefore, we did call it Nephi" (2 Nephi 5:7-8). The Nephites continued to live there for approximately 380 years. During this time there were many wars between the Nephites and Lamanites, who seem to have slowly encroached upon Nephite territory. The Book of Mormon is very sketchy regarding this long period of history, but about 200 B.C., the Lord again warned a man named Mosiah to flee out of the land of Nephi. He took a group of people with him, and they traveled northward through the wilderness until they came to the land of Zarahemla. Mosiah was made king over the people of Zarahemla, and the Lamanites occupied the land of Nephi.

Mosiah was succeeded by his son Benjamin, and during Benjamin's reign there was "a certain number who went up into the wilderness to return to the land of Nephi; for there was a large number who were desirous to possess the land of their inheritance" (Omni 1:27). We later learn that a colony was led to the land of Nephi by a man named Zeniff. Zeniff says that he "had a knowledge of the land of Nephi, or the land of our fathers' first inheritance," which he obtained through his activities as a spy among the Lamanites. Zeniff states further:

. . . I being over-zealous to inherit the land of our fathers, collected as many as were desirous to go up to possess the land, and started again on our journey into the wilderness to go up to the land . . . . after many days' wandering in the wilderness we pitched our tents . . . near to the land of our fathers. And it came to pass that I went again with four of my men into the city, in unto the king . . . . and he covenanted with me that I might possess the land of Lehi-Nephi, and the land of Shilom. And he also commanded that his people should depart out of the land, and I and my people went into the land that we might possess it. (Mosiah 9:3-7)

Zeniff's account contains so many references to "the land of our fathers' first inheritance" and "the land of our fathers" that we must conclude that he is designating the area which Lehi's group first reached after crossing the sea. This seems to be the land which Zeniff was intent upon obtaining, which was given to his people as their dwelling place. It is difficult to believe that the Lamanite king would have simply handed over the city of Nephi to Zeniff's colony, if it held an important position in Lamanite territory. However, it would not have been remarkable, if the king had given to Zeniff a city in some more remote part of the land, and we know that the city of Nephi was separated from the original landing site by a journey of "many days." The name "Lehi-Nephi" would also be appropriate, if it commemorated the spot where Lehi and Nephi landed and the place where Lehi died.

Some years after the departure of Zeniff's group, Mosiah's grandson, Mosiah II, became king in Zarahemla, and he became "desirous to know concerning the people who went up to dwell in the land of Lehi-Nephi, or in the city of Lehi-Nephi" (Mosiah 7:1). Accordingly, he sent out a group led by a man named Ammon: "And now, they knew not the course they should travel in the wilderness to go up to the land of Lehi-Nephi; therefore they wandered many days in the wilderness, even forty days did they wander. And when they had wandered forty days they came to a hill, which is north of the land of Shilom, and there they pitched their tents"" (Mosiah 7:4-5). Ammon was brought before the king of the land, who declared that he was Limhi, the grandson of Zeniff.

The hill north of Shilom is important, because another passage tells us that Noah, Zeniff's son, "caused a great tower to be built on the hill north of the land of Shilom, which had been a resort for the children of Nephi at the time they fled out of the land" (Mosiah 11:13). The phrase "children of Nephi" is ambiguous. Does it mean Nephi and his family, when they fled from the place of their first landing to the spot where the city of Nephi was built, or does it refer to Mosiah and his group of Nephites, when they journeyed from Nephi to Zarahemla? Considering the fact that the Nephites lived in the city of Nephi for about 380 years before Mosiah's group left, it does not seem possible that Ammon would not have known how to reach Lehi-Nephi, if it were the city of Nephi. However, if Lehi-Nephi were the site of the first landing, which the Nephites had not seen for 450 years, Ammon certainly might not have known the way. If Mosiah had passed the hill near Shilom on his way from Nephi to Zarahemla, its location should have been well known. Therefore, it must have been Nephi's group which stopped there, as they fled from Laman and Lemuel. Thus, the information that we have indicates that Lehi-Nephi was not the city of Nephi, but was the name given to the place where Lehi's group first landed in the New World.

Near Lehi-Nephi was a city called Shemlon, where the Lamanite king lived. Sorenson places Shemlon near the south shore of lake Amatitlan in Guatemala. North of the lake, he says, was Shilom, and farther north was Lehi-Nephi, located on the present site of Guatemala City. There is one passage which says that Zeniff's people were attacked by Lamanites "away on the south of the land of Shilom" (Mosiah 9:14). Sorenson adds: "The Lamanite attack came 'up' (Mosiah 10:6) from Shemlon" (Sorenson 1985, 169). However, these two passages do not refer to the same Lamanite attack. In fact, the second reference continues: "But I had sent my spies out round about the land of Shemlon, that I might discover their preparations . . . . And it came to pass that they came up upon the north of the land of Shilom, with their numerous hosts" (Mosiah 10:7-8). Thus the first Lamanite attack was to the south of Shilom, while the second was to the north. But, the first passage does not make any reference to Shemlon. The second passage not only refers to Shemlon, but also indicates that Shemlon was north of Shilom. Furthermore, Sorenson has not taken into account the fact that the Book of Mormon uses "up" and "down" in the biblical sense; therefore, if the Lamanite attack came "up" from Shemlon, it would actually come from the north. Thus, Shemlon was north of Shilom, not south, as Sorenson says.

Lehi-Nephi, however, was apparently north of Shilom. Ammon, we remember, had come "up" from Zarahemla, looking for Lehi-Nephi. After reaching the hill north of Shilom, "Ammon took three of his brethren . . . and they went down into the land of Nephi" (Mosiah 7:6). The word "down" must mean north. But Shemlon must have also been north of Lehi-Nephi. When some young Lamanite women were abducted from "a place in Shemlon," the Lamanites thought that Limhi's people were responsible: "Therefore, they sent their armies forth . . . and they went up to the land of Nephi to destroy the people of Limhi" (Mosiah 20:7). If the Lamanites went "up," they would be headed south. It appears then that Lehi-Nephi was north of Shilom and that Shemlon was even further north, but Sorenson places Shemlon south of both Shilom and Lehi-Nephi.

Alma, who was a priest of king Noah, aroused the wrath of the king by siding with a prophet named Abinadi. Alma fled when the king sent his servants to kill him. He started preaching and gathered together a number of followers, whom he led to a place called Mormon, which was near the "waters of Mormon." Sorenson identifies the waters of Mormon with Lake Atitlan and states that the distance between Lehi-Nephi and Mormon was a two-day journey. He says further that both Mormon and another city called Jerusalem were on Lake Atitlan.

The Book of Mormon does not tell us how many days Alma traveled to reach Mormon, but it states twice that Mormon was "in the borders of the land" (Mosiah 18:4, 31). When the king discovered a movement of people towards Mormon, he sent an army after Alma. Alma was warned by the Lord and led his group into the wilderness. After traveling for eight days, they reached a place which they called Helam. In the meantime, another Lamanite army was pursuing Ammon and Limhi, who were making their escape towards Zarahemla. However, after two days the Lamanites became lost and continued to wander "for many days" (Mosiah 23:30), until they found a place called Amulon. Both the Lamanites and the people of Amulon decided to set out to find the way back to the land of Nephi, but discovered Helam instead.

The fact that the Lamanite army which pursued Ammon and Limhi became lost after traveling only two days, and that neither the Lamanites nor the people of Amulon, who included priests of king Noah, knew the way back to the land of Nephi, suggests that the territory between Lehi-Nephi and Helam was very unfamiliar. This, again, implies that Lehi-Nephi was in some remote part of the land, and that the Lamanites around Lehi-Nephi had been more or less isolated for some time from the northern parts of the land of Nephi which bordered on the land of Zarahemla. But this would not be the case if Lehi-Nephi were the city of Nephi, because there had been continual wars between the land of Nephi and the land of Zarahemla.

Limhi had also sent out a group of men, before the arrival of Ammon, to search for the land of Zarahemla. They too became lost and apparently traveled far north of Zarahemla, but managed to find their way back to Lehi-Nephi. Again, this suggests the isolation of Lehi-Nephi and its remoteness from the land of Zarahemla.

It should be noted that although Sorenson says the distance between Lehi-Nephi and Mormon was a two-day journey, his map shows an almost equal distance between Mormon and Helam, when according to the text, it should be four times as great (Mosiah 23:3).

A later passage says: "now the Lamanites and the Amalekites and the people of Amulon had built a great city, which was called Jerusalem." And Jerusalem "was away joining the borders of Mormon" (Alma 21: 1-2). Another reference groups Jerusalem with Amulon and Helam: "the Amalekites and the Amulonites and the Lamanites who were in the land of Amulon, and also in the land of Helam, and who were in the land of Jerusalem, and in fine, in all the land round about . . . were stirred up by the Amalekites and by the Amulonites" (Alma 24:1). It is difficult to reconcile all of this. Jerusalem is supposed to be joining the borders of Mormon, but it seems also to be near Amulon and Helam. Helam, we know, was an eight-day journey from Mormon, and the Lamanite army had also been lost for many days in the wilderness before reaching Amulon. This implies that Jerusalem was some distance from Mormon, although of the three cities - Jerusalem, Amulon, and Helam - Jerusalem may have been the farthest south, and therefore, the closest to Mormon. But it is doubtful that Mormon and Jerusalem could have been as near to each other as Sorenson indicates.

Jerusalem figures in a later account concerning the four sons of Mosiah II, who decided to labor as missionaries among the Lamanites. Accordingly, they left Zarahemla and "journeyed many days in the wilderness," until they "arrived in the borders of the land of the Lamanites" (Alma 17:9, 13). They then separated and went to different cities. Ammon went to Ishmael, where he had great success in converting king Lamoni. His brethren, however, were not so fortunate. Aaron went to Jerusalem, but since the people would not listen to him, he left that city and went to Ani-Anti, where he found Muloki and Ammah. Since they also were meeting with resistance, all three departed and went to Middoni, but there they were thrown in prison. After their release had been obtained by Ammon and Lamoni, Aaron set out from Middoni and came to the city of Nephi, where he was received by the king.

Sorenson places both Jerusalem and Ani-Anti on the south shore of Lake Atitlan, Jerusalem lying to the west and Ani-Anti to the east. They are, therefore, south of Mormon, which Sorenson places north of the lake. East of Ani-Anti is Ishmael, and Middoni lies to the south of Ishmael; further east of Ishmael is Nephi. However, the text indicates a different arrangement. King Lamoni intended to take Ammon from Ishmael to the city of Nephi to meet his father, who was king over the whole land of Nephi. But, "the voice of the Lord came to Ammon, saying: Thou shalt not go up to the land of Nephi . . . but thou shalt go to the land of Middoni." Lamoni then said to Ammon, "Come, I will go with thee down to the land of Middoni" (Alma 20:2, 7). These references indicate that Nephi was "up" or south of Ishmael, while Middoni was "down" or north of Ishmael. Again, after Ammon and Lamoni freed Aaron from the prison in Middoni, they returned to Ishmael, while Aaron went on to Nephi. The king questioned Aaron about Ammon: "I desire to know the cause why he has not come up out of Middoni with thee" (Alma 22:3). This too indicates that Nephi was "up" or south of Middoni.

When Aaron left Jerusalem, he "came over" to Ani-Anti, and after leaving Ani-Anti, he "came over" to Middoni (Alma 21:11-12). This suggests that Jerusalem, Ani-Anti, and Middoni formed a horizontal line. And since Middoni was north of both Ishmael and Nephi, Ani-Anti must also be north of those cities, rather than west. But Sorenson has reversed the positions of Ishmael and Middoni, placing Middoni south of Ishmael, instead of north, while he locates Nephi east of Ishmael and Middoni, instead of south.

In the city of Nephi, Aaron succeeded in converting the king who ruled over the whole land of Nephi. The Book of Mormon describes the territory over which the king ruled: "which was divided from the land of Zarahemla by a narrow strip of wilderness, which ran from the sea east even to the sea west . . . through the borders of Manti, by the head of the river Sidon" (Alma 22:27). Here at last we are back on familiar territory. The text also indicates that the lands occupied by the Lamanites consisted of three zones: "Now, the more idle part of the Lamanites lived in the wilderness, and dwelt in tents; and they were spread through the wilderness on the west, in the land of Nephi; yea, and also on the west of the land of Zarahemla, in the borders by the seashore, and on the west in the land of Nephi, in the place of their fathers' first inheritance, and thus bordering along by the seashore" (Alma 22:28). Thus the three zones were west of the land of Zarahemla, west of the land of Nephi, and an area on the west coast which included "the place of their fathers' first inheritance." The cities of Lehi-Nephi, Shilom and Shemlon, appear to have been located in the third zone, and therefore, Lehi-Nephi cannot be identified with the city of Nephi.

Another discrepancy between the Book of Mormon and Sorenson's account is the placement of Onidah. Amalickiah, who went to the land of Nephi, persuaded the king to direct his people to prepare to go to battle against the Nephites. However, many of the Lamanites were afraid to fight the Nephites and fled. Amalickiah followed after them: "he went forward to the place which was called Onidah, for thither had all the Lamanites fled; . . . therefore they fled to Onidah, to the place of arms" (Alma 47:5). Near Onidah there was a mountain called Antipas, where all of the Lamanites gathered. Sorenson says that "Onidah clearly was in broken country no great distance from the capital city of Lehi-Nephi" (Sorenson 1985, 252). However, after Amalickiah gained control of the Lamanites at Onidah, he "marched with his armies . . . to the land of Nephi, to the city of Nephi, which was the chief city" (Alma 47:20). If Onidah was no great distance from Nephi, it would be considered to be in the land of Nephi, whereas the text says that Amalickiah marched back from Onidah to the land of Nephi. The implication is that the Lamanites had fled all the way to the land of Zarahemla. Onidah, therefore, must have been some distance from the city of Nephi.

We have found that Sorenson's map of the land of Nephi does not stand up under analysis any better than his model of the land of Zarahemla. He identifies Lehi-Nephi with the city of Nephi, when, in fact, they seem to be distinct places, remote from each other. And his placement of cities relative to each other does not follow directional indicators in the text. We must now consider some features of lands northward.

North of Zarahemla was the city of Bountiful, which was also north of Jershon (Alma 27:22). We can assume from Alma 52 that Bountiful was west of Mulek, which was itself near the east sea (Alma 51:26). Between the two cities were some plains (Alma 52:20). But the name Bountiful was also given to a region of land which stretched from the city of Bountiful to the west sea. North of the land of Bountiful was a land called Desolation: "Thus the land on the northward was called Desolation, and the land on the southward was called Bountiful . . . . And now, it was only the distance of a day and a half's journey for a Nephite, on the line Bountiful and the land Desolation, from the east to the west sea; and thus the land of Nephi and the land of Zarahemla were nearly surrounded by water, there being a small neck of land between the land northward the land southward" (Alma 22:31-32).

In addition, there was a narrow pass between the land southward and the land northward: "they had come to the borders of the land Desolation; and there they did head them, by the narrow pass which led by the sea into the land northward, yea, by the sea, on the west and on the east" (Alma 50:34). This reference seems to indicate that the narrow pass was bordered by the sea on both the east and the west.

Toward the end of the Book of Mormon, the Nephites are forced to abandon their cities to the south and are pushed northward by the Lamanites. They arrive first at the city of Angola, but are driven from there to the land of David. From David they "marched forth and came to the land of Joshua, which was in the borders west by the seashore" (Mormon 2:6). They remained there for about fifteen years, but again the Lamanites forced them out and pursued them to the land of Jashon. Mormon tells us that "the city of Jashon was near the land where Ammaron had deposited the records" (Mormon 2:17). Ammaron had hidden the records in the hill Shim in the land of Antum (Mormon 1:3). The Nephites were soon driven out of Jashon "until we had come northward to the land which was called Shem" (Mormon 2:20). Shem was apparently in the land of Desolation, for the Nephites waged a successful battle against the Lamanites "until we had again taken possession of the lands of our inheritance" (Mormon 2:27). Several years later, however, the Nephites made a treaty with the Lamanites: "And the Lamanites did give unto us the land northward, yea, even to the narrow passage which led into the land southward. And we did give unto the Lamanites all the land southward" (Mormon 2:29).

After remaining in Shem for about fifteen years, the Nephites received word that the Lamanites were again preparing for battle. They therefore gathered "at the land Desolation, to a city which was in the borders, by the narrow pass which led into the land southward" (Mormon 3:5). Three years later, the Lamanites succeeded in taking the city of Desolation, and the Nephites fled to Teancum which "lay in the borders by the seashore; and it was also near the city Desolation" (Mormon 4:3). For about twelve years the Nephites and Lamanites fought around the cities of Desolation and Teancum, but finally the Nephites were defeated and forced to flee to Boaz. At this time, Mormon went back to the hill Shim to get the records which Ammaron had hidden. Driven out of Boaz, the Nephites came to the city of Jordan, which they held for about five years, but they were again put to flight. Finally, Mormon wrote to the king of the Lamanites, asking him to allow the Nephites to gather to the hill Cumorah, which "was in a land of many waters, rivers, and fountains" (Mormon 6:4).

Let us review what we have learned. We know that the Nephites fled westward to Joshua near the sea. The hill Shim was somewhere between Jashon and Shem. Shem was north of Jashon and seems to have been actually in the land northward and close to the city of Desolation, which was itself near the narrow pass. The narrow pass led from the land northward into the land southward. The south entrance to the pass was through the land Bountiful, while the city of Desolation must have been near the northern approach to the pass by the west sea. The hill Shim seems also to have been on the west, because the Book of Ether tells us that a Jaredite king named Omer passed by the hill and "came over" to the place where the Nephites were destroyed (Cumorah), "and from thence eastward" to the sea (Ether 9:3). Teancum was near Desolation, but also by the sea - presumably the west sea. Boaz must also have been on the west, for Mormon went back from there to the hill Shim. Thus, all of the sites from Joshua to Boaz appear to have been on the west. The hill Cumorah, however, seems to have been on a line with the hill Shim, but in the direction of the east sea.

Sorenson places Joshua on the west coast, but he says that from there the Nephites "fled headlong across the narrow neck and into the land northward all the way to the land of Jashon" (Sorenson 1985, 343). His map makes clear that by this he means that the Nephites fled all the way to the east coast and then journeyed through the narrow pass to Jashon. However, there is nothing in the text which suggests that the Nephites traveled across the neck of land to the east coast, or that Jashon was approached by means of the narrow pass. Nevertheless, Sorenson places Jashon, the hill Shim, Shem, Desolation, and Teancum all on the east coast.

In addition, Sorenson positions the city of Desolation near the south end of the narrow pass, while Shem is to the north.. East of Shem is the hill Shim, which is therefore also north of Desolation, and further north of Shim is the hill Cumorah. Teancum is east of Desolation, by the sea and south of Shim. None of this appears to correspond with the text. We would expect Desolation and Teancum to be north of Shem and the hill Shim, and Desolation should be near the north end of the narrow pass. All of the sites from Jashon to Teancum should be on the west coast rather than the east, and Cumorah should be east of Shim, rather than north.

The hill Cumorah was the scene of the final battle between the Nephites and the Lamanites, but Moroni tells us that it was also known as the hill Ramah, where the Jaredites perished (Ether 15:11). The Jaredites had occupied the land northward, where they built their principal city called Moron. We are given several indications of the relationship between Moron and Nephite territory. Ether 7:6 says: "Now the land of Moron, where the king dwelt, was near the land which is called Desolation by the Nephites." Ether 9:3 states further that Omer, a Jaredite king, "departed out of the land with his family, and traveled many days, and came over and passed by the hill of Shim, and came over by the place where the Nephites were destroyed, and from thence eastward, and came to a place which was called Ablom, by the seashore." Another passage says: "their flocks began to flee before the poisonous serpents, towards the land southward, which was called by the Nephites Zarahemla" (Ether 9:31). Therefore, Moron was north of Desolation and the hill Shim, but the land of the Jaredites was close enough for their flocks to wander into the land southward.

The Book of Ether refers to a few other sites and geographical features, although the information given is very sketchy. It says that a man named Corihor "went over and dwelt in the land of Nehor," but it also says that "he came up unto the land of Moron where the king dwelt" (Ether 7:4-5). The words "went over" would seem to indicate either east or west, but "came up" would mean that Moron was south of Nehor. Nehor may therefore have been either northeast or northwest of Moron. The text also tells us that Noah, the son of Corihor, "did obtain the land of their first inheritance; and he became a king over that part of the land" (Ether 7:16). But we are not given any indication where this land was. Somewhere near both Moron and Nehor was the hill Ephraim. (Ether 7:9).

A battle between Coriantumr and Shared took place in the valley of Gilgal. From there, Coriantumr pursued Shared to the plains of Heshlon, but he was driven back to the valley of Gilgal. The text does not give us any directional indicators, but these areas must have been near Moron.

Ether 8:2 says that Jared, the son of Omer, "came and dwelt in the land of Heth." Since the story of Jared includes a character named Akish, the land of Heth may have been near another region called the wilderness of Akish. This wilderness was apparently north of Moron, for Coriantumr, who had been hiding there with his army, "came up unto the land of Moron, and gave battle unto Lib" (Ether 14:11). Moron could not have been too far from the coast, because "Coriantumr did press forward upon Lib, that he fled to the borders upon the seashore" (Ether 14:12). However, Lib routed the army of Coriantumr, and "they fled again to the wilderness of Akish. And it came to pass that Lib did pursue him until he came to the plains of Agosh" (Ether 14:14-15). All of this suggests that the seacoast, Moron, and the wilderness of Akish were in fairly close proximity to each other. The plains of Agosh, however, may have been beyond the wilderness of Akish.

From the plains of Agosh, Coriantumr fled from Shiz, the brother of Lib: "Shiz pursued after Coriantumr, and he did overthrow many cities . . . . the people began to flock together in armies, throughout all the face of the land" (Ether 14:17-19). Coriantumr fled "eastward, even to the borders by the seashore." However, Coriantumr routed the armies of Shiz and pursued them to the land of Corihor: "And they pitched their tents in the valley of Corihor; and Coriantumr pitched his tents in the valley of Shurr. Now the valley of Shurr was near the hill Comnor" (Ether 14:26-28). Some tremendous battles occurred in this region. Then Coriantumr fled to the waters of Ripliancum, which the text explains, means "large" or "to exceed all." Finally, the armies of Coriantumr "did flee southward, and did pitch their tents in a place which was called Ogath. And it came to pass that the army of Coriantumr did pitch their tents by the hill Ramah" (Ether 15:10-11). The final Jaredite battle took place here.

Sorenson says that the region of the two valleys and the hill Comnor were near Cumorah. However, this does not seem possible. The plains of Agosh were evidently beyond the wilderness of Akish, which was itself north of Moron, and Moron was north of Cumorah. From the plains of Agosh, Shiz pursued Coriantumr through "many cities" to the east sea, and from the east sea, Shiz fled to the valley of Corihor. The text does not tell us in which direction the valley of Corihor lay, but it appears to have been north of and some distance from Cumorah.

Sorenson points out that most of the events in the Book of Mormon take place within a relatively small area. He also concludes that the hill Cumorah (or Ramah), where the final battles of the Nephites and Jaredites took place, could not have been located in New York: "The Book of Mormon makes clear that the demise of both Jaredites and Nephites took place near the narrow neck of land. Yet New York is thousands of miles away from any plausible configuration that could be described as this narrow neck. Thus the scripture itself rules out the idea that the Nephites perished near Palmyra" (Sorenson 1985, 44). This is certainly one point upon which we can agree.

The Book of Mormon gives us a bit more information about lands which were further north. Alma 63 says that about 55 B.C. a group of 5,400 men with their families departed from Zarahemla and went into the land northward. In the same year, a man named Hagoth built a 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" (Alma 63:5). Hagoth built other ships, which carried people and supplies into the land northward.

About ten years later, there was another large migration of people from Zarahemla to the land northward: "And they did travel to an exceedingly great distance, insomuch that they came to large bodies of water and many rivers. . . . And it came to pass that they did multiply and spread, and did go forth from the land southward to the land northward, and did spread insomuch that they began to cover the face of the whole earth, from the sea south to the sea north, from the sea west to the sea east" (Helaman 3:4, 8).

Sorenson does not allow any movement of people farther north than the Valley of Mexico, where Mexico City is located, or perhaps the state of Nayarit on the west coast of Mexico. However, this seems hardly credible. Many people journeyed by ship, and the last large migration traveled "an exceedingly great distance." The people spread out even to the north sea, and of course there is no sea in northern Mexico.

Sorenson and his colleagues obviously placed a great deal of hope in his book. It was meant to be an answer to critics, who have pointed out for many years that Mormons have not been able to identify the site of even one city mentioned in the Book of Mormon. Sorenson eliminated all rival interpretations by saying that they all contain "fatal flaws." However, Sorenson's map, which is the very best effort that Mormons have made to plot the lands of the Book of Mormon, utterly fails to correspond to the text.