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Mapping The Book Of Mormon by Dr. Robert A. Pate.
 For a free copy in Adobe Acrobat format, see below.
Since the initial publication of the Book of Mormon in 1830, Church members have speculated about the geographical locations of the cities mentioned and detractors have scoffed at the lack of correlation to known New World sites. From my childhood, I too have marveled at the book's names and places, and wondered where the events took place and why people have not been able to identify the critical cites of the 1,000-year history of the Nephites or the additional 1,600-year history of
the Jaredites.
I was privileged to be called to the Andes Mission, where I served the entire time among great people in the beautiful land of Colombia with a brief visit to Perú and Ecuador. I listened to the legends of Boquiche, the great God that visited the indigenous peoples of Colombia. I listened about the Lenca and Chibcha tribes that inhabited the area before the arrival of the Spaniards.
A propitious linguistic link led me to examine Guatemala and El Salvador as a potential Book of Mormon site. From there, locations kept falling into place until it became apparent through the mounting evidence that I had hit pay dirt. As I began finding city names on maps and in the old indigenous literature, I thought, This is too easy, am I missing something? My wife and I toured the south coast of Guatemala and the highlands to find answers and to visit the places whose names I had found on paper. Our visit to the original hill Cumorah (K'umarkáj) was a testimony builder. We learned that the Book of Mormon people certainly did live in the most capital parts of the land (Helaman 1:27).
My original motivation in researching these questions was personal curiosity. However, what I discovered has prompted me to write a book Mapping the Book of Mormon; A Comprehensive Geography of Nephite America, and share my excitement. For it appears that the place-names are still there and are often recognizable in print! Once I tasted some success with the recognition process, I could not let go. Since then, many things have come together to indicate the possible locations of several Book of Mormon lands and cities. The findings documented in this book are of major consequence and I am committed to sharing them. To the faithful members this is just frosting on the cake. To the doubting, or those like Apostle Thomas who must see before they believe, this is the strongest geographic evidence to ever have surfaced. As the Lord told Joseph Smith, "I will cause the earth to testify of these things." So, listen as the Mesoamerican lands and inhabitants bear witness of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.
Every author knows, as soon as the manuscript goes to press, he wants it back. A new set of errors is immediately found. Some things don't come out as clearly as desired. And of course there is the opening of the floodgate of new and exciting findings. Also as students become engrossed in the geography of Nephite America, there will be questions and added insights that beg consideration. The objective of this website is to accommodate a continuing dialog of findings and thoughts relevant to the great prophet Mormon, the lands he walked, and his monumental contribution to Christianity, even The Book of Mormon; Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
For a free copy in Adobe .pdf download of this book, click here (very large file, please be patient). Do as "Save As" from the "File" view on the menu. |
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