09 chart of 84 proposed geographies
Comparing Book of Mormon Geography
BOOK OF MORMON GEOGRAPHY
CES Letter, Page 13
This map is labeled "Book of Mormon Geography" with names applied to the Great Lakes region. This is purely a theory. Theories regarding the geographic locations for the Book of Mormon peoples have been promoted since the book's publication in 1830.
At least 80 different proposals have been described.
New theories continue to be developed.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has no official position on the geographic locations of the Book of Mormon civilizations.
Available theories can be divided into two general categories:
Limited geography theory (LGT)
Hemispheric geography theory (HGT)
Other variations involve the locations of:
The narrow neck of land
The "land north"
The "land south"
The Hill Cumorah
The River Sidon
Nephi's original landing
Modified from FairMormon:
| Date Theory
Proposed |
Scope | Narrow
Neck |
Land
North |
Land
South |
Cumorah | River
Sidon |
Nephi's Landing | Source |
| n.d. | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Lauritzen n.d. | |
| n.d | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Tyler n.d. | |
| 1830 | HGT | Panama | Panama to NY | South America | New York | Magdalena? | Chile | General 1830s |
| 1842 | HGT? | Unclear | Tehuantepec-NY? | Unclear | New York | Unclear | Colombia | Times and Seasons 1842 |
| 1866 | HGT | Panama | Panama to NY | South America | New York | Magdalena | Chile | Pratt 1866 |
| 1880 | HGT | Panama | Panama to NY | South America | New York | Magdalena | Chile | Com.-Maes 1880 |
| 1880 | HGT | Panama | Panama to NY | South America | New York | Magdalena | Chile | Reynolds 1880 |
| 1887 | HGT | Panama | Guatemala | South America | New York? | Magdalena | Chile? | Plain Facts 1887 |
| 1888 | HGT | Panama | Panama to NY | South America | New York | Magdalena | Chile | Roberts 1888 |
| 1900 | HGT | Panama | Panama to NY | South America | New York | Magdalena | Chile | RLDS/Wes 1900? |
| 1904 | HGT | Panama | Panama to NY | South America | Unclear | Magdalena | Chile | Ricks 1904 |
| 1917 | LGT | Tehuantepec | South-Central Mexico | Southern Mesoamerica, incl Yucatan | Central Mexico | Usumacinta | Central America | Hills 1917 |
| 1920 | LGT | Other | Guatemala | Honduras-El Salvador | Guatemala | Ulna | Central America | Young pre-1920? |
| 1922 | LGT | Panama | Panama toNY | South America | Central Mexico | Magdalena | Chile? | Gunsolley 1922 |
| 1925 | HGT | Honduras Bay | Panama to NY | Southern Guatemala | Guatemala | Ulna | Central America | Driggs 1925 |
| 1927 | HGT | Belize-Yucatan base | South-Central Mexico | Unclear | New York | Unclear | Unclear | Bagley 1927 |
| 1927 | HGT | Tehuantepec | Tehuantepec-NY | Unclear | New York | Unclear | Chile | Sjodhal 1927 |
| 1939 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Washburn/Washburn 1939 | |
| 1940 | HGT | Tehuantepec | Tehuantepec-NY | Southern Mesoamerica, incl Yucatan | New York | Usumacinta | Unclear | Laytons 1940? |
| 1940 | LGT | Tehuantepec | South-Central Mexico | Southern Mesoamerica, incl Yucatan | Central Mexico | Usumacinta | Central America | Jakeman 1940s |
| 1947 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Ferguson 1947 | |
| 1947 | HGT | Panama | Panama to NY | South America? | New York | Unclear | Chile? | Wilde 1947 |
| 1948 | LGT | Other | Ecuador-Colombia | Peru and south | In South America | In Peru | Chile | Birrell 1948 |
| 1948 | LGT | Tehuantepec | South-Central Mexico | Southern Mesoamerica, incl Yucatan | Southern Veracruz | Usumacinta | Central America | Simmons 1948 |
| 1950 | LGT | Tehuantepec | South-Central Mexico | Southern Mesoamerica, incl Yucatan | Southern Veracruz | Usumacinta? | Central America | Ferguson-Hunter 1950 |
| 1950 | LGT | Other | Unclear | Other | Unclear | Other | Central America | Stout 1950 |
| 1951 | LGT | Tehuantepec | South-Central Mexico | Southern Mesoamerica, incl Yucatan | Southern Veracruz? | Unclear | Central America? | Hanson 1951 |
| 1954 | LGT | Other | Yucatan Peninsula | Unclear | Guatemala | Ulna | Central America | Pierce 1954 |
| 1955 | LGT | Tehuantepec | South-Central Mexico | Tehuantepec - El Salvador | Southern Veracruz | Grijalva | Central America | Sorenson 1955 |
| 1958 | HGT | Panama | Panama to NY | South America | New York | Unclear | Central America | Dixon 1958 |
| 1959 | LGT | Tehuantepec? | Unclear | Tehuantepec - El Salvador? | Central Mexico? | Usumacinta | Chile | Hammond 1959 |
| 1960 | LGT | no data | Elieson 1960 | |||||
| 1960 | LGT | Honduras Bay | Guatemala | Other | Guatemala | Unclear | Central America | Lowe 1960a |
| 1960 | LGT | Other | Unclear | Other | Southern Veracruz? | Usumacinta | Central America | Lowe 1960b |
| 1960 | LGT | Tehuantepec | South-Central Mexico | Southern Mesoamerica, incl Yucatan | Central Mexico | Usumacinta? | Central America? | Vincent 1960? |
| 1960 | LGT | Tehuantepec? | South-Central Mexico | Southern Mesoamerica, incl Yucatan | Central Mexico | Usumacinta | Central America | Warren 1960 |
| 1961 | LGT | Unclear | South-Central Mexico | Southern Mesoamerica, incl Yucatan | Southern Veracruz | Usumacinta | Central America | Warren 1961 |
| 1964 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Ludlow n.d. | |
| 1966 | LGT | Tehuantepec? | South-Central Mexico | Southern Mesoamerica, incl Yucatan? | Unclear | Usumacinta | Central America | Norman 1966 |
| 1969 | LGT | Belize-Yucatan base | Yucatan Peninsula | Unclear | Guatemala? | Ulna | Central America | Christensen 1969 |
| 1970 | LGT | Other | Unclear | Other | Southern Veracruz? | Usumacinta | Central America? | Lowe 1970s |
| 1975 | LGT | Other | Ecuador-Colombia | Other | In South America | Unclear | Chile | Priddis 1975 |
| 1975 | LGT | Tehuantepec | South-Central Mexico | Southern Mesoamerica, incl Yucatan | Southern Veracruz? | Usumacinta? | Central America | Steede 1975 |
| 1976 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Ludlow 1976 | |
| 1976 | LGT | Tehuantepec | South-Central Mexico | Southern Mesoamerica, incl Yucatan | Southern Veracruz | Usumacinta | Unclear | Loving 1976 |
| 1977 | HGT | Panama | Panama to NY | Other | New York | Maranon? | Chile | Le Poidevin 1977 |
| 1977 | LGT | Tehuantepec | Yucatan Peninsula | Southern Mesoamerica, incl Yucatan | Central Mexico | Usumacinta | Unclear | DeLong 1977 |
| 1977 | LGT | Belize-Yucatan base | Yucatan Peninsula | Southern Guatemala | Guatemala | Usumacinta | Unclear | Robison 1977 |
| 1980 | LGT | Other | Unclear | Other | Unclear | Other | Central America | Ellsworth 1980 |
| 1980 | LGT | Tehuantepec | South-Central Mexico | Southern Mesoamerica, incl Yucatan | Southern Veracruz | Ulna | Central America | Lesh 1980 |
| 1981 | LGT | Tehuantepec | South-Central Mexico | Tehuantepec - El Salvador | Southern Veracruz | Grijalva | Central America | Palmer 1981 |
| 1983 | LGT | Niagara peninsula | Lower Canada? | NY, Penn, Ohio | New York | Genesse | New England coast | Holley 1983 |
| 1985 | LGT | no data | Covino 1985 | |||||
| 1985 | LGT | Tehuantepec | South-Central Mexico | Southern Mesoamerica, incl Yucatan | Southern Veracruz | Grijalva | Central America | Porritt 1985 |
| 1986 | LGT | Other | Ecuador-Colombia | Peru and south | In South America | In Peru | Chile | Kocherhans 1986 |
| 1987 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Nielson 1987 | |
| 1987 | LGT | Unclear | Unclear | Southern Mesoamerica, incl Yucatan | Unclear | Grijalva | Unclear | Sahlin 1987 |
| 1987 | LGT | Tehuantepec | South-Central Mexico | Tehuantepec - El Salvador | Southern Veracruz | Grijalva | Central America | Warren 1987 |
| 1988 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Proctor 1988 | |
| 1988 | HGT | Panama | Panama to NY | South America | Central Mexico | Unclear | Chile? | Hobby-Smith 1988 |
| 1988 | LGT | Niagara Peninsula | Unclear | Other | New York | Unclear | Unclear | Curtis 1988 |
| 1988 | LGT | Other | Unclear | Southern Guatemala | Southern Veracruz | Other | Central America | Hauck 1988 |
| 1988 | LGT | Belize-Yucatan base | Yucatan Peninsula | Southern Guatemala | Unclear | Other | Central America | Qulter 1988 |
| 1989 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Clark 1989 | |
| 1989 | LGT | Tehuantepec | South-Central Mexico | Southern Mesoamerica, incl Yucatan | Southern Veracruz | Grijalva | Central America | Allen 1989 |
| 2001 | LGT | Olive 2001 | ||||||
| 2002 | HGT | Wunderli 2002 | ||||||
| 2002 | LGT | Niagara Peninsula | New York/Upper Canada | Eastern US/Midwest | New York | Mississippi | Gulf of Mexico | Goble-May 2002 |
| 2002 | LGT | Bridge over Samalá River (Mukulic-ya) at Santa Crúz Muluá, Guatemala | Mam Culture, Western Pacific Piedmont of Guatemala | Cotzumalhuapa Culture, Southern Pacific Piedmont of Guatemala. | Cumarkah (Utatlán) Santa Crúz del Quiché, Guatemala. | There are two -- Pantaleon (Alma 2:15) and Michatoya (Alma 16:6), Guatemala | Acajutla, El Salvador | Pate 2002 |
| 2003? | LGT | Niagara Peninsula | Upper Canada | Mississippi river system to Gulf of Mexico | New York | Mississippi | Gulf of Mexico | Meldrum 2003 |
| 2004 | LGT | Tehuantepec | South-Central Mexico | Southern Mesoamerica, incl Yucatan | Tepetzintla (further North than Veracruz) | Grijalva | Central America | Poulsen 2004 |
| 2004 | LGT | Very narrow area north of Buffalo, NY | Lake Tonawanda to Lake Ontario | Lake Tonawanda to Erie, PA | Jaredite final battle at Rochester, NY; Nephite at NY site of plates | Two: Buffalo River and Cazenovia Creek | Presque Isle Bay in Erie, PA | TRUE-BOMG |
| 2004 | LGT/HGT | Tehuantepec | From Tehuantepec Northward | Mesoamerica/Preclassic Maya | New York | Undetermined | Undetermined | Goble 2004 |
| 2008 | LGT | no data | Brandley 2008 | |||||
| 2009 | LGT | Baja California | Northern half of Baja | Southern half of Baja | Near El Marmol | Rio San Ignacio | Southern tip of Baja | Rosenvall and Rosenvall 2009 |