WHERE DID BOOK OF MORMON EVENTS TAKE PLACE?
Despite the fact that most credible LDS scholars agree that Book of Mormon events took place in a relatively small area in Mesoamerica,1 an evening spent following an internet search for "Book of Mormon Geography" yields some very interesting and disparate theories.1 Since search engines have no way of identifying the credible from the incredible, all sites seem to have equal pertinence whether cooked up in someone's bedroom at night or carefully assembled by credible organizations with complete attribution. Then, of course, if anyone has a little extra cash, they can have their site appear highlighted and prominent on a search list as though it were the most important and credible. But, with a little drill-down, we find that most of these sites come from people or groups with a prior agenda.2 Usually these agendas fall into one or more of several categories: someone served a mission or lives in an area and are convinced it is Book of Mormon lands, they claim that some general authority or prophet has said their particular area is the place, they center their theory on one or a few passages in the book, or they have a business or vested interest that will profit from their theory. There are undoubtedly more.
Invariably, to this date, those who propose an area other than the Mesoamerica fail to recognize the geographical clues which are in the book itself and must be found in any valid proposition. Most of these clues are easily understood but some are ambiguous and herein lies the open door for multiple theories. Some theorists throw their hands in the air and claim that finding a place on the American continent that fits all the criteria is impossible and state that we should not go beyond an "internal" map.3
Another fatal mistake often commited is folding together facts from entirely different time periods to satisfy a theory. Geological facts are ignored. Examples are claiming that massive amounts of land were under water, thus a different map; or including prehistoric geographical landmarks long since gone.
Here is a typical statement, "The Sea North was of course Lake Ontario. The Sea West - Lake Erie extending through the Niagara Gorge. The Sea South is ancient Lake Tonawanda, and the Sea East is the Genesee River/Gorge." http://www.bookofmormongeography.info/book-of-mormon-geography-land-nort...) Lake Tonawanda was a prehistoric lake that existed about 10,000 years ago*
1 Mesoamerica is a word used by scholars, primarily archaeologists, for a culture area extending from approximately central Mexico to Honduras and El Salvador. This area includes some of the most complex and advanced cultures of the Americas prior to the Spanish colonization, including the Olmec, Teotihuacan and Maya. It is commonly divided into chronological time periods as follows: Paleo-Indian (prior to 8.000 BC), Archaic (8,000 - 2,000 BC), Pre-classic (2,000 BC to 400 AD), Classic (400 AD to 900 AD) and Post-Classic (900 AD to the 1519 arrival of the Spanish)
2. A good example is the site at http://www.bookofmormongeography.info/ which is apparently sponsored by a group critical of Joseph Smith and the need for priesthood authority. Affiliate sites include "Book of Mormon Christian" and "Book of Mormon Church." The agenda appears to be a statement that faith alone is necessary for salvation.
3. An internal map is probably the best starting point in finding Book of Mormon lands, but at some point we have to apply all the criteria to an actual location on the map of the American continent.
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacial_Lake_Tonawanda