The Book of Mormon and Mesoamerican Directionality - Revision history

SpencerMarsh at 08:40, 17 January 2026

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	[[File:Directions Centering on Bountiful.png]]		[[File:Directions Centering on Bountiful.png]]

	One can thus easily see how Mesoamericans could have talked about the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of ~~America~~, respectively, as the sea east and the sea west. Gardner proposes—instead of ‘sea east’ and ‘sea west’ being formal, proper names—that ‘sea east’ and ‘sea west’ be viewed as designations (i.e. “the sea which is to the east”).		One can thus easily see how Mesoamericans could have talked about the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, respectively, as the sea east and the sea west. Gardner proposes—instead of ‘sea east’ and ‘sea west’ being formal, proper names—that ‘sea east’ and ‘sea west’ be viewed as designations (i.e. “the sea which is to the east”).

	This conceptual scheme makes sense of all the data and preserves Mesoamerica as a viable candidate for Book of Mormon geography.		This conceptual scheme makes sense of all the data and preserves Mesoamerica as a viable candidate for Book of Mormon geography.
	{{endnotes sources}}		{{endnotes sources}}

SpencerMarsh at 08:37, 17 January 2026

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	[[File:Directions Centering on Nephi (2).png]]		[[File:Directions Centering on Nephi (2).png]]

	The following ~~his~~ how those living in the land of Bountiful would have conceived of direction.		The following is how those living in the land of Bountiful would have conceived of direction.

	[[File:Directions Centering on Bountiful.png]]		[[File:Directions Centering on Bountiful.png]]

SpencerMarsh at 08:36, 17 January 2026

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SpencerMarsh at 08:36, 17 January 2026

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SpencerMarsh at 15:17, 13 November 2025

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SpencerMarsh at 14:44, 13 November 2025

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SpencerMarsh at 14:43, 13 November 2025

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	~~{{UnderConstructionSuggestions}}~~
	'''Summary:''' Since the Book of Mormon was first published, believers in it have searched for where in the Americas it might have taken place. Today, most scholars of the Book of Mormon who believe in its divine origins place the book in Mesoamerica—what today looks like the southern part of Mexico and northern Guatemala. Critics have turned their attention to this area to see if they can debunk any major correlations cited by apologists as supporting Mesoamerica as the Book of Mormon’s geography.		'''Summary:''' Since the Book of Mormon was first published, believers in it have searched for where in the Americas it might have taken place. Today, most scholars of the Book of Mormon who believe in its divine origins place the book in Mesoamerica—what today looks like the southern part of Mexico and northern Guatemala. Critics have turned their attention to this area to see if they can debunk any major correlations cited by apologists as supporting Mesoamerica as the Book of Mormon’s geography.

SpencerMarsh at 14:43, 13 November 2025

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	Thus how does one believe that this is the land where the Book of Mormon took place when there is such an obvious error in the positioning of the seas?		Thus how does one believe that this is the land where the Book of Mormon took place when there is such an obvious error in the positioning of the seas?
	This issue has been addressed by Book of Mormon ~~scholar~~ Brant A. ~~GardnerLatter~~-day Saint apologist Michael R. Ash ~~and Book of Mormon scholar Brant A. Gardner~~.<ref>Michael R. Ash, “[https://www.deseret.com/2011/3/14/20370303/challenging-issues-keeping-the-faith-challenging-issues-keeping-the-faith-mapping-book-of-mormon-lan/ Challenging Issues, Keeping the Faith: Mapping Book of Mormon lands],” ''Deseret News'', March 14, 2011; Brant A. Gardner, “[https://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/from-the-east-to-the-west-the-problem-of-directions-in-the-book-of-mormon/ ‘From the East to the West’: The Problem of Directions in the Book of Mormon],” ''Interpreter'' 3 (2013): 119–53.</ref> This article relies on their work.
			This issue has been addressed by Book of Mormon scholars Brant A. Gardner and William H. Hamblin as well as Latter-day Saint apologist Michael R. Ash.<ref>Michael R. Ash, “[https://www.deseret.com/2011/3/14/20370303/challenging-issues-keeping-the-faith-challenging-issues-keeping-the-faith-mapping-book-of-mormon-lan/ Challenging Issues, Keeping the Faith: Mapping Book of Mormon lands],” ''Deseret News'', March 14, 2011; Brant A. Gardner, “[https://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/from-the-east-to-the-west-the-problem-of-directions-in-the-book-of-mormon/ ‘From the East to the West’: The Problem of Directions in the Book of Mormon],” ''Interpreter'' 3 (2013): 119–53.</ref> This article relies on their work.
	----		----
	====Mesoamerican Center====		====Mesoamerican Center====

SpencerMarsh at 14:41, 13 November 2025

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	When reconstructing a map of the Book of Mormon, most are inclined to draw a map something like this where ‘the Sea East’ and ‘the Sea West’ are on the cardinal directions that we recognize today in Western societies especially:		When reconstructing a map of the Book of Mormon, most are inclined to draw a map something like this where ‘the Sea East’ and ‘the Sea West’ are on the cardinal directions that we recognize today in Western societies especially:

	[[File:Mormon's Map.png]]		[[File:Mormon's Map (2).png]]

	However, John Sorenson’s model runs into a problem since Mesoamerica today is situated like this where his seas look more like they lie on the north and south.		However, John Sorenson’s model runs into a problem since Mesoamerica today is situated like this where his seas look more like they lie on the north and south.

	[[File:Mesoamerica geography..png]]		[[File:Mesoamerica geography (2).png]]

	Thus how does one believe that this is the land where the Book of Mormon took place when there is such an obvious error in the positioning of the seas?		Thus how does one believe that this is the land where the Book of Mormon took place when there is such an obvious error in the positioning of the seas?
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	The next important thing to learn is that Mesoamericans did not conceive of directions in a ‘+’ shape like we do today. Instead, Mesoamericans conceived of directions more like an ‘x’ shape. They didn’t typically have names for south, north, east, and west, but they did conceive of those directions. They just gave different names to them. The ‘east’ direction was conceptualized most likely by tracing the path of the sun from sunrise to sunset from equinox to equinox. This tracing naturally creates a wedge shape since the earth tilts on its axis from equinox to equinox and thus, from the perspective of those here on earth, the sun moves throughout the year in relation to where it appears to rise and where it appears to set.		The next important thing to learn is that Mesoamericans did not conceive of directions in a ‘+’ shape like we do today. Instead, Mesoamericans conceived of directions more like an ‘x’ shape. They didn’t typically have names for south, north, east, and west, but they did conceive of those directions. They just gave different names to them. The ‘east’ direction was conceptualized most likely by tracing the path of the sun from sunrise to sunset from equinox to equinox. This tracing naturally creates a wedge shape since the earth tilts on its axis from equinox to equinox and thus, from the perspective of those here on earth, the sun moves throughout the year in relation to where it appears to rise and where it appears to set.

	Gardner provides the following figure in his article and notes, “The figure on the right indicates the solstitial path. This was often conceptually regularized into the pattern on the left.”<ref>Gardner, ~~“‘From~~ the East to the West',” 126.</ref>		Gardner provides the following figure in his article and notes, “The figure on the right indicates the solstitial path. This was often conceptually regularized into the pattern on the left.”<ref>Gardner, “[https://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/from-the-east-to-the-west-the-problem-of-directions-in-the-book-of-mormon/ ‘From the East to the West'],” 126.</ref>

	[[File:Brant Gardner ~~Mesoamerican Directions~~.png]]		[[File:Brant Gardner (2).png]]

	====Ancient Hebrew Conception of Direction====		====Ancient Hebrew Conception of Direction====
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	The Egyptians oriented themselves by facing south, toward the source of the Nile. “One of the terms for ‘south’ [in Egyptian] is also a term for ‘face’; the usual word for ‘north’ is probably related to a word which		The Egyptians oriented themselves by facing south, toward the source of the Nile. “One of the terms for ‘south’ [in Egyptian] is also a term for ‘face’; the usual word for ‘north’ is probably related to a word which

	means the ‘back of the head.’” The word for eastis the same as for left, and west is the same word as right.<ref>William J. Hamblin, ~~“Directions~~ in Hebrew, Egyptian, and Nephite Language,” in ''Reexploring the Book of Mormon'', ed. John W. Welch (Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1992), 183.</ref></blockquote>		means the ‘back of the head.’” The word for eastis the same as for left, and west is the same word as right.<ref>William J. Hamblin, “[https://scripturecentral.org/archive/books/book-chapter/directions-inhebrewegyptianandnephitelanguage?searchId=3db6cfcec65e2cb233472199cad99bd33734b6c3d97e13776a2d029599c60e65-en-v=9a9a8c9 Directions in Hebrew, Egyptian, and Nephite Language],” in ''Reexploring the Book of Mormon'', ed. John W. Welch (Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1992), 183.</ref></blockquote>

	Having now gained an understanding of how the ancients conceived of direction, we can now apply that to the Book of Mormon.		Having now gained an understanding of how the ancients conceived of direction, we can now apply that to the Book of Mormon.

SpencerMarsh at 14:32, 13 November 2025

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	This conceptual scheme makes sense of all the data and preserves Mesoamerica as a viable candidate for Book of Mormon geography.		This conceptual scheme makes sense of all the data and preserves Mesoamerica as a viable candidate for Book of Mormon geography.
			{{endnotes sources}}