Book of Mormon lands

Skeptics have argued since its publication in 1830 that the the Book of Mormon is the creative work of a religious con man, whose purported visit by an angel and account of hidden gold plates from which the book was written undermine it outright.

Believers revere Joseph Smith as a modern prophet, who translated the book from ancient inscriptions "by the gift and power of God" as a precursor to restoring Christ's original church and priesthood authority to Earth, after it was "corrupted" during the Dark Ages.

Now at least three organizations, all with Utah roots, are attempting to "map" their own versions of where geographic features mentioned in the book are located. Two of the groups publish textual materials and are producing video essays about their theories regarding places, names, language patterns and other particulars about the book's historical value.

Group members have widely divergent backgrounds, education and motivation. None claim to represent The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which holds the copyright to the Book of Mormon and considers it sacred scripture, "another testament" of Jesus and an account of his appearance to ancient inhabitants in the western hemisphere. Latter-day Saints believe the book chronicles not only a spiritual, but a limited societal history of selected inhabitants of Mesoamerica-America, many of whose ancestors are believed to have left Jerusalem in 600 B.C.

Professionals and amateurs alike agree that Mesoamerica — central and southern Mexico and northern Central America — is the only legitimate geographical "fit" for the events chronicled within its pages. But that's where much of the agreement ends for those who have attempted to reconstruct a map of geographic features, including cities, bodies of water, hills and other formations.

Joseph Allen, a former LDS seminary instructor with a Ph.D. from BYU in ancient and modern scripture, gave up his teaching career several years ago to concentrate full-time on his Book of Mormon tours travel business, and his fascination with Mesoamerican geography. Allen has guided dozens of Latter-day Saint groups through the area he believes was the setting for the book.

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