You raised some very excellent points in your last email. As I have admitted previously, (at the present time), I am a totally biased “Heartlander”. While I confess my bias, I don’t think I have any self-interested agenda. I’ve tried to be a thoughtful student of the Book of Mormon and I have been a long-time fan of all Book of Mormon studies. Here are a few of my thoughts on why I am partial to the Heartland model. I am sure you are well acquainted with all these arguments.
[Also, I grew up with a full-color “Book of Mormon Lands” Isthmus of Tehuantupec poster/map on my bedroom wall, which I got from my next-door neighbor, best-friend’s Dad, mentor, and bishop, Dr. Michael J. Preece (published with FARMS/Maxwell). ]
Times and Season articles:
I think whomever wrote those articles (Smith or Taylor) may have been understandably dazzled by the admittedly excellent and provocative scholarship by Catherwood and Stephens. —- specifically the lines of opinion that:
“these wonderful ruins of Palenque are among the mighty works of the Nephites”
“The city of Zarahemla, burnt at the crucifix- ion of the Savior, and rebuilt afterwards, stood upon this land”
“We are not agoing [sic] to declare positively that the ruins of Quirigua are those of Zarahemla, but when the land and the stones, and the books tell the story ... “
Joseph Smith Letter
“The whole of our journey, in the midst of so large a company of social honest men and sincere men, wandering over the plains of the , recounting occasionaly the history of the Book of Mormon, roving over the mounds of that once beloved people of the Lord, picking up their skulls & their bones, as a proof of its divine authenticity”
mtDNA Haplogroup X2a
I served a mission in Wisconsin and now live in Augusta, GA. Maybe my connection with Wisconsin is why I like Wayne May. I’ve been following the mtDNA migration data from early on; well before Rod Meldrum’s presentation. I had always found the mtDNA Haplogroup X2a data compelling. The most popular scientific claims are that mtDNA divergence occurred 100,000 - 200,000 years ago but Rohde et al suggests mitochondrial Eve could have lived only between 2000-5000 years ago. “Nature” is no second-tier publication. Of course, these minority conclusions support my biases.
Rohde, DLT , On the common ancestors of all living humans. Submitted to American Journal of Physical Anthropology. (2005)
Rohde DLT, Olson S, Chang JT (2004) "Modelling the recent common ancestry of all living humans". Nature 431: 562-566.
I suppose main-stream science discounts the mtDNA migration evidence because it claims the mtDNA migration far pre-dated the Book of Mormon time periods. But, I’m not so sure it does. Also, I’m not sure how religious/scientific people who accept the Adam and Eve story on one hand, but argue for 150,000-year-old human DNA divergence on the other. Also, we have other evidence of much more recent transatlantic human migrations. The Algonquins have the genetic markers and the oral history (turtle island) and the very-real archeological cover-up of Archaic/Hopewell(Woodland)/Mississippian history thanks to US political policy of Manifest Destiny.
My wife’s uncle is BYU Professor Dr. Allen J. Christenson who is a precolumbian Mayan art, literature, and culture expert. He maintains that he sees zero connection between the Book of Mormon and the Maya. I took Dr. Christenson’s art history ar BYU and he really can read Maya like he’s reading the newspaper.
Heartland Model Distances:
Knoxsville (Clinch River) to Nauvoo = 613 miles (direct), 645 miles (indirect).
Knoxsville to Nashville = 185 miles.
Nashville to Nauvoo = 460 miles.
Nashville to Cairo, Il (Little Egypt) = 168 miles
Mosiah’s 16 explorers travel from the city of Zarahemla to Lehi-Nephi in 40 days = 15 miles/day = 600 miles. (perfect mileage and pace)
Alma fled 8 days from the Waters of Mormon to the “Land of Helam” and 12 days from Helam to the “Land of Zarahemla”. Traveling from the city of Nephi to the city of Zarahemla could represent over 600 miles / 20 days = 30 miles/day. That would be an unrealistic pace on foot with their flocks and grain.
However, this daily mileage could be increased significantly if Alma’s group were 1. on horseback/wagons 2. travelled downriver on barges, and 3. were “fleeing” the armies of King Noah and not pacing themselves for a months-long migration. 4. generally younger and healthy.
Average Daily Mileage:
LDS handcart pioneer = 15.7 miles/day.
Appalachian Trail Thru-hiker = 2200 miles/5 months = 15 miles/day, (20-25 max daily miles)
Horse-Mounted Company = 30 miles/day
Alma traveling with flocks and grain suggests the refugees were utilized domesticated beasts of burden, carts and wagons. Therefore, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Alma’s likely energetic group could have pushed near 2.5 mph for 12 hr/day for 8 days = 240 miles max range. Knoxville to Nashville is a very doable 185 miles (23 mil/day, 2.3 mph for 10 hours/day)
Also, the Book of Mormon may be counting the distance from the Waters of Mormon only to the borders of the “land of Helam” (Mos 23:3), and not the city of Nephi itself to the city of Helam. (ie adjacent river valley). Also, Mormon reports that it was only 12 days from the city of Helam to the “Land of Zarahemla” and does not specify the city of Zarahemla itself (Mos 24:25). Nashville to the border of the Land of Zarahemla (Cairo, Il) would only be a leisurely 168 miles. (1.5 mph x 10 hours/day = 10.5 mil/day x 12 days).
So, considering the text, we may save on total distance needed to traveled. And, while Alma’s numbers are tight, they are not an order of magnitude off reality. Also, the Limhi detachment running into the Ohio River instead of the Mississippi and mistakenly following the Ohio River up to Upstate New York (Land of Desolation) is a good fit.
