Jaredites were led to Mexico

[Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum Doug Christens]

June, 2015

Jaredites were led to Mexico

by Ted Dee Stoddard

According to the Heartland Model of Book of Mormon geography, all New World events of the Book of Mormon took place in the continental United States. Heartlanders claim that anyone proposing otherwise is untrue to the prophet Joseph Smith.

In 1842, while he was “chief editor” of the Times and Seasons, the official newspaper of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from November1839 to February 1846, Joseph Smith either wrote, dictated, or, at the very least, approved several Book of Mormon- related articles that were published in the Times and Seasons. If Joseph is indeed responsible for the contents of these articles, the Heartlanders’ case for Book of Mormon geography in the continental United States is totally invalid—requiring Book of Mormon readers and scholars to look elsewhere in identifying the New World lands and events of the Book of Mormon.

That we should be looking at Mesoamerica as the location for all New World lands and events of the Book of Mormon is suggested by one of Joseph Smith’s 1842 articles in the Times and Seasons. Almost hidden among the thousands of pages in the Times and Seasons is an article in the May 15, 1842, issue that contains Joseph’s “signature” as the chief editor of that issue. When Joseph took over the responsibilities of chief editor of the Times and Seasons, he stated in the March 15,
1842, issue, “This paper commences my editorial career, I alone stand for it, and shall do for all papers having my signature henceforward.”

And we find the following statement at the end of the May 15, 1842, issue: “The Times and Seasons, is edited by Joseph Smith. Printed and published about the first and fifteenth of every month, on the corner of Water and Bain Streets, Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois, by Joseph Smith.”

In the May 15 issue, Joseph Smith unequivocally states that upon leaving the Tower of Babel when languages were confounded, the Jaredites were led to Mexico in the New World—territory that is part of the “land which is choice above all the land of the earth.” Joseph bases his conclusion on historical documents associated with the traditions of the natives of Mesoamerica.
We suggest you read John Lund's  "Joseph Smith’s Actual and Verifiable Words as a Supreme Source for Book of Mormon Geography" www.bmaf.org/articles/joseph_actual_verifiable_words__lund 

If the Jaredites were led to Mexico, as Joseph maintains, we should be looking at Mesoamerica as the New World location of all lands and events of the Book of Mormon. Click on the link www.bmaf.org/node/313 to read the article, “Joseph Smith’s Declaration That the Jaredites Were Led from the Tower of Babel to Mexico.” While you’re on the BMAF Web site, you’ll be interested in reading other articles about the Heartland Model versus the Mesoamerica Model as the New World setting
for lands and events of the Book of Mormon. These can be found by going to "articles by subject" then scroll down to "Heartland Great Lakes Model." 

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June 2015

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• Basic Questions with Answers - Book of Mormon  by  bmaf Staff
• Did Lehi and His Family Encounter Other People upon Arriving in the Americas and, If So, Whom?  by  Ainsworth, Jerry 
• Geographical inconsistencies in Great Lakes model  by  Ash, Michael
• How Does Your Concept of Book of Mormon Lands Differ from Maps Drawn by Others?  by  Ainsworth, Jerry 
• Identifying the Book of Mormon’s Narrow Pass  by  Ainsworth, Jerry 
• Is the Lamanite City of Jerusalem Sunk in Lake Atitlan?  by  Ainsworth, Jerry 
• The “Heartland Model”: The Rest of the Story  by  Stoddard, Ted Dee and Andersen, Joe V. 
• What Changes Occurred in Book of Mormon Lands at the Time of the Crucifixion?  by  Ainsworth, Jerry 
• What's in a Jaredite Name? by  Christensen, Douglas K. and Hunter, Ben