Things That Are Narrow

TWENTY-F0UR

Things That Are Narrow

(The Narrow Neck of Land, The Narrow Strip of Wilderness, Etc.)

The land [of Nephi] was divided from the land of Zarahemla by a narrow strip of wilderness, which ran from the sea east even to the sea west.

(ALMA 22:27)

TWO MAJOR GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS in the Book of Mormon are the Narrow Neck of Land and the Narrow Strip of Wilderness. From the limited information we have in the Book of Mormon, the term "Narrow Strip of Wilderness" is apparently synonymous with a narrow mountain range. The term "Narrow Neck of Land" seems to fit the requirement of an isthmus. The terms "Narrow Pass" or "Narrow Passage" suggest a narrow pass or narrow road that runs through the isthmus.

THE NARROW NECK OF LAND

Six scriptures in the Book of Mormon are associated with the Narrow Neck of Land. In these scriptures, the geographic area associated with the Narrow Neck of Land is referred to as a narrow neck of land, a narrow pass, a narrow neck, and a narrow passage. Through the years, considerable confusion has arisen among readers trying to decipher the exact relationships of these terms.

I propose that the terms are inextricably related and that they are used in connection with two land masses more so than with two oceans or seas. The dictionary definition of the word "isthmus" is "A narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas." (Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary) Most students of the Book of Mormon tend to agree that an isthmus is involved with the Narrow Neck of Land.

I propose that the Narrow Neck of Land is located in what is now called the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Southern Mexico. Furthermore, I propose that the Narrow Pass runs through the Isthmus in a north-south direction and runs between two mountain ranges, as opposed to running between two oceans or seas.

Thus, the Narrow Pass is the old Kings Highway that runs along the Pacific side by the Gulf of Tehuantepec and then goes directly north for about 125 miles and parallels the Gulf Coast of Mexico on the Atlantic side. Subsequently, the road either goes on into the Mexico City Valley or takes the traveler northward all along the Gulf Coast toward the United States border. In other words, the term NARROW PASS refers to the width of the pass between two mountain ranges rather than to the length or distance of the pass from ocean to ocean.

Placing the Narrow Pass within the Narrow Neck between the two mountain ranges, as shown in Figure 24-1, is very significant. This placement solves many directional problems that have been associated with Book of Mormon geography.

The reasons for placing the Narrow Neck of Land/Narrow Pass in the above-described area, with the Narrow Pass running north and south between the two mountain ranges, are as follows:

1. The Book of Mormon requirement for the Narrow Neck of Land/Narrow Pass is that it divided the Land Southward from the Land Northward:

And now, it was only the distance of a day and half's journey for a Nephite, on the line Bountiful and the land Desolation, from the east to the west sea; and thus the land of Nephi and the land of Zarahemla were nearly surrounded by water, there being a small NECK OF LAND between the land northward and the land southward. (Alma 22:32)

Assume today that you were to drive north through the Narrow Neck of Land/Narrow Pass from the City of Tehuantepec toward Acayucan. You would notice that the flat plains along Tehuantepec suddenly devolve into a very narrow passageway for a distance of several miles. You would be hemmed in by mountains on either side. You would find this route to be a natural dividing line between the Land Northward on the one hand and the Land Southward on the other. (See Figure 24-2.)

2. The Narrow Neck of Land/Narrow Pass must be situated so that it provides an escape route into the Land Northward. Mormon indicated that the Nephites, in their wisdom, protected the Narrow Neck of Land/Narrow Pass to hem the Lamanites in on the south. This strategy prevented the Lamanites from having any possession in the Land Northward and also prevented them from overrunning the Land Northward.

Mormon further noted that this plan provided the Nephites, according to their desire, with a country into which they might flee from the Lamanites. (Alma 22:33-34)

The Narrow Neck of Land/Narrow Pass is a natural escape route. On the southwestern side of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec lie the rugged mountains of the State of Oaxaca. These mountains are a natural barrier for any realistic type of movement through the area. On the northeastern side of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec are many swampy waters, as well as a lot of river tributaries, moving into the Gulf of Mexico. These barriers make passage through that area very difficult. (See Figure 24 3.)

Only within recent years has the automobile been able to move comfortably all the way across from the Gulf Coast of Mexico into the Yucatan area-because this route has so many rivers that have to be forded. Bridges now span these rivers, and travel is rather easy in this area in the north.

3. The Narrow Pass must pass by both a sea on the west and a sea on the east. This proposed passageway meets that requirement. Today, the Pan American Highway runs along the Gulf Coast of Tehuantepec on the Pacific Ocean side and then goes directly north for about 125 miles until it parallels the Gulf Coast of Mexico in the State of Veracruz. The Gulf of Mexico is an extension of the Atlantic Ocean (East Sea).

The statement in the Book of Mormon referring to Morianton, a Nephite descendant who was trying to go into the land that was northward (the land that was covered with large bodies of water), in all probability was referring to the Mexico City Valley. He was headed off at a certain point along the Narrow Pass that led into the Land Northward.

And it came to pass that they did not head them until they had come to the borders of the land Desolation; and there they did head them, by the narrow pass which led by the sea into the land northward, yea, by the sea, on the west and on the east. (Alma 50:34)

Mormon is apparently indicating that the Narrow Pass moved along the Pacific side of the Gulf of Tehuantepec and then moved north, separating the Land Northward and the Land Southward through the two mountain ranges. It then paralleled the Gulf of Mexico by the State of Veracruz on the east side. At one point along the north end of the Narrow Pass, Teancum was able to head off Morianton, as Mormon said that Moroni's army did not head Morianton's group until the group had come to the borders of the Land of Desolation (probably located in the present-day State of Veracruz), as shown in Figure 24-4.

4. The Narrow Neck of Land/Narrow Pass has to be near the West Sea, inasmuch as Hagoth launched his ship into the West Sea by the Narrow Neck that led into the Land Northward:

And it came to pass that Hagoth, he being an exceedingly curious man, therefore he went forth and built him an exceedingly large ship, on the borders of the land Bountiful, by the land Desolation, and launched it forth into the west sea, by the narrow neck which led into the land northward. (Alma 63:5)

In all probability, this scripture refers to the Gulf of Tehuantepec on the southern tip of the Narrow Neck of Land/Narrow Pass that leads down from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of Tehuantepec.

The reason that the verse refers to the West Sea is because the Gulf of Tehuantepec is part of the Pacific Ocean, which fits the criterion for its being the West Sea. For a discussion on the boundary lines of the Land of Bountiful and the Land of Desolation, see Chapter 19, "'The Land Southward." The above scripture states that Hagoth was an exceedingly curious man, from the Land of Bountiful (Land Southward), which bordered the eastern boundary of the Land of Desolation. Mormon is simply telling his readers that Hagoth launched his ship in the Gulf of Tehuantepec on the Pacific Ocean at the bottom of the Narrow Neck of Land[Narrow Pass, as shown in Figure 24-5.

5. The Book of Mormon requires that an area must exist on the northern part of the Isthmus, or the Gulf of Mexico side, for the construction of cities. This is the area where the Jaredites built a great city by the Narrow Neck of Land, by the place where the sea divides the land.

And they built a great city by the narrow neck of land, by the place where the sea divides the land.

And they did preserve the land southward for a wilderness, to get game. And the whole face of the land northward was covered with inhabitants. (Ether 10:20-21)

The probable "great" city, built somewhere between 1200 BC-600 BC, is the site of San Lorenzo at the northern part of the Isthmus, between the ancient Olmec ruins of La Venta and the city of that same name today, and the site of Tres Zapotes, located at the base of the Hill Vigia near Santiago Tuxtla, Veracruz. (See Figure 24-6.) Thus, it meets the requirement for the Land Southward to be preserved as a place to get game, as the area is a vast wilderness where even today many wild animals are found. Plausibly, the Jaredite nation became a highly populated civilization along the Gulf Coast of Mexico. This conclusion coincides with the fact that, from an archaeological point of view, the entire Land Northward was inhabited with people during the Jaredite time period.

6. The Narrow Neck of Land/Narrow Pass must form a natural dividing line for land divisions. About 350 years after the death of Christ, the Lamanites had successfully overpowered the Nephites and driven them out of the Land of Zarahemla, which was south of the Narrow Neck of Land. Thus, the Nephites were forced to move into the Land Northward. Mormon states:

And the Lamanites did give unto us the land northward, yea, even to the narrow passage which led into the land southward. And we did give unto the Lamanites all the land southward. (Mormon 2:29)

This Land Southward, divided by the Narrow Passage, subsequently became the country that was occupied by the massive Mayan nation. It is the area that is proposed in this text to be Lamanite territory during the time period of the Book of Mormon. (See Chapter 4, "Archaeology in Mesoamerica.")

The Land Northward probably included the States of Oaxaca, Veracruz, Puebla, and Mexico.

Interestingly, the Lord sent three groups of people to this area, which is divided by the Narrow Neck of Land. This land route is the only one that people could travel going all the way from North America to South America, or vice versa. The area serves the same purpose as the great land bridge in ancient Israel, where the movement was from Egypt to Syria. By necessity, travelers had to travel through Israel, where they came in contact with God's covenant people, thus providing travelers the opportunity of hearing about God's covenants with the House of Israel.

The same parallel is evident in Mesoamerica. The evidence suggests that the Nephite/Mulekite people settled on both sides of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec or Narrow Neck of Land. This thesis simply implies that people who traveled through that area might have had the opportunity to be influenced by God's covenant people, as was the case in ancient Israel. Therefore, the Narrow Neck of Land/Narrow Pass plays a significant role in Book of Mormon history and, by nature, has to be situated in a geographical position so the requirements of a land separation, a natural boundary line, and an escape route can be met.

SUMMARY

1. The Narrow Pass runs through the Narrow Neck of Land along the coast on the Pacific side and moves in a south-north direction for 125 miles, between two mountain ranges, and then runs parallel to the Gulf of Mexico on the Atlantic side.

2. The Narrow Neck of Land was a natural boundary line between the Land Southward on the one side and the Land Northward on the other side.

3. The Narrow Neck of Land/Narrow Pass must be situated in such a manner that it can be defended from an invading army to keep that army from going into the Land Northward.

Some of the confusion about the Narrow Neck of Land/Narrow Pass seems to come from a casual reading, or perhaps misreading, of Alma 22:32. Many people have assumed that it took a Nephite only a day and a half to travel from the Sea East (Atlantic Ocean) to the Sea West (Pacific Ocean). The Book of Mormon does not say that. It says that, in a day and a half, a Nephite could travel from the borderline of the Land Bountiful and the eastern border of the Land Desolation to the Sea West (Pacific Ocean). Or, as Ludlow says:

Some students of the Book of Mormon interpret this verse to mean that the entire narrow neck of land separating the land northward from the land southward could be traversed by a Nephite in a day and a half. However, a careful reading of this verse does not necessarily justify this conclusion. The historian's statement concerning a line "from the east to the west sea" does not necessarily mean the same as though he had said that the line existed from the east SEA to the west sea. The statement may mean that it was a day and a half's journey for a Nephite from the east OF THE LINE to the west sea.