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Book of Mormon/Geography/Models/Limited/Poulsen 2004
< Book of Mormon | Geography | Models | Limited
Model Name | Date Proposed | Scope | Narrow Neck | Land North | Land South | Cumorah | River Sidon | Nephi's Landing | Religion | Type of model
Model name: Poulsen 2004Date proposed: 2004 |
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Lawrence Poulsen, stimulated by the models proposed by Sorenson and Hauck, used his own study of the text, combined with advances in 3-D computer mapping technology and satellite maps to provide a fascinating refinement of the Mesoamerican model.[3] Poulsen compares Sorenson's River of Sidon suggestion (the Grijalva River) with Hauck's (the Usamacinta River) and finds Grijalva much more plausible.[4] Poulsen extends this analysis to show how the explorers mentioned in Mosiah 8꞉7-10 likely mistook Usamcinta for Sidon/Grijalva, thus becoming hopelessly lost. The Book of Mormon text is even accurate in the direction which the Sidon flows at a critical point.[5] For the Hill Cumorah, Poulsen suggests a hill Tepetzintla, located on the coastal plain to the west of the North-South-oriented coast of the Gulf of Mexico near the city of Tampico, Mexico. Interestingly enough, Tepetzintla translates to Cerro de Maiz in Spanish or "Corn Hill" in English, which is the translation of the Hill "Shim" (the Jaredite hill identified by the Nephites as "Cumorah"—see Mormon 1꞉3, Mormon 4꞉23; compare with Ether 15꞉11, Mormon 6꞉6). Furthermore, Poulsen suggests the use of a "quadrant"-based directional system as used by some Mesoamerican groups,[6] as opposed to arguing that the Nephites used cardinal directions off-set from magnetic north, as Sorenson does.[7] |
Endnotes
- [note] From John E. Clark, "A Key for Evaluating Nephite Geographies (Review of Deciphering the Geography of the Book of Mormon by F. Richard Hauck)," FARMS Review of Books 1/1 (1989): 20–70. off-site; Figure 8 off-site
- [note] Lawrence Poulsen, "Directions in the Book of Mormon," bomgeography.poulsenll.org, Figure 5 (accessed 17 September 2006). off-site
- [note] Lawrence Poulsen, bomgeography.poulsenll.orgoff-site
- [note] Lawrence Poulsen, "A comparison of the river Sidon, as referenced in the Book of Mormon, to the Grijalva River found in Chiapas, Mexico," bomgeography.poulsenll.orgoff-site
- [note] Lawrence Poulsen, "Why did King Limhi's search party get lost in the wilderness?," bomgeography.poulsenll.org (accessed 17 September 2006). off-site
- [note] Lawrence Poulsen, "Directions in the Book of Mormon," bomgeography.poulsenll.org (accessed 17 September 2006). off-site