First Permanent Colony of the Nation of Zarahemla

     A brief and general overview of what seems to be the natural setting of the land of the nation of Zarahemla from what fits the actual settling of the land, the Book of Mormon's discription of the land and the geography of the land which does make up a compatible with each natural topology of the land will first be given at this point though indeed much study and consideration has gone into it and it does all seem to fit together nicely. From top to bottom and from side to side with other interior features will now be give. First it will be given from west coast to the east coast and then from 'top' to 'bottom' though as to what is top 'north' and what is 'bottom' is not generally the high to low of its elevation; the bottom being the heights and the top being the sea level drainage out let of the major river and valley of the land.

Upon the West Coast generally, though its southern end and northern ends do not specifically match, it that the west coast for the most part seems to be a wetlands, mangrove swampy area pretty much all along the western range of the Western/Ocidental Cordilleras. As the storms come in from the Pacific this first mountaineous range causes the Pacific mosture to rise and rain prolifically which in effect creates the vast continual draneage which forms the marsh, swamp, mangroves and wetlands. This makes the west coast prohibitive to mass travel except by such as small craft which could access the swamps from the sea. And thus in the Book of Mormon there is never no real Lamanite threat to march up the west coast in order to make its way to the narrow neck of land at the top and thence on into the land northward. This geography matches those facts and explains the lack of any such attempt by the Lamanites in their attacks against the Nephites.

Second, as the Andes in the south of the land divide into three parallel finger ranges running from their common heights in the south of the land northward to the northern extremes of the land ever decreasing in elevation until the two rivers of the west valley and that of the east valley to join and then drain together into the sea. The three parallel ranges are the Western or Ocidental Cordilleras, the Central of Middle Cordilleras and the East or Oriental Cordilleras. The western valley is that valley which Lehi's party did journey in the wilderness from their initial landing site just south of the narrow isthmus upon the northwestern shores of the land. Lehi's party travels up south in what is today called the Cauca Valley, with its Cauca river, past where such as the cities of Noah and Ammonihah were to be established in the lower valley and then further up south the upper valley where the land of Melek would be located. And then they would travel thence south through the highlands where the three cordillera did merge into the one great Andean range and down its western elevations until Lehi's party did come to ore rich land about Lima, Peru. And that was the permanant location of Lehi's Land of First Inheritance. Before that western valley would later begin to have any permanant settlements, Lemhi's party of exploration to find the City of Zarahemla would in error transverse this western valley to the north in search of the City of Zarahemla and they would instead of finding Zarahemla wander on up through the narrow neck and into the southern most extremes of the Jaredite land of Desolation about the area of that great city of commerce and trade so built in the time of Kib of the Jarediates. And it would be that they were led to find the 24 plates of Ether before they would return to the land of Nephi.

Now the eastern valley, the larger and wider valley and its drainage system which formed the Sidon river would come to be considered the 'center of the land' and it would house the great national capitol city of Zarahemla which was located midway up the river likely to the extreme of its largely navigtable course, the Sidon river being a great river which could carry thousands of dead bodies down practically its full course and thence out to sea. Just south of the city of Zarahemla, which was on the west bank of Sidon, would be found a sizable fork in the river, the eastern fork coming from a side mountain valley cut in the middle of the Eastern Cordilleras while the western fork continued south until it would reach the heights of the main river's course in the provincial land what would come to known as Manti. That noted eastern fork of the river would come from the east forming the east valley provincial land which was to come to be known as Gideon.

This leaves only the nature of eastern coastal area to be discussed. As the eastern lands were fairly drained of the rains which would have been removed from the storms as they traveled over the three parallel Cordillera ranges, the lands of the east coast would be of a dryer and inhabitable nature. They would have a number of wide plains areas from the eastern foothills of the Eastern Cordilleras which would make good grass lands for grazing of Animals and coastal cities which would access the sea immediately all along the eastern Coast Line. The provincial land of Jershon would be from the city of Aaron at the eastern mouth of the Gideon valley north to where the land of Jershon would border upon the provincial land of Bountiful likely at the river's boundry line there. And to the south east would be that provincial land of Antionum and the wandering Lamanites from the south lands of Nephi upon the southern coastal shores of the land. This nature of the east coast would dictate to Captain Moroni just how he would have to locate the building of his defensive cities right along the eastern coastline which we will speak further about in a later phase of settlement of the land.

Now for the most part the mountain ranges where those which were formed and were still being formed by the up lift of the land and the numerous volcanic mountain regions which formed the backbone of the Cordilleras. While all the ranges were heavily forested ranges, the manner in which the two rivers of the two parallel valleys did connect formed another natural feature which the Book of Mormon would call the wilderness of Hermounts. Now Hermounts what that forested wilderness area which in the early chapters of the book of Alma would be state to be both to the east and to the north of the city of Zarahemla. And this heavily forested land of Hermounts was that which was filled with wild beasts of every kind. And the forested wilderness of Hermounts would extend on up into the provincial land of Bountiful and on into the narrow neck of land as part of that mountainous backbone which formed the narrow neck with its two passage ways upon the east and upon the west.

Now from top to bottom, that is generally from the north up to the southern highlands would run from the providence of Bountiful, which would retain its name from being that land region upon which Lehi's party first landed in the land of Promise, to the far highland reaches of the north and the provincial lands of Manti. Now Between the provincial forested land of Bountiful to the immediate provincial land about the city of Zarahemla, is to be found the more central parts of the land which likely because they were first settled and inhabited by the Mulekites are not well named and set out in the Nephite centered Book of Mormon though we have some hints that such as the city of David would have been in this more capital parts of the land in the lower Sidon valley. Of course the central Sidon valley was those immediate lands, town and cities which would be a part of the province of Zarahemla. Such as Minon would likely be of such. And then the highland Sidon valley would be that of Manti and such as was associaed with it.

Though the exact form and shape of the land would differ as before that great day of destruction at the death of the Lord, who is to say just what the land was like beyond a general relationships of the lands of the nation of Zarahamela? Now in general this would be the lay of the national lands of Zarahemla and it provinces from west to east, from top to bottom. And like how New York has had the city of New York, the county of New York about the centeral city and then even the greater State of New York, so would there be the capitol city named Zarahemla with its immediate surrounding county or provincial land and city, and then there would be the greater nation of Zarahemla which would include the provincial lands of Melek, and Ammonihah upon the west. Then there would be Bountiful province and the Capital parts of the land to the north of Zarahemla local, ant the province of Manti to the south. Within that side eastern valley would be the province of Gideon. And the provincial lands of Jershon and Antionum to the east, at least until Antionum defected with its land to the Lamanites.

Now with that geography laid out, we turn to the very first of the settlement of the lands of Zarahemla. Mulek was first brought to the land north, likely just north of the narrow neck upon the east coast about the great city of commerce of the Jaredites. The Phoenicians likely knew and traded with the Jaredites in their day at that port city. And when considering where to flee with the son of King Zedekiah to avoid the 'World Empire of Babylon', it is likely that this was the place that would be the greatest distance form the Empire of Babylon and therefore considered to be the safest for the heir of the Jewish crown, Mulek.

Upon landing at that city of trade, Mulek's party found but totally Desolation except for finding one last sole of the Jaredites, Coriantumr. After the end of the great destruction of the Jaredites, Coriantumr would have been all alone, except perhaps for some who had escaped if any. After regaining his strength, Coriantumr became a long and lonely search for life. Ether had thought to have seen the end of Coriantumr though it had been said he would be the last to remain alive. And whether Coriantumr or Ether ever met after the final battle is not know. But Coriantumr's search for life carried him from the far northern reached of Cumorah all the way back down to the exterme southern region of the Jaredite civilization and that would be at the city of commerce just to the north of the narrow neck of land.

Just what understanding was conveyed which then brought the Mulekites south and up and into the center of the land south upon the western shore of the river Sidon is not for sure. Certainly the hand of the Lord was in it (Helaman 6:10). And likely being sailors who conveyed Mulek to this land of 'safety', they would sail from that first stop where they found but total desolation except for Coriantumr. And they would sail along the east coast south until they would have come upon the mouth of the Sidon river. They could have traveled by land up into the land, but why when they could continue to sail up the river until they would reach the center of the land and been completely hid and safe from the World Empire of Babylon. Most colonist begin upon the coasts. But for these obvious reasons it would seem that the Mulekites sought exclusion by first settling in the center of the land some distance from the coasts and possible discovery.

Now as stated the Magdalena or Sidon River was from the regions where the Andes splits into the three Cordillera Ranges of Colombia. All the tributaries of the eastern central cordilleras and of the western eastern cordillerals would have provided the Magdalena River with a very great water shed which would create such a great river. Its long and wide basin or valley lies between the Central and Oriental Cordillera. Today it flows in a northerly (north by northeast) direction for about 957 miles to the Caribbean Sea. Today it is navigable for over half its distance for about 615 miles of its length to the inland port of Honda from the Carribean coast. The river is the principal route to the interior of Colombia, and past the rapids at Honda, it is navigable for another 150 miles. Today, its largest tributary is the Cauca River which runs parallel to the Magadalena in the western twin valley of the three cordillera. The city of Barranquilla is the leading seaport of Colombia today which is situated near the mouth of the Magdalena River.

The Phoenician vessel(s) sailed up the river which they would name after the port they had departed from in the old world Zidon or Sidon. The Magdalena River is a navigable river for over half of its river's length. Why the party of Mulek would want to settle inland can be speculated upon. The reason would include wanting to insure a safe haven away from armies of destruction, in a place where they would not be easily discovered. They had fled from the great destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon. They had landed in a land that showed vast evidences of a warring and destruction. They wanted to get away from destructive danger and of being detected by such forces. Further, they may have been aware of the principles of colonization, of settling on a river as a clean water source and away from the limited resources of a coastal environment. Also, while not bring written records with them, they may have been lead by a man of God. We do not know all the reasons as the history of the Mulekites is vague in the Book of Mormon, but they did settle their major cultural and city center in the center of the land, well away from any of the coastal regions, east, west, or north.

The map at the right presents a rough map of the land of Zarahemla. The map is not intended to be exact as the lands would change in conjunction with the great destruction at the time of the death of Christ. Shown here is a representation of the three mountain ranges of the cordilleras of Colombia. The shorelines are speculative and make the assertion of a sea existing in the great Amazon Basin which becomes the Sea East of the Book of Mormon. The Northern coast of the land is assumed to not be as extensive and as north beyond the narrow neck as it is today. It is a map that mixes the generalities of the geography of Colombia matching them with the internal requirements presented in the Book of Mormon. The main center and city of this society was located mid-way up the Sidon River and just below a valley that would veer off to the east that would become know as the Valley of Gideon. The 'Z' on the map marks the site of this center of Mulek civilization and the center of their colonization of the land which would become known as the nation of Zarahemla.

It is important to emphasize that the land was totally wilderness when the Mulekites first arrived and colonized the land. The only exceptions to the presence of man in the land excepting the Mulekites would have been the temporary visits of the Jaredites and the landing of Lehi's party a little south of the Isthmus of Darien on the west coast. Lehi's party stayed there only long enough to plant, harvest, and replenish their seeds. Lehi's party journeyed in the forested wilderness but avoided any contact with the Mulekites in the Sidon Valley as Lehi's pary traveld south through the parallel mountain valley of the Cauca River. Lehi's party traveled to the western coastal area of central to northern Peru where they found a climate which they where more acustomed to. Both the Mulekites and the Lehites benefited form the animals of the Jaredites which has wandered into the land south for the want of food. This was the very first colonization of this northern portion of the land south since the flood of Noah.

Note: Science is a subjective thing. According to science there was no universal flood of Noah and the land though once one land was such only hundreds of thousands of years ago. So forget anything about what the Bible says about the land being divided in the days of Peleg. Science presumes its theories and religion suffers. Yes there was once a great Amazon Sea which would account for the Sea East of the Book of Mormon and the Andean Uplift has been going on for thousands upon thousands of years again according to science. So the land could well have 'changed' but not as dynamically and 'quick' as the Bible and Book of Mormon would portray according to science. That is upon the one hand. But let science begin to speculate about such things as 'global warming' and then the earth becomes very dynamic and quick changing, such as the predicted rise in sea levels to again restore the 'Amazon Sea' within but a couple of hundred years according to science. The graphic of that Amazon Sea reappearing at the right is one of the more 'conservatively moderate ones' given by science as some are more dynamic and this is not even to consider such as elevation level changes due to such events as described in the Book of Mormon which occured at the time of the death of Jesus Christ. Just imagine the land uplifts taken away and even a more honest map that takes into consideration that even today you can sail up the Orinoco river and travel by a natural 'canal' from the Orinoco River system to the Amazon River system of the Rio Negro and back out to sea via the Amazon River. Was there once a East Sea upon the east border of Columbia? YES. Could there be again in short order according to global warming theorists? YES.

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