Fifth Stage of Colonization and Settlement of Zarahemla

The next city placements now considered is where would the 'other' peoples of Limhi locate? Well, Limhi's people where not of as righteous caliber as where the people of Alma. They where made up of the higher class who where the relatives of Noah, which included Limhi and his family, and the families of the wicked priest. These would be the less faithful. At any rate the city of Ammonihah, and Noah seem to fit the concept of priestcraft and the followers of a system after the order of Nehor as were they who populated the city of Ammonihah. While Nehors is the name given to those who follow after priestcraft, the practice came from the courts of wicked King Noah. Thus a city named Noah is a natural, and while perhaps not named directly after Noah the wicked king, perhaps it was named after a son who's name was also Noah and of the 'Royal' house and system.

The 'A' in the western valley represents Ammonihah on the map at the right. Now why would the less righteous people of Limhi consider colonizing and locating in the western valley? Well, remember the fateful explorers of Limhi? They missed finding Zarahemla by traveling the wrong valley being the western valley of the Cauca. Perhaps a notable campsite of that expedition was at the site of Ammonihah or perhaps the explores remembered a most appropriate site for a new city there in the lower Cauca Western Valley. And the same would be for the city of Noah which is represented by the 'N' on the map.

Now the distance between Melek and Ammonihah can be speculated. If Alma traveled by river travel, the distance may be great, up to 200 miles. The notes of the Lewis and Clark expedition said they covered as many as 70 miles in a day as they boated back down the rivers on their return trip of their famous exploration. Again the southwest to the northeast course of the rivers and parallel mountain regions are suggested by the fact of these western valley lands. Alma says he traveled north for three days from the land of Melek to the land of Ammonihah. Melek has been discussed as being on the eastern shores of the upper Cauca River and explanations given as to why. Ammonihah will be considered to be on the west of the Cauca River in the mid to lower section of the Cauca River for a number of reasons.

It is important to make an insertion into the discussion at this point. Melek, Ammonihah, and Noah were at this point settled in what was previously regions of the great wilderness of Hermounts. With Ammonihah being three days journey for Alma as he departed into the wilderness and until he arrived in the land of Ammonihah, there must have been great expanses of wilderness still remaining between the cities and lands which where populated. This is seen later when Helaman and his army camps in the wilderness boundary of Manti and when the Lamanite army comes out to fight him, he retreats toward the land of Zarahemla. Thus again, there being a sizable wilderness still between the land of Manti in the upper regions of the Sidon down to Minion and Zarahemla which where through this wilderness north of Manti. The careful reader will note this about most of the cities of the nation of Zarahemla. There is wilderness between almost all of the cites, as while traveling between cities before they come to the next city and land they travel through wilderness. The lands do not butt up one against the other, so in addition to the land size surrounding each city and land, one must consider the additonal sizes of the 'wilderness' areas between them also. This further expands the size of the national lands of Zarahemla, Nephi, and the land of Desolation, and makes it even harder to fit them into such limited spaces as in MesoAmerica.

Now we return to our main train of thought. When the Lamanities came against Ammonihah, they had stayed to the west wilderness until they came upon Ammoniah unexpectedly. They missed Melek, perhaps for the same reason that Limhi's explorers did, for Melek was on the east of the western river. Now the Lamanities may have made the same mistake that the Limhi explores had made. They certainly traveled a similar route along the western regions of the western valley. Perhaps the Lamanites where looking for Zarahemla in thought of destroying the main city center which their previous experiences would have said is on the west of the river in the long valley on the north. Now consider the prophesies of Abinadi. Abinadi said that the manner of his death would be a foreshadowing of things to come. Consider the Lamanite army as lead by the forces of the wicked priests of Noah. They come upon the Nephite city which they consider to be Zarahemla, but in fact it is the city of Ammonihah. Thus they set uponthose who were their own descendants from the time when they vacated them when they were pursued by the Lamanites in the days of the wicked King Noah. Now the people of Ammonihah had just finished putting to death woman and children of their own people who believed in Christ by fire. Abinadi was put to death in the same manner years before for his belief in Christ. The foreshadowing was complete and fulfilled in that and in other ways. Now the Lamanites may well have considered they had just destroyed the city of Zarahemla and an adjoining city. They seem to be returning to their land without precaution as they think they have destroyed the Nephites and Zarahemla, when they are over taken unprepared by the army of Zoram, the Nephite army captain of the time.

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