We have attempted, in a straight forward and simple manner, to match many geographical items in the Book of Mormon to physical features in Baja California, while at the same time respecting the principle of Occam’s razor: All other things being equal, the simplest solution is the best. In other words, when multiple competing solutions are equal in other respects, the principle recommends selecting the solution that introduces the fewest assumptions. With this principle as a guide, over 50 geographical matches have been described, from climatic characteristics to land shapes to locations of rivers, wildernesses and hills. All of these matches and findings, we feel, are plausible, and credible and even compelling.

We have drawn on the scriptures as our primary source of information and hope that our work has shed some light on the Book of Mormon as the “most correct” book. We would suggest that the reader lookup the hundreds of scripture references provided, but, best of all, to reread the entire Book of Mormon while considering the scores of scriptural connections to our proposed locations in Baja California. Our work should fit not only the words and lines of the scripture text, but also “between the lines.” And it also should be an aid to understanding the gospel doctrines of salvation, correct principles of behavior, and the consequences of unrighteous choices. That is our intent. The geography of the Book of Mormon is only a means to this more important end. We hope, however, that our work will help clarify the story line of the Book of Mormon and make it more understandable. We trust there are no distortions of the scriptural text or the geography of Baja California, for such misrepresentations reflect our human failings and not our intent.

We are often asked if have any archeological evidence for our proposal. Our answer is: Yes, there are ancient records that have come from the ground. These ancient records are collectively called the Book of Mormon, which is an 1829 translation of these records describing several past cultures and civilizations spanning thousands of years. This record is even more valuable as archeological evidence now that we have been able to match many Book of Mormon places and details to actual locations on the earth. The translation of the Book of Mormon came by the gift and power of God, and we have found the book’s geographical details to be correctly recorded, and in complete harmony with existing features on the earth. These ancient records are the best archeological evidence for the Book of Mormon.

Readers wishing to pursue the topic of archaeology and the Book of Mormon are strongly urged to read two chapters on the subject by Hugh Nibley, “The Nature of Book of Mormon Society” and “The Archaeological Problem,” published in his work, An Approach to the Book of Mormon, and also an article in the Ensign, “Ancient Temples: What do they signify?” Nibley spells out what we should expect to find in the way of archaeological artifacts, and especially what we should not presume to find, simply because many of the anticipated items are not part of the society and culture of the Book of Mormon people. His insights and perspectives have enlightened our understanding of Book of Mormon geography.

Baja California has barely been touched by archaeologists, possibly because of its isolated location. The few archaeological investigations have yielded the expected arrow heads, potsherds, middens, and burial caves. This area also has what is considered to be the most extensive and detailed rock paintings in the world. These investigations have provided some interesting items for testing and further analysis.

May we offer a word of caution: The Book of Mormon account describes the destruction of two civilizations that were literally “swept off” the land because of their iniquity. It is difficult to say how much evidence would have survived this destruction process, coupled with the normal diminution of evidence that would have happened over the 1600 years since the end of the Book of Mormon record. We should note that the Book of Mormon is a record of people who built humble homes, cities, synagogues and temples. It is feudal and slave-based civilizations who traditionally build elaborate structures for governing and worship, such as the pyramids of Egypt, the seven wonders of the world, or the tower of Babel. We need not look, therefore, to areas of ostentatious and extensive ruins in the Western Hemisphere to find the heartlands of the Book of Mormon peoples. In fact, the erosion of time may have destroyed the modest structures and artifacts they abruptly left behind. We have found that descriptions of their geographical settings, such as climate, plants and animals, and the relative location and scale of their lands have proved to be the most fruitful clues to their location.

Finally, there are dozens of additional geographical items in the Book of Mormon that we have investigated and matched to Baja California, but are not presented in this article, such as the use of barley as a medium of exchange, and the numerous geographical items surrounding the many wars. The account of the battle around hill Riplah, between the Nephites and the Lamanites, provides an abundance of geographical descriptions that we have matched to a specific hill. More items are scheduled to appear on this web site, along with video presentations of much of the content in this article and numerous maps of Baja California and Internet web links to the work of others.