We would suggest this as the key evidence: In our proposal all possible geographical features and descriptions appear to match the proposed area 100 percent. This border to border and top to bottom alignment of features seems to us as far more significant than any single evidence or set of evidences. Our goal has always been to attempt to match every possible geographical description in the Book of Mormon account to the proposed area of Baja California.

However, we would still consider some evidence to be basic. Mormon while abridging the record of Alma pauses and provides a detailed and basic description of the geography of the Book of Mormon lands. This is found in Alma 22: 27-34. These eight verses contain some 20 geographical descriptions, in sequence, that Mormon must have thought were basic in understanding his abridged record. We would suggest that any geographical proposal or model should, as a starting point, be aligned 100 percent to the basic descriptions in these eight verses. Anything less than full alignment should raise questions and require some convincing explanations.

Three other areas of evidence are also basic. The first is the implication of the Lord’s words to both the Jaredites and the Nephites that they had been sent to lands which were “choice above all other lands of the earth.” This direct and unambiguous statement, by its very superlativeness, would exclude most locations on the earth and include only a few. It is essential, therefore, that the justification for any proposed location should include evidence of a highly desirable climate, plants and animals, and the obvious advantages of the proposed environment over other locations. The second area is scale. The scale of the Book of Mormon lands, as measured in days of travel, must match actual distances within any proposed location on the earth’s surface. The third is the basic and pivotal location of the river Sidon. This river is a key feature of the Nephite realm in the Book of Alma, and is the only river mentioned by name in the Book of Mormon account. Several locations are described in relationship to the river Sidon. For example, the oft-mentioned and seemingly unique feature called the head of river Sidon, as well as the city and land of Zarahemla, the hill Amnihu and the hill Riplah. If the river Sidon and the head of the river Sidon can not be located precisely and confidently, and with convincing evidence, then it significantly weakens any geographical proposal. We discuss all four of these basic areas of evidence at some length in our proposal.