War years
Fortification at the narrow neck
Proposed site: La Cuernavilla east past Tikal, about 21 km (schematic) (approximate)
North of Tikal, the authors' fortified line and narrow pass between Bountiful and Desolation. The authors are comfortable with a length of about 13 miles (21 km) (Nov 9, 2026); we read that as the longer line on the book's p.41 map, from the La Cuernavilla fortress east past Tikal toward the Bajo de Santa Fe, and draw it schematically at that length. Which line they mean, and its exact trace, is our reading and still to be confirmed. Its best-known stretch is the earthwork Puleston and Callender mapped in 1967, about 9.5 km long; later fieldwork treats that earthwork's date (about AD 400 to 550) as provisional and doubts it was defensive.
- Scripture: Alma 22:32; 50:34; Helaman 4:7
- Authors' rating: #1 of 5 (1 = strongest)
- Precision: approximate area
- Sources: Authors' 2026 book, pp.40–44 (p.41 map), 95; authors' answer to question 3 (Nov 9, 2026); Puleston & Callender 1967 as cited; Fact sheet Land of Desolation (2019), map
Preliminary. This placement rests on our best reading where the authors' sources differ or give no exact point. It is awaiting their review and may change.
Episodes
This is the authors' proposal. See open questions for how the model is debated, or follow it on the full map.