The Book of Mormon mentions only one river, the Sidon, by name, and it is referenced more than 25 times (e.g.
Alma 3:3). Almost all references call it "the river Sidon" (e.g.
Alma 6:7). There is one reference, though, where Mormon called the Sidon simply "the river" (
Alma 43:52). All of these conditions (uniquely named, frequently mentioned, generically named), point to a singular river that dominated its landscape. Most contemporary Book of Mormon modelers (myself included) correlate the Sidon with the mighty Usumacinta, the largest river in Mesoamerica.
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| Main Channel of the Chixoy, Salinas, and Usumacinta |
I recently found confirmation that the Chontal Maya called the Usumacinta
Xocolha which can simply mean "the river." Ronald L. Canter, "
Rivers Among the Ruins: The Usumacinta" in
PARI Journal, Vol. VII, No. 3, Winter 2007.
This is the third geographic reference in the Nephite text where we have a precise correlate in Mayan. The other two are the "east sea" (see the blog article "
Smoking Gun") and "the east" (see the blog article "
Maya Place Names").
