The Mentinah Archives & The Highland-Continental Model

The debate surrounding the geography of the Book of Mormon has historically been divided into two primary camps: the Mesoamerican model, which places the scriptural events in the jungles of southern Mexico and Guatemala, and the Heartland model, which locates them in the rivers and mounds of the American Midwest. Both models offer compelling archaeological insights, yet both often struggle to accommodate the full continental scale and the “sea to sea” migrations described within the text itself.

However, a revolutionary geographic framework known as the Highland-Continental Model has emerged. Grounded in extensive research, historical timelines, and archaeological correlations, this model is uniquely capable of reconciling the seemingly contradictory elements of Book of Mormon geography. Most importantly, it is the only geographical model that seamlessly aligns with the extraordinary historical and physical migrations detailed in The Mentinah Archives.

What are the Mentinah Archives?

The Mentinah Archives are the translated ancient records of the Nemenhah people, a group that originally branched off from the Nephite and Lamanite civilizations shortly before the birth of Christ. Discovered in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah between 1999 and 2001 by an elder of the Sahhatan nation, Phillip “Chief Cloudpiler” Landis, these records were preserved in stone boxes wrapped in pitch-sealed cedar bark. The physical collection consisted of hundreds of tiny metal plates, which were read using a perfectly carved crystal skull that acted as a natural magnifier.

According to the text, the Nemenhah were a diverse group of Nephites, Lamanites, and Ammonites who fled the corruption, war, and secret combinations of the “Land Southward” to establish a peaceful, egalitarian society based on the covenants of the Temple (or “High Place”) and the Law of Consecration. Their records trace their lineage from Zoram, Mulek, Aaron, and Judah, documenting their struggles and spiritual triumphs as they migrated throughout North America up until the mid-19th century.

The Highland-Continental Geography

The brilliance of the Highland-Continental Model lies in its grand, continental scale. Unlike limited geography theories, this model proposes that the core Book of Mormon lands—including the Land of Nephi and Zarahemla—were located in south-central Mexico. Specifically, it correlates the towering mountaintop ruins of Monte Albán in Oaxaca with the City of Nephi, and aligns the massive, dominant empire of Teotihuacan with the peak of the Nephite civilization.

From this Mesoamerican core, the model identifies the vast, arid regions of northern Mexico, the American Southwest, and Utah as the scriptural Land of Desolation. Under this framework, “Desolation” is not a small neck of land, but an immense, barren frontier separating the high civilizations of the south from the wild, forested “Land Northward”.

This geographical layout explains a profound spiritual mystery: why the Latter-day Saints were led by prophecy to settle in Utah.

When the Mormon pioneers arrived in the Sanpete Valley of Utah in the mid-19th century, they were met by indigenous Paiute and Ute wisdom keepers who had been forewarned of their conquest in dreams. Recognizing Brigham Young as the predicted leader of the new faith, these chiefs attempted to consecrate their sacred, strictly guarded metal libraries to the United Order. Young, however, told them to seal the records back up, famously declaring, “We have not wherewith to translate these records”.

The dry, highly desiccating environment of the Sanpete Valley (which the Nemenhah called the Valley of Menintah, meaning “Place of Salt”) was spiritually and physically prepared to act as a preservation vault. The high salt content of the surrounding Redmond Salt mines kept the ancient mountain caves moisture-free, preventing the delicate copper-and-bronze alloy plates from corroding over the centuries

The Epic Migrations: From the Grand Canyon to the Great Lakes

The Highland-Continental Model provides the perfect canvas for the great migrations recorded in the Mentinah Archives, showing how the descendants of Hagoth populated the North American continent.

1. Hagoth’s West Coast & Canyon Voyage

Around 55 B.C., a Zoramite shipbuilder named Hagoth (Hagot) built a fleet of massive wooden ships near Bountiful. Desiring to escape the toxic political climate of the south, he and a group of Ammonite Lamanites set sail up the West Sea (the Pacific coast / Gulf of California). Running low on provisions, they disembarked at the barren mouth of the Colorado River. Hagoth and a small party built oar-propelled boats to explore inland, navigating up the muddy Colorado River (which they called the River Akish, meaning “red earth”).

They traversed the colossal, sheer precipices of the Grand Canyon of Arizona, suffering from fevers and hunger, before emerging into the rich, forested mountains of the Four Corners region, where they founded their first settlements. To escape rising Gadianton combinations, they eventually retreated north and west into the Sanpete Valley (Menintah), closing all roads to the Land Southward and utilizing the natural canyon defiles as defensive bulwarks.

2. Corianton’s Northeast Migration to the Great Lakes

The archives also detail the fate of Corianton (the son of the Prophet Alma) and his wife Isabel, who fled the Land Southward forever. Moving far to the northeast, Corianton’s group settled in the Great Lakes and Hudson Bay region, where they conjoined with northern woodland tribes. Because of the bitter northern winters, Corianton’s people developed a unique, highly insulated architectural style, building houses with timber frameworks, inner walls of thick bark cloth, and exterior shells of cement as thick as an outstretched hand. High Priest Hementah and his family later made a massive trek across the Great Plains to visit Corianton’s beautiful city, cementing a cultural alliance between the mountain and lake populations.

3. The Eastern Exodus to Missouri (Minisourit)

Over the centuries, as the climate shifted and the Nemenhah faced rising internal apostasy and external Gadianton combination raids, many Nemenhah abandoned the Sanpete Valley. Families led by the seers Winet and Momet migrated eastward across the Great Plains to the forests of the mighty Mississippi River (Misisip). There, they built the settlement of Minisourit (modern-day Missouri). They constructed earthworks and massive defensive mounds, utilizing ancient Jaredite foundations and preserving their sacred plates beneath the floors of their High Places.

Transoceanic Visitors and the Frankish Lineage

By mapping Book of Mormon geography on a continental scale, the Highland-Continental Model also illuminates the Archives’ accounts of visitors from across both oceans. It documents the arrival of Fua Tzen (Fuazen), an oriental sage who sailed across the West Sea to Mentinah. Though Fuazen initially taught the practice of polygamy, he humbly accepted the Nemenhah temple teachings and returned across the Pacific to establish a peaceful, structurally similar religion among his own people.

Most astonishingly, the Archives record a visitation by Nephi, the translated disciple of Christ, to the Nemenhah of Minisourit. Nephi presented a sacred vellum epistle from Queen Batilde of Gaul (Galium), the wife of King Clovis, ruler of the Frankish kingdom across the East Sea. This royal genealogy traced the lineage of King Clovis directly back to Josephes, the son of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene.

Only a continental model can tie together Oaxacan ruins, Southwestern desert sanctuaries, Great Lakes civilizations, and transoceanic contacts into a single, cohesive, and historically verifiable canvas. The Mentinah Archives stand as a voice crying from the dust of the Wasatch hills, testifying that the geography of God’s covenant people was never a localized footnote, but a grand, continental saga

Outline of Geographic Travels in the Mentinah Archives

1. Hagoth’s Sea Voyage and Canyon Trek
   • Starting Point & Preparation: Following the death of Captain Moroni, Hagoth built a massive ship after the pattern of Nephi’s ship at Bountiful near the Isthmus.
   • West Sea Voyage: Many Nephites boarded and sailed northward into the West Sea, passing the Land Desolate and disembarking at the mouth of a barren, great river.
   • Command to Provision: Shiblon commanded Hagoth to build a fleet of ships to send provisions and families to the Land Northward via both the West and East Seas. Hagoth took his family and a group of Ammonite Lamanites up the West Sea route.
   • The Canyon Passage: Traveling inland up the great river, they encountered vast canyons with incredibly steep, towering precipices far higher than Nephite temples.
   • Hardships: The party suffered intensely from extreme heat, lack of wild game, and severe fevers caused by drinking the muddy, unpotable river water.
   • Settlement: After many days, they emerged from the precipitous canyons into a rich, mountainous land filled with rivers, plants, and forests. They established their first settlements in the Four Corners region and built the city of Hagoth.
   • Citation: The Book of Hagoth, Chapter 1 (verses 1–18).
2. The Migration of the Nemenhah to the Valley of Menintah
   • Division of the People: Due to the rising threat of Gadianton robbers, the Nemenhah divided into two bodies: one led by Hagoth and the other by the healer Hementah.
   • The Mountain Journey: Hagoth’s group traveled north and west along mountain trails to find a secure homeland.
   • Establishing the Fastness: They settled in a protected valley they named Menintah (meaning “Place of Salt” due to the high salt content in the southern part of the valley).
   • Defensive Geography: The valley was a natural mountain fortress, accessible only through a narrow canyon in the south, a narrow canyon in the west, and an extremely narrow defile in the north. They closed all roads to the Land Southward to shut out Gadianton combinations.
   • Discovery of Jaredite Tombs: While searching for building stone, they discovered ancient cave tombs of the Jaredites in the mountains of this valley, utilizing them to store their metal records.
   • Citation: The Book of Hagoth, Chapter 1 (verses 37–40), The Book of Hagmeni, Chapter 1 (verse 5), and The Record of Sahnempet (verses 2, 7).
3. The Northeast Journey to the Great Lakes and the City of Corianton
   • Plains Expedition: Hementah, Pa-Hementem, and Shi-Tugohah made a massive journey northeastward across the Great Plains.
   • Northeast Wilderness: They traveled far into the cold North Country, characterized by dense forests, streams, and massive lakes.
   • Discovery of Corianton’s City: They arrived at the beautiful city of Corianton, which was established by Alma’s son Corianton and his wife Isabel after they fled the Land Southward forever.
   • Climate Adaptation: Because of the extremely cold winter climate, the houses in this city were constructed with wood frameworks and inner walls of thick bark cloth, covered in layers of cement as thick as a man’s outstretched hand.
   • Cultural Exchange: The travelers studied this insulated architecture and shared their sacred Ammonite sweatlodge purification rituals with Corianton’s people.
   • Citation: The First Book of Shi-Muel, Chapters 6 and 7 and The Second Book of Shi-Muel, Chapters 1 and 2.
4. The Mission to the Land Southward along the East Coast
   • Call to Preach: The sons and daughters of Sahnempet (Sanhagot, Shigath, Shimnet, Hempapet, Him-pah-neth, and Pa-Akim) were called to preach repentance in the wicked cities of the south.
   • Desert Transit: They traveled south on foot, bypassing the great canyons on the east, and crossed a rugged desert before turning east toward the East Sea gulf.
   • Tamahualip: They arrived at Tamahualip, a city of friendly Tamahu-Ah fisher folk, who transported the missionaries down the coast in boats, allowing them to bypass the Land of Desolation.
   • Preaching in the South: They landed on the east side of the Land Southward to preach in the heavily corrupted cities of Laman, Josh, Gad, and Kishkumen.
   • Return Journey: Following their volatile missions, the party returned to the Land Northward accompanied by 81 Lamanite and Nephite converts (52 men, 17 women, and 12 children).
   • Citation: The First Book of Pa Natan, Chapters 1, 2, and 7.
5. Visitors from Across the Sea
   • Fua Tzen (Fuazen): A traveler and sage who sailed across the West Sea to Mentinah. He initially taught the practice of polygamy, but after learning Nemenhah temple teachings and receiving confirmation from the Holy Ghost, he accepted correction. He returned across the sea to teach his people, establishing a new religion structurally similar to Nemenhah.
     • Citation: The Book of Manti, Chapters 3 and 4.
   • The Clovis Genealogy: Nephi, the immortal disciple of Christ, visited the Nemenhah of Minisourit. He presented a sacred velum containing an epistle from Queen Batilde, wife of King Clovis of the Frankish kingdom in the distant land of Galium (Gaul) across the East Sea. The epistle detailed the royal lineage of Clovis, declaring that their line descended directly from Josephes, the son of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene.
     • Citation: The Book of Momet Akekt, Chapters 2 and 3.

Summary Table of Geographic Travels in the Mentinah Archives