The fact that all movement stops after dark is a telling detail about the influence of light in warfare. All three armies have a great incentive to move quickly. Nevertheless, all three stop when night falls. This description depicts the difficulties of large-scale troop movements in Mesoamerica over an area that almost certainly had, at best, a trail rather than a smooth road, uneven terrain, and untold natural obstacles from vegetation and topography. Mesoamerican battles seldom included night maneuvers; they typically began at first light. Helaman’s resumption of flight “before” dawn—probably as soon as it was possible to distinguish objects, again accurately depicts Mesoamerican conditions.