Textual: Mormon is severely editing here. This verse follows immediately upon the closure of the public event without any intervening text to show a difference in time or place. There were surely both. By its very nature, the discourse of Limhi before his people was public. This verse, however, describes a very non-public event. The records of the Limhites are brought to Ammon to read.
We learn here that Zeniff’s people kept records on plates and that they were brought to Ammon. Plates are inherently heavier than paper would be, and this suggests that Ammon may have moved away from the public dais to a location somewhat more in proximity to the place where the records were kept – most likely the palace of the king. In Mesoamerican public architecture, the residence of the king would frequently be near the main temple, and the main temple would have been the location for this public ceremony, so they would not have traveled far, and perhaps this is the reason Mormon makes no mention of the change of location.
We will begin with this history in the next chapter, so we must deal with the question of Mormon’s motives for including this reference. He is clearly abbreviating mightily. With such a broad editorial cut, why include this reference to something that will be given much more fully in the very next chapter? This particular verse is not important in and of itself, but because it stands as the reason for the question asked of Ammon in the next verse. This verse is a transitional verse to move to the next important subject, and it is that next subject, not the reading of Zeniff’s history that is important to Mormon as he writes these passages.
Historical: The recording of official dynastic history on plates is apparently a heritage of the Nephites. Zeniff was a Nephite, and surely knew of the large plates of Nephi. His official dynastic record would be a mimic of the plates of Nephi, in both content and form. It is unlikely that these plates were created in Zarahemla, and were probably created after the arrival in the land of Nephi, and after a sufficient time had passed that Zeniff and his people had the available time to create them. This would have required at least some passage of time since the first requirement after their arrival would be subsistence. While they may have received an intact village/town, it is not at all certain that this would have included all of the produce of the land under cultivation. Even if such were given also, the lands would require tending to assure the continued survival of the people prior to creating plates for the recording of official history.