If according to Mosiah 21:26, Limhi's expedition supposed a land littered with rusted blades and other items to be the land of Zarahemla, could they mistake the rust and deterioration of approximately 70 years for that of 500 years? In other words, if the Limhi expedition truly stumbled upon the remains of the final Jaredite battles, and if they believed these battles happened no more than 70 years previous, what does that say about the relationship between the Mulekites and the Jaredites? If, as we have always believed, the Mulekites landed after the Jaredites were destroyed, how do we explain the report of the Limhi expedition? If the Mulekites had truly landed in the Americas just after the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C., then the Mulekites had lived near or among the Jaredite population for nearly 400 years until Mosiah1 happened upon the people of Zarahemla, who were descendants of Mulek and his people. This Mulekite-Jaredite relationship would explain the Jaredite proper names and story details found later on in the book of Alma relative to the kingship struggles. [Alan C. Miner, Personal Notes] [See the commentary on Alma 2:1, 2:11]
“The Blades Thereof Were Cankered with Rust”
The text says King Limhi's Scouts found the Jaredites ruins (including rusty swords) about 121 B.C. (see Mosiah 8:7-11). Glenn Scott asks the question: How long could those rusting blades have lasted in the hot, humid climate of the Gulf coast? Obviously not the 460+ years from the arrival of the Mulekites until Limhi's scouts found them. What then is the last possible date for those last Jaredite battles?
When King Mosiah I led the Nephites down to the land of Zarahemla, around 250-200 BC, the Mulekites brought a great stone (stela) to him to translate, which described the end of Coriantumr and his nation (Omni 1:20-21). Even if those battles were as late as 200 BC, it would mean those blades had been exposed to the elements for almost eighty years!
There is other evidence the Jaredites and Mulekites coexisted for more than 300 years. One is that a number of obviously Jaredite names show up in the land of Zarahemla, especially among the Mulekites (Helaman 1:15). Obviously Jaredite names include: Coriantum, Morianton, Corianton, Gadianton, Nehor, Shiblon, Shim, and of course, Noah (obviously brought from the Old World by the Jaredites). Even Nephite weights and measures had Jaredite names (Nibley 1988, 242-246). Other Olmec (Jaredite) traits found among the Maya (Mulekite/Nephties) were: the growing of maize; carved images; mathematics; astronomy; and of course the Calendar Round. [Glenn A. Scott, Voices from the Dust, p. 129]