According to the geographical theory of Joseph Allen, the archaeological site of Dzibanche (pronounced see-bahn-chey) located in the southern Yucatan Peninsula (see map below) can be proposed as a candidate for the city of Bountiful. This ancient city was comparable in size and splendor to Tikal, El Mirador, and Calakmul. Add to these sites the neighboring sites of Kohunlich and Kinichna, and the result is an ancient megalopolis. The immensity of these sites suggests the presence of hundreds of thousands of people living there at the zenith of the sites.
The dating of this site is consistent with the El Mirador preclassic time period.
Like its neighbors Becan, Cerros, Calakmul, and Tikal, defensive earthworks can still be detected at Dzibanche.
The relationship of Dzibanche to Cerros (Allen's proposed city of Mulek--see Book of Mormon Digest, vol. 1, no. 3 [1998], p. 1) a coastal city on the Caribbean Sea (east sea) appears to be the same as the relationship between Bountiful and Mulek. The distance requirement from the seacoast to Dzibanche meets the requirements of the Book of Mormon text.
The climatic conditions of Dzibanche suggest a satisfactory name correlation with the name Bountiful. Crops at this site are watered by a gentle dew each morning, which provides the means for crops to grow year round. Moreover, it has a multitude of peaceful groves located among the ruins where there is adequate room to walk between the towering trees. Allen says the following:
I had always empathized with the people who were present when the Savior visited them, as I pictured them spending several hours in the sauna-like climate of the Yucatan. But that is not the case at Dzibanche. A fresh, cool breeze seems to circulate perpetually among the tall stately trees. Even in March, probably the month when the Savior visited the Nephites, and which month is one of the hottest months of the year throughout Mesoamerica, the pleasantness of the site corresponds with the peaceful feelings of Christ's visit.
According to Allen, the location of the city of Bountiful in the southern Yucatan close to the country of Belize is contrary to the opinions of those writers who place Bountiful near the Olmec site of La Venta in the Gulf of Mexico (see Sorenson, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon) or some traditional statements suggesting that the archaeological site of Palenque was the city Bountiful. These sites are flawed not only because of directional requirements, but because these cities were built by an entirely different culture than the Nephite people. They were Olmec/Jaredite cities that were destroyed by a civil war around 300 B.C. and did not exist as a Maya/Nephite city between 64 B.C. and A.D. 34 as required by the Book of Mormon. [Joseph L. Allen, "Discovering Bountiful," in The Book of Mormon Archaeological Digest, Vol. III, Issue III (September 2001), pp. 1-6]
Alma 52:17 The city Bountiful (Allen Theory) [[Illustration]]: Map showing location of the archaeological site of Dzibanche, a candidate for the city Bountiful. The city Bountiful was near the city of Mulek which was near the east sea. (Alma 51:26, 52:17). [Joseph L. Allen, "Discovering Bountiful," in The Book of Mormon Archaeological Digest, Vol. III, Issue III (September 2001), p. 2]
The City Bountiful Sorenson Theory
On the suggestion of John L. Sorenson, a ten-day expedition was conducted between December 27, 1989 and January 6, 1990 to the Gulf of Mexico side of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in southern Mexico. The principal objective of this trip was to find a plausible site for the Book of Mormon city first called "Bountiful" (Alma 52:17). Additionally, plausible sites were investigated for the Jaredite place called Ablom. At the time, John Sorenson felt that an informed amateur could possibly accomplish more than a professional archaeologist because of the laws regarding the ancient mounds, so he arranged funding and asked Dr. David A. Palmer to head the expedition. He was assisted by Dr. Robert E. Fisher who did videotaping, and Elder Octaviano Tenorio, a regional representative of the LDS Church, as he was born and raised in a community called Tilapan, Veracruz, about ten miles from the Cerro Vigia (a proposed location for the hill Cumorah).
After a number of flights over the Isthmus area near the Gulf Coast, and visits (some interesting and some disappointing) to various sites, and through careful study of the scriptures, this group came to believe that the Land Bountiful had the following boundaries: the River Tonala on the east, the River Coatzacoalcos on the west, the Gulf Coast on the north, and that it continued south as a block essentially to the Pacific Ocean. With this scenario, it seemed as though the City Bountiful might have been located on the west side of the River Tonala, as this location would have provided some military protection. The most promising spot was found to be at Tonala.
Tonala (see the location on the illustrated map below) has been inhabited from the time the city of Bountiful was first built in the days of Captain Moroni, but the mounds have suffered considerably. The natives there have been extracting and selling artifacts from the mounds for many years. The largest mound was apparently enormous. Today it has been almost razed and used as a site for the local cemetery, which even today is completely covered with potsherds.
Tonala was an early place visited by Bernal Diaz del Castillo. His men traded glass beads for what they thought was gold. Lic. Roberto Bencomo, a collector of ancient artifacts in the area, told the group that the natives actually gave Diaz shiny copper (tumbaga?). Of note, however, is the fact that his men saw enormous mounds at the site. They also said that during the dry season it was possible to just walk across the river at its mouth without having to swim. In that year, A.D. 1518, they planted the first oranges in the New World at the bottom of the major pyramid. Descendants of those original oranges are still grown there. In regards to what the Book of Mormon says happened at Bountiful (the Savior's visit), the name of Tonala may have some significance. Bencomo indicated that it means "lugar donde sale el sol" (the place where the sun arises???) [David A. Palmer, Robert E. Fisher, and Octaviano Tenorio, "Trip Report--Bountiful Expedition," submitted March 17, 1990, used by permission from the files of Robert E. Fisher and John L. Sorenson] [See the commentary on Alma 52:21-40]
Alma 52:17 The city Bountiful ([Illustration]): Map #1 illustrating the location of Tonala (City Bountiful) and La Venta (city of Mulek). [David A. Palmer, Robert E. Fisher, and Octaviano Tenorio, "Trip Report--Bountiful Expedition," submitted March 17, 1990, used by permission from the files of Robert E. Fisher and John L. Sorenson]
Alma 52:17 The city Bountiful (Illustration): Video: Fly Over; Bountiful near sea coast; Ground search for Bountiful-Tonala. [David A. Palmer, Robert E. Fisher, and Octaviano Tenorio, "Trip Report--Bountiful Expedition," submitted March 17, 1990, used by permission from the files of Robert E. Fisher]