Mormon notes that "the Lamanites did come upon us" (Mormon 2:3). The reader should notice that from the Nephite point of view in the land of Zarahemla, the Lamanites did not come down. Mormon and his Nephite army only "go forth" (Mormon 2:2) rather than up against the Lamanites. If this war was started in the narrow strip of wilderness "in the borders of Zarahemla, by the waters of Sidon," it seems strange that there is no mention of elevation. Perhaps this war was fought on multiple fronts along these southerly borders and at different elevations, as Mormon 2:6 also refers to "borders west by the seashore." Although John Sorenson tends to feel that, in general, Mormon uses elevational prepositions only sparingly in his own story (Source Book, p. 299), it might be well for the student to compare the war setting of the sons of Helaman (Alma 56) which relates the circumstances of war in the borders of the land of Zarahemla by the head of the river Sidon. [Alan C. Miner, Personal Notes]
“In the Three Hundred and Twenty and Seventh Year the Lamanites Did Come Upon Us with Exceedingly Great Power”
When Mormon was eleven years old, he accompanied his father to the land of Zarahemla. At the age of fifteen, he was appointed to be the leader of the Nephite armies. Now he states that "in the three hundred and twenty and seventh year the Lamanites did come upon us with exceedingly great power, insomuch that they did frighten my armies; therefore they would not fight, and they began to retreat towards the north countries" (Mormon 2:3). According to the geographical theory of John Sorenson, this retreat marked the beginning of the Nephite exodus from the Central Depression of Chiapas.
Sorenson notes that the Central Depression constituted the "heart" of isthmian Mesoamerica, "surrounded by security" (Alma 60:19). . . . It occupied a central position within the broader area encompassed by the Izapan style of art, which ranged from coastal southern Guatemala through Chiapas into southern and central Veracruz state. The peak of Izapan development dated between the second century B.C. and the fourth century A.D. This Izapan style is, so far, the best hint of the presence of Nephites, although the association is based on inference from time and space factors. . . . Beginning in the late fourth century A.D., when the Nephite demise came, most cities in Chiapas were abandoned and the population dropped markedly. The area never again became a significant player in the ongoing course of Mesoamerican civilization. [John L. Sorenson, Images of Ancient America, p. 196]
In the Three Hundred and Twenty and Seventh Year the Lamanites Did Come Upon Us with Exceeding Great Power
We find in Mormon 2:3 that "in the three hundred and twenty and seventh year the Lamanites did come upon [the Nephites] with exceeding great power, insomuch that they did frighten my armies; therefore they would not fight, and they began to retreat towards the north countries." Sometime before "three hundred and forty and four years had passed away," Mormon notes that he "saw that the day of grace was passed with them, both temporally and spiritually" (Mormon 2:15).
According to Hunter and Ferguson, many years of quiet peace followed the ministry of Christ in the land of Bountiful. Ixtlilxochitl (a 16th century Mesoamerican historian) dates the interruption at 305 years after the crucifixion, that is, 305 years after the eclipse of the sun and the moon that occurred in approximately A.D. 34. Thus, the peace lasted until approximately A.D. 339 according to him. The Book of Mormon is consistent, reporting this long era as an epoch of peace, prosperity, righteousness and happiness. The first signs of war in 300 years flared up in A.D. 322 (Mormon 1:6,10). By 339 A.D., Ixtlilxochitl's date for the disruption of peace, war was in full progress again. Where did the trouble start? Both accounts point to the ancient "seat of the kingdom." Ixtlilxochitl, like the Book of Mormon refers to the absolute banishment of the Bountiful artisans. It would have been impossible for Ixtlilxochitl to have known that his ancestors experienced a long period of peace following the visitation of Quetzalcoatl (Jesus Christ) to the western hemisphere except through the authentic traditions and records which came to him from his predecessors. The Catholic missionaries were not informed on that matter and could have had no influence on his thinking. [Milton R. Hunter and Thomas Stuart Ferguson, Ancient America and the Book of Mormon, pp. 223,232]