Jarom makes the comment that not only the Nephites, but the Lamanites “were scattered upon much of the face of the land” (Jarom 1:6). It is possible that by Jarom’s time the Lamanite population had drifted much more toward the Nephite population, possibly to the extent of having a mixed population in some parts of the land (see Enos 1:20).
According to Garth Norman, the Nephites had fortified many of their farming cities because the hostile Lamanites, who far outnumbered the Nephites, were also scattered upon much of the face of the land. In this scenario, one can picture how the temple city center of Izapa, along with numerous others along the pacific slopes and highlands [of Guatemala], could have been built and controlled by Nephites, while large neighboring wilderness areas could have been the domain of Lamanites. Later on, after Mosiah’s exodus from the land of Nephi to the land of Zarahemla, when the “more idle part of the Lamanites” still lived in the wilderness (Alma 22:28), one can also visualize how some of these temple centers could have become the synagogues of Lamanites under the control and influence of apostate Nephites (see Alma 21:1-11). [Garth Norman, Archaeological Digest, Fall 1991, p. 16]
Note* Although it is difficult to know exactly how far the “face of the land” extended during Jarom’s time, one might wonder if Jarom’s “land” extended into what would ultimately become the land of Zarahemla. One might also wonder how much of this “land” became familiar to the Nephites before the exodus of Mosiah1. [Alan C. Miner, Personal Notes]
Jarom 1:6 And they were scattered upon much of the face of the land ([Illustration] Nephites & Lamanites Multiply & Spread Upon the Face of the Land -- Preclassic communities in Mesoamerica,. [John F. Henderson, World of the Ancient Maya, p. 37]