The location of the "place which was called Mormon" (Mosiah 18:4) is somewhat critical to the distance between the land of Lehi-Nephi and the land of Zarahemla because we have an almost definite account of how much time it took Alma's group to travel the other segments that make up the journey to the land of Zarahemla. In other words, the only segment lacking between the land of Nephi and the land of Zarahemla is the distance from Lehi-Nephi to the "place which was called Mormon" (Mosiah 18:4). Below is a list of approximate times for each segment of the journey to the land of Zarahemla:
Mosiah 18:4 -- ? days from Lehi-Nephi to Mormon
Mosiah 23:3, 4, -- 8 days from Mormon to Helam
Mosiah 24:20 -- 1 day from Helam to the Valley of Alma
Mosiah 24:24-25 -- 12 days from Alma to Zarahemla
Estimated Maximum Total: Somewhat more than 21 days from Lehi-Nephi to the land of Zarahemla
The reader should keep in mind that Ammon and his brethren "wandered" 40 days in covering this distance. (see Mosiah 7:4-5)
[Alan C. Miner, Personal Notes]
“A Place Which Was Called Mormon”
According to Joseph Allen, we know that the city of Jerusalem was also associated with the borders of Mormon (Alma 21:1-2), and that it was covered with water at the time of the crucifixion of Christ (3 Nephi 9:7). Assuming that Jerusalem was located around a lake, and knowing that Jerusalem bordered the land of Mormon, it is possible that Lake Atitlan, Guatemala might have been the Waters of Mormon. Lake Atitlan, which is located about 70 highway miles and 40 air miles northwest of Guatemala City, is one of the world's most beautiful settings. Flanked by three volcanoes, this freshwater lake is nestled picturesquely in the valley of a geologically massive, extinct volcano, and has several villages surrounding it. [Joseph L. Allen, Exploring the Lands of the Book of Mormon, p. 323]
According to Warren and Ferguson, "during a period of low water in the 1930's, ruins were detected in the water (of Lake Atitlan), and Samuel Lothrop, then with Harvard, was able to recover some ceramics which had the same style and pattern as the Miraflores ceramics from nearby Kaminaljuyu (city of Nephi) and dated from about the time of Christ, as did the ash layer immediately beneath the Ilopango volcano in El Salvador. It is reasonable to hypothesize that this city in the lake was Pre-Classic, was occupied near the time of Christ, and was covered subsequently by the lake waters." [Bruce W. Warren and Thomas S. Ferguson, The Messiah in Ancient America, p. 44]
Geographical [Theory Map]: Mosiah 17:1--18:29 Alma Flees to a Place Called Mormon (Year 460)