Mormon continues his detailed description of the nature of building in the land northward. Timber is so scarce that “whatsoever tree should spring up upon the face of the land that it should grow up…” Trees were valuable, and were not allowed to be cut until after they had reached a certain size. Nevertheless, the appetite for timber was not diminished simply by the scarcity. While cutting of trees was controlled, there were still cut after they had grown up. All of this was to feed the growing population. Mormon highlights the nature of the building problem. Either people lived in tents (temporary shelters) or they lived in buildings of cement. There was no intermediate housing of accessible materials. Mormon is describing a large population in the land northward, a description that fits the demographics of the Teotihuacan area during Mormon’s time.