In Mormon 1:8–10 he described a war with the Lamanites where the Nephite armies defeated them, and the Lamanites retreated. That was in the Nephite year 321. In the year 327, there is again war, and this time the results are dramatically different. This time, “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.”
What changed between the victorious Nephites in the Nephite year 321 and the Nephites of 327, who turned and fled rather than fight? While verse 3 simply indicates that the Lamanites had come, we should remember that this chapter should not be separated from the context of the end of our Chapter 1. In those verses it mentions that “Gadianton robbers, who were among the Lamanites, did infest the land” (Mormon 1:18).
What had changed? Now there were Gadiantons among them. In a Mesoamerican context, that would have been warriors from Teotihuacan, who were feared and whose military conquests were becoming unstoppable. The warriors of Teotihuacan also wore distinctive dress, as can be seen in the carved monuments among the Maya. Thus, the Nephite armies would have been able to see them clearly among the Lamanites. There visual presence and plausible reputation might explain the difference between the previously victorious Nephites and these Nephites who saw their opposing armies and simply fled.
The new invasion was so effective that the Nephites were easily driven out of the more southern holdings.