The Nephites apparently positioned themselves so that the Lamanites could not get beyond them into "the country which lay before us" (Mormon 5:4). By assuming a Mesoamerican setting, this phrase fits quite nicely. The travel corridor through the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mesoamerica is situated such that when travelers get to that area wanting to go northward to Mexico City, they only have two choices: (1) a major highway through fertile, easy terrain that goes through what is now the state of Veracruz; and (2) a very rugged route through desolate mountain terrain up to what is now the state of Oaxaca. Apparently the Nephites had been blocking one or both major trade routes which connected the two major trading centers at the time, Kaminaljuyu (Guatemala City) and Teotihuacan (Mexico City). [Alan C. Miner, Personal Notes]