That Joseph Smith could write so accurately in the Book of Mormon about ancient American civilization is one of the strongest evidences of the book’s authenticity. Before 1830, very few men—including Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon—knew anything about the culture and history of ancient Mesoamerica. According to John L. Sorenson, “Literally no person in Joseph Smith’s day knew or could have known enough facts about exotic Central America to depict the subtle and accurate picture of ancient life that we find as a background for the Book of Mormon.” (See Echoes, 261–267.)