John Sorenson asks, Where would the land of Antionum be located [in the Americas]? It was a zone in the east sector where Lamanite influence was expanding into and colliding with the Nephite sphere. . .
The Book of Mormon student will notice that in the future textual story, Moroni will clear the east wilderness of Nephites and establish a "line" separating the Nephites from the Lamanites. This line will run in a "straight course from the east sea to the west" (Alma 50:8, 11).
According to Sorenson's geographical model, a line marking the limit of Mayan languages and culture runs through this east central area. This border apparently held at the time of the Spanish conquest, just as it had many centuries earlier in Classic times. . . . Taking the Lamanite-Nephite line as the Mayan/non-Mayan boundary near the Seco River, the land of Antionum would seem to fall just beyond [towards the east--Sorenson's "south"], on the Mayan side. Since there was at least one named hill in the land of Antionum (Alma 32:4), it was likely situated at the edge of the foothills rather than on the open, flooded plain nearer the sea. Around Teapa or Pichuacalco, Chiapas, or even as far seaward as near Villahermosa, the setting fits the requirements; archaeological materials of appropriate date are also found in the vicinity. Gareth Lowe puts his "Mixe-Zoque/Maya interaction zone," a cultural boundary across which he sees long-lasting conflict, at this precise point. [John L. Sorenson, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon, F.A.R.M.S., p. 251] [See the commentary on Alma 50:8]
Alma 31:3 Antionum (Illustratrion): John Sorenson's proposed site for Antionum (around Teapa or Pichuacalco, Chiapas, or even as far seaward as near Villahermosa). Archaeological Map of Middle America: Land of the Feathered Serpent. Produced by the Cartographic Division, National Geographic Society, 1972.