The Land of Zarahemla represents a central and pivotal region in the historical narrative laid out in the Book of Mormon. Situated in the northern part of the land southward, this area was intersected by the River Sidon (Alma 2:15) and became a melting pot of various peoples, cultures, and political change. Initially founded by the Mulekites, who departed from the Old World and eventually migrated from their landing site in the land to the north, the land of Zarahemla was established in the sixth century B.C. (Omni 1:15, Alma 22:29-31). The city of Zarahemla and its people, led by a man named Zarahemla, were discovered by Mosiah1 and the Nephites around 200 B.C. as they fled the land of Nephi, leading to the unification of the two groups under Mosiah’s kingship (Omni 1:12-19).
The land and its capital city played host to pivotal historical events including the establishment of churches by Alma1, the commencement of the reign of judges with Alma2 as the first chief judge, and as the stage for military confrontations and the preaching of prophets such as Samuel the Lamanite (Mosiah 25:15-23, Mosiah 29:42, Hel. 13–16). It faced invasions and periods of occupation by the Lamanites interspersed with times of peace and righteous leadership (Alma 61-62:9, Hel. 1:14-33, Hel. 4:1-17).
The land of Zarahemla was eventually destroyed by fire during the cataclysmic events that accompanied the death of Jesus Christ (3 Ne. 8:8, 24; 9:3). Nonetheless, it was rebuilt and flourished in the first century A.D., only for its population and structures to be overwhelmed once more by conflicts between the Nephites and the Lamanites, leading up to Mormon’s narrative in the fourth century A.D. (4 Ne. 1:8, Morm. 1:6-7, Morm. 1:10). The Land of Zarahemla, as recounted in the Book of Mormon, stands as a witness to cycles of righteousness and wickedness, prosperity and desolation, and functions as a profound symbol within the overarching sacred history depicted in the text.