Which One is the Narrow Strip of Wilderness?

The Sierra de las Minas/Chuacus range is the straightest, narrowest,
most continuous, east-west candidate for the narrow strip of wilderness.

Most Book of Mormon scholars recognize that the "narrow strip of wilderness" is a mountain range. Read: The Narrow Strip of Wilderness Was Mountainous. Further, most Mesoamerican/Book of Mormon scholars argue that the mountains in central Guatemala are those very mountains.

The problem with that is they are so vast and wide that it makes the distances too great to fit the narratives in the Book of Mormon that mention the duration of their travels. It also negates the entire concept of a "narrow strip."

The solution is to look more closely. When you do, you see that there are basically two strips - one more narrow than the other.

Heading south from Peten, you pass through two distinct east-west mountain chains, then you reach the Sierra Madre along the coast that spreads out to form the southern Guatemalan Highlands where Guatemala City is located. Read: In the Footsteps of Limhi's Expedition, for the reasons why Kaminaljuyu (Guatemala City) could not possibly be the city of Nephi.

The "narrow strip of wilderness" consists of the Sierra de las Minas and the Sierra de Chuacus that run in a straight line from the Caribbean Sea until they meet up with the Sierra Madre, which runs parallel to the Pacific coast. This fits the description in Alma 22:27 which says the narrow strip runs "from the sea east even to the sea west, and round about on the borders of the seashore

Chixoy River, Guatemala

This would make the upper Motagua River valley in the department of El Progresso the land of Nephi since it is immediately south of the range. There is a high mountain pass, between the Chuacus and de las Minas - the only reasonable way through this rugged, tall and very narrow strip of mountains.

Then there is another (not so narrow) strip of wilderness in the form of the Sierra de Santa Cruz, Chama, and Cuchumatanes. These run east-west as well, are north of the "narrow strip" and borders on the land of Zarahemla by passing by the borders of Manti where the tributaries (or head) of the river Sidon are. So the next phrase in Alma 22:27 is not a repetition of the description of the "narrow strip" but an explanation of the next layer of wilderness. Read the next phrase, look at the map, and see if you have an "aha" moment like I did.

". . . and the borders of the wilderness which was on the north [of the narrow strip] by the land of Zarahemla, through the borders of Manti, by the head of the river Sidon, running from the east towards the west—and thus were the Lamanites and the Nephites divided."

Manti would be in the hills of northern Alta Verapaz because Manti was near the headwaters of Sidon (The Book of Mormon definition of headwaters is the tributaries of the river Usumacinta, or Sidon). Manti is part of the greater land of Zarahemla and lies in between the lesser land of Zarahemla and the land of Nephi - higher up in elevation.

So, Alma 22:27 mentions "east to west" three times and each time it is describing three separate regions.

1) The land of Nephi runs "even to the sea, on the east and on the west."
2) The narrow strip of wilderness "runs from the east sea even to the west sea."
3) The borders of the wilderness that is "on the north by the land of Zarahemla, through the borders of Manti" that run "from the east towards the west." (Sometimes called the "south wilderness.")

". . . and thus were the Lamanites and the Nephites divided"

Alma 22:27 And it came to pass that the king sent a proclamation throughout all the land, amongst all his people who were in all his land, who were in all the regions round about, which was bordering even to the sea, on the east and on the west, and which was divided from the land of Zarahemla by a narrow strip of wilderness, which ran from the sea east even to the sea west, and round about on the borders of the seashore, and the borders of the wilderness which was on the north by the land of Zarahemla, through the borders of Manti, by the head of the river Sidon, running from the east towards the west—and thus were the Lamanites and the Nephites divided.

Semuc Champey (Sacred Waters), Guatemala

Alternative: Dr. Richard F. Hauck believes the city of Nephi is in the valley of Salama in the department of Baja Verapaz. That would mean the northern, and less narrow, mountain chain that starts on the east coast with the Sierra de Santa Cruz, then the Sierra de Chama, followed by the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes and finally the Sierra Madre on the Pacific Coast would be the narrow strip. If this turns out to be the case, then Semuc Champey could be a candidate for the waters of Mormon because it is close enough to fit the narrative in the Book of Mormon.

But alas, I don't think it is because I see a few problems with the Santa Cruz/Chama/Cuchumatanes "narrow strip."

1) They are not as tall as the Chuacus/de las Minas chain (until you get to the Cuchumatanes).

2) They don't run as true east-west as Chuacus/de las Minas (Sierra de Chama actually bends southwest and almost meets up with Chuacus.

3) There is a large river valley, lowland gap between Sierra de Chama and the Cuchumatanes and a river valley gap between Santa Cruz and Chama. So they don't technically run from the "sea east even to the sea west."

4) The Cuchumatanes is not in the least bit narrow, they are very spread out and have many large mountain valleys.

5) There is no additional "wilderness which was on the north by the land of Zarahemla, through the borders of Manti, by the head of the river Sidon, running from the east towards the west" in between this narrow strip and the Nephite lands, because the Santa Cruz/Chama/Cuchumatanes mountains and valleys ARE that very wilderness, sometimes called the "south wilderness," where "the more idle part of the Lamanites lived."

Sources:
Sierra Madre
Sierra de los Cuchumatanes
Sierra de Chama
Sierra de Santa Cruz
Sierra de Chuacus
Sierra de las Minas