View source for Cumorah

{{Short description|Drumlin associated with the Latter Day Saint movement}}
{{Redirect|Camora|the Romanian footballer|Camora (footballer)}}
{{primary|date=July 2025}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Cumorah
| photo = File:Hill-cumorah-crop.jpg
| photo_caption = Photograph of the hill by [[George Edward Anderson]], 1907
| elevation = {{convert|682|ft}}
| elevation_ref =<ref name="gnis">{{cite gnis|id=970211|name=Hill Cumorah|access-date=January 9, 2022}}</ref>
| listing = 
| location = [[Manchester, New York|Manchester]], [[Ontario County, New York|Ontario County]], [[New York (state)|New York]], U.S.
| range =
| coordinates = {{coord|43.0065|-77.2241|type:mountain_region:US-NY_scale:100000_source:GNIS|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| range_coordinates = 
| coordinates_ref =<ref name="gnis"/>
| topo = [[United States Geological Survey|USGS]] ''Clifton Springs''
| map = New York Adirondack Park#USA
| map_caption = Location of Cumorah within New York
| type = 
| age = 
| first_ascent = 
| easiest_route = 
}}
[[File:Mormon Hill engraving (1841).gif|thumb|An 1841 engraving of Cumorah (looking south), where Joseph Smith said he was given [[golden plates]] by an angel named Moroni, on the west side, near the peak.]]
'''Cumorah''' ({{IPAc-en|k|ə|ˈ|m|ɔːr|ə}}<ref>[http://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/scriptures/bofm/pronunciation "Book of Mormon Pronunciation Guide"], churchofjesuschrist.org (retrieved 2012-02-25); [[Wikipedia:IPA for English|IPA]]-ified from «ka-mōr´a»</ref>) is a [[drumlin]] in [[Manchester, New York]], United States,<ref>{{cite gnis|970211|Hill Cumorah (New York)}}</ref> where [[Joseph Smith]] said he found a set of [[golden plates]] which he also said he translated into English and published as the [[Book of Mormon]].

In the text of the Book of Mormon, "Cumorah" is a hill located in a land of the same name, which is "a land of many waters, rivers and fountains".<ref name = mormon64>{{Mormonverse|Mormon|6:4}}</ref> In this hill, a Book of Mormon figure, [[Mormon (Book of Mormon prophet)|Mormon]], deposited a number of metal plates containing the record of his nation of [[Nephite]]s,<ref>[http://churchofjesuschrist.org/scriptures/bofm/morm/6.6?lang=eng#6 Mormon 6:6]. The plates that Mormon buried were the plates he had abridged into what he called the "Book of Mormon". This smaller set of plates were not buried by Mormon but were given to Mormon's son [[Moroni (Book of Mormon prophet)|Moroni]].</ref> just prior to their final battle with the [[Lamanites]] in which at least 230,000 people were killed.<ref>{{Mormonverse|Mormon|6:11-15}}</ref>

Early [[Latter Day Saint movement |Latter Day Saints]] believed that the Cumorah in New York was the same Cumorah described in the [[Book of Mormon]] as taught by Assistant President of the Church [[Oliver Cowdery]] in a formal letter (Letter VII) he published in the July 1835 ''[[Messenger and Advocate]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/NCMP1820-1846/id/7160|title=Address|website=contentdm.lib.byu.edu}}</ref> and reprinted several times at the direction of Joseph Smith.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/83?highlight=Letter+VII|title=History, 1834–1836, Page 79|website=www.josephsmithpapers.org}}</ref> Joseph Smith explained that Moroni identified the hill as Cumorah before Joseph found the plates ([[Doctrine and Covenants]] 128:20), which was corroborated by other historical sources.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mobom.org/byu-packet}}</ref> In the early 20th century, scholars from the [[Community of Christ|Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints]] (RLDS Church) and [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church) began to speculate that there were two such hills and that the final battle in the Book of Mormon took place on a hill in southern Mexico, Central America, or South America.<ref name = questioning>
Roper, Matthew, "Limited Geography and the Book of Mormon: Historical Antecedents and Early Interpretations", [[Maxwell Institute]], 2004, cites early Limited Mesoamerican settings for the Book of Mormon advanced by Hills, L. E. (RLDS), "Geography of Mexico and Central America from 2234 B.C. to 421 A.D.", Independence, Missouri, 1917; Hills, "A Short Work on the Popol Vuh and the Traditional History of the Ancient Americans", Independence, Missouri, 1918; and Hills, "New Light on American Archaeology",  Independence, Missouri, 1924; and also Gunsolley, J. F. (RLDS), "More Comment on Book of Mormon Geography", ''[[Saints Herald]]'', vol. 69, no. 46, 1922, pp. 1074–76. See also the South American setting proposed by Priddis, Venice (LDS), The Book and the Map, 1975, ch. 11, "Mormon, Moroni and Cumorah", pp. 153–57.</ref> The LDS Church has no official position on the matter,<ref>[http://mi.byu.edu/publications/jbms/?vol=2&num=1&id=25], Correspondence from F. Michael Watson, 23 April 1993, cited with commentary in [[William J. Hamblin]], [http://mi.byu.edu/publications/jbms/?vol=2&num=1&id=25 "Basic Methodological Problems with the Anti-Mormon Approach to the Geography and Archaeology of the Book of Mormon,"] ''[[Journal of Book of Mormon Studies]]'' '''2'''(1) (1993): 161–97, accessed 13 September 2009. See also [http://en.fairmormon.org/Book_of_Mormon_geography/Statements/First_Presidency_Letter Book of Mormon geography/Statements/First Presidency "First Presidency Letter" on the FAIR LDS Wiki].</ref> and while these hypotheses are not held by some leaders and members of the LDS Church,<ref>On the subject of a Mesoamerican Cumorah, [[apostle (Latter Day Saints)|apostle]] [[Joseph Fielding Smith]] wrote in 1956: {{blockquote|It is known that the Hill Cumorah where the Nephites were destroyed is the hill where the Jaredites were also destroyed. This hill was known to the Jaredites as Ramah. It was approximately near to the waters of Ripliancum, which the Book of Ether says, "by interpretation, is large or to exceed all." ... It must be conceded that this description fits perfectly the land of Cumorah in New York ... for the hill is in the proximity of the Great Lakes, and also in the land of many rivers and fountains. (''Doctrines of Salvation'', vol. 3, pp. 233–34).}}
Apostle [[Mark E. Petersen]] stated: {{blockquote|I do not believe that there were two Hill Cumorahs, one in Central America and the other one up in New York, for the convenience of the Prophet Joseph Smith, so that the poor boy would not have to walk clear to Central America to get the gold plates. (123rd Annual Conference of the LDS Church, April 4–6, 1953, ''Conference Report'', pp. 83–84; ''[[Improvement Era]]'', June 1953, p. 423).}}
[[Bruce R. McConkie]] wrote: {{blockquote|Both the Nephite and the Jaredite civilizations fought their final great wars of extinction at and near the Hill Cumorah (or Ramah as the Jaredites termed it), which hill is located between Palmyra and Manchester in the western part of the state of New York ... Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and many early brethren, who were familiar with the circumstances attending the coming forth of the Book of Mormon in this dispensation, have left us pointed testimony as to the identity and location of Cumorah or Ramah. (''[[Mormon Doctrine (book)|Mormon Doctrine]]'', s.v. "Cumorah", p. 175).}}</ref> they are firmly espoused by others.<ref>William J. Hamblin, [http://mi.byu.edu/publications/jbms/?vol=2&num=1&id=25 "Basic Methodological Problems with the Anti-Mormon Approach to the Geography and Archaeology of the Book of Mormon,"] ''[[Journal of Book of Mormon Studies]]'' '''2'''(1) (1993): 161–97.</ref>

In the official account of Joseph Smith it is stated that Manchester, Ontario County, New York, is the location of the encounter with Angel Moroni.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Pearl Of Great Price |date=2013 |publisher=The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints |location=Salt Lake City, Utah |page=54 |url=https://media.ldscdn.org/pdf/lds-scriptures/the-pearl-of-great-price/the-pearl-of-great-price-eng.pdf?lang=eng}}</ref>

==New York==
[[File:Hill Cumorah Visitor Center.JPG|right|thumb|Visitor center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at Hill Cumorah (New York)]]
[[File:Hill Cumorah 3.JPG|right|thumb|The statue of Moroni atop Hill Cumorah in Western New York.]]

The hill named Cumorah in [[Manchester (town), New York|Manchester, New York]] is where  the prophet discovered the [[golden plates]] which contained the writings of the [[Book of Mormon]]. Smith wrote: "On the west side of this hill, not far from the top, under a stone of considerable size, lay the plates, deposited in a stone box."<ref name = tojs>See [http://scriptures.churchofjesuschrist.org/en/bm/jstestimony "Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith"], found inside the Church editions of the Book of Mormon printed after since 1981.</ref>

Joseph Smith visited the hill each year on September 22 between 1823 and 1827 and said he was instructed by a "holy messenger", whom the prophet identified as the [[Angel Moroni]].<ref name = tojs/> The prophet was finally allowed to take the record on September 22, 1827.<ref name = tojs/> [[Book of Mormon witnesses|Eleven other men]] gave written testimony that they had also seen the plates and held them in their hands.<ref>[http://churchofjesuschrist.org/scriptures/bofm/introduction?lang=eng Introduction], Book of Mormon, 1981 LDS Church edition</ref>

The hill, which was known as Cumorah by the Smith family prior to 1829, is situated a few miles from Smith's boyhood home on a farm that was then owned by a local farmer, Alonzo Sanders. This farm was {{convert|4|mi|km}} south of [[Palmyra (town), New York|Palmyra]], on the main road toward [[Canandaigua (city), New York|Canandaigua]] from Palmyra to Manchester, and is not far from Carangrie Creek and the Clyde River. According to geologists, the hill was formed during the retreat of the [[Last Glacial Period|Ice Age]] glaciers, and it rises approximately {{convert|110|ft|m}} above the surrounding valley floor.

Since 1829, the Latter Day Saints have called the hill "Cumorah",<ref>the prophet Joseph's mother, [[Lucy Mack Smith]], recalls her young son Joseph referring to the place where the Book of Mormon plates were deposited as "the hill of Cumorah": Lucy Mack Smith, ''[[History of Joseph Smith by His Mother Lucy Mack Smith]]'', p. 100. Book of Mormon witness [[David Whitmer]] referred to the hill by name in an account of an incident in which he, Smith, and [[Oliver Cowdery]] were riding in a wagon to the Whitmer home in [[Fayette, New York]]. According to Whitmer, an aged and heavy set man walked alongside the wagon. The man had a knapsack strapped over his back with something square in it. When David invited the man to ride he replied: "I am going across to the hill Cumorah." Smith later told Whitmer that they had seen one of the Nephite prophets: Lyndon W. Cook ed. (1991). ''David Whitmer Interviews'' (Grandin Book) pp. 19, 27.</ref> and local non-members have derogatorily called it "Mormon Hill"<ref name = Kesler>A. P. Kesler, [http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/u?/YWJ,24001 "Mormon Hill"], ''[[Young Woman's Journal]]'', '''9''':73 (February 1898).</ref><ref name = Cook>"Thomas Cook History, 1930", in [[Dan Vogel]] ed. (2000). ''Early Mormon Documents'', vol. 3 (Salt Lake City: Signature Books {{ISBN|1-56085-133-3}}) pp. 243–50.</ref><ref name = Jenson>[[Andrew Jenson]], ''Conference Report'' (April 1917) p. 99.</ref> or "Gold Bible Hill".<ref name = Dana>Bruce E. Dana (2003). ''Glad Tidings Near Cumorah'' (CFI, {{ISBN|978-1-55517-723-2}}) pp. 58–60.</ref> The hill has also been called "Inspiration Point".<ref name = Kesler/> The hill and surrounding land was purchased in the 1920s by [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] under the direction of [[President of the Church (LDS Church)|church president]] [[Heber J. Grant]]. The transaction involved two separate purchases: the purchase of the "Inglis farm"; and the purchase of the "Sexton farm". The Inglis farm consisted of {{convert|96|acre|ha}} on both sides of the Canandaigua–Palmyra road and encompassed one third of the western edge of the hill. The {{convert|187|acre|ha|adj=on}} Sexton farm was purchased from the heirs of Pliny T. Sexton, who owned the "Mormon Hill farm" encompassing the remainder of the hill.<ref name = Cook/>

The Church has constructed a monument that is topped with a statue of the [[Angel Moroni]] on the top of the hill, and there is a visitor's interpretative center at the base of the hill.

On June 8, 2022, several shots were fired into the Hill Cumorah visitors center.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NYSP: Fairport man charged after bullet hits Hill Cumorah complex |url=https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/rochester/public-safety/2022/06/09/nysp--1-person-in-custody-after-hill-cumorah-visitors--center-struck-by-bullet |access-date=2022-06-13 |website=spectrumlocalnews.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name="AP NEWS-2022">{{Cite web |date=2022-06-09 |title=Hill Cumorah tourists take cover after bullet hits complex |url=https://apnews.com/article/rochester-new-york-business-shootings-0a61b396abe0becf24b783a563b6229b |access-date=2022-06-13 |website=AP NEWS |language=en}}</ref> There were no injuries or fatalities, and investigators determined the shots were unintentional and came from target shooting on nearby farmland.<ref name="AP NEWS-2022" />

===Supposed location of the plates===

The stone box, described by Joseph Smith as the location where the plates were found, has not been located on the hill. In a letter, [[Oliver Cowdery]] gives the location as "the west side of the hill, not far from the top".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boap.org/LDS/Early-Saints/Cowdery-hist.html|title=Oliver Cowdery (1806-1850) {{!}} Selected writings in Messenger and Advocate {{!}} Source: Latter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate, 3 vols. (published 1834-1837). OLIVER COWDERY'S ACCOUNT OF THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH|access-date=4 July 2016|website=www.boap.org|archive-date=2 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161002004625/http://www.boap.org/LDS/Early-Saints/Cowdery-hist.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Shortly after Smith announced he had the plates, some local residents unsuccessfully searched the hill for a freshly dug hole that could have contained the plates. They did note a significantly sized hole on the east side of the hill that had been dug years previously by treasure seekers.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Vogel|first1=Dan|title=The Locations of Joseph Smith's Early Treasure Quests|journal=Dialogue Journal|volume=27|issue=3|url=http://undergroundnotes.com/graphics7/Dialogue_V27N03_211.pdf|access-date=4 July 2016}}</ref>

==Book of Mormon==
{{Book of Mormon}}
[[File:Hill Cumorah ca 1910.PNG|thumb|left|Hill Cumorah, ca 1910<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/cumorahrevisited00shoorich|title=Cumorah revisited; or, "The book of Mormon" and the claims of the Mormons re-examined from the viewpoint of American archeology and ethnology|first=Charles Augustus|last=Shook|date=December 6, 1910|publisher=Cincinnati, The Standard publishing company|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>]]

===Nephites===
In the Book of Mormon, Cumorah is mentioned in six verses, five in chapter 6 and one in chapter 8 of a subpart of the book, which is also known as the [[Book of Mormon (Mormon's record)|Book of Mormon]]. According to the record, [[Mormon (Book of Mormon)|Mormon]] is one of the final caretakers of the records of his people. He combined and abridged the records and engraved them on gold plates. His people, called the [[Nephites]], were near to being destroyed by the [[Lamanites]] who had had many previous wars with the Nephites. Mormon wrote to the leader of the Lamanites to ask that he may gather his "people unto the land of Cumorah, by a hill which was called Cumorah, and there we could give them battle."<ref>{{Mormonverse|Mormon|6:2}}</ref> Cumorah is described as being in a land with "many waters, rivers, and fountains".<ref name = mormon64/>

The leader of the Lamanites agreed, and all of the Nephites gathered together, including their women and children. Mormon wrote, "And when three hundred and eighty and four years had passed away [since the sign of the birth of Christ], we had gathered in all the remainder of our people unto the land of Cumorah."<ref>{{Mormonverse|Mormon|6:4-5}}.</ref> Mormon then hid all of the records of his people in the hill, except for the plates that he was currently writing on, which he gave to his son [[Moroni (Book of Mormon prophet)|Moroni]].<ref>{{Mormonverse|Mormon|6:6}}</ref>

The Lamanites then attacked the Nephites, who were led by twenty-three men each with ten thousand men under their command.<ref>{{Mormonverse|Mormon|6:9-14}}.</ref> Mormon recorded that all but 24 of the Nephites had been killed, "even all my people, save it were those twenty and four who were with me", except for those who fled to the south or defected to the Lamanites.<ref>{{Mormonverse|Mormon|6:15}}</ref>

Mormon then records his mourning for his people and a last message to those who will read his record later, then again turns the unburied records over to his son Moroni. Moroni records, "after the great and tremendous battle at Cumorah, behold, the Nephites who had escaped into the country southward were hunted by the Lamanites, until they were all destroyed. And my father also was killed by them, and I even remain alone to write the sad tale of the destruction of my people."<ref>{{Mormonverse|Mormon|8:2-3}}</ref>

===Jaredites===
This hill, known as "Cumorah" among the Nephites, was called "Ramah" ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|r|ɑː|m|ɑː}})<ref>[http://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/scriptures/bofm/pronunciation "Book of Mormon Pronunciation Guide"], churchofjesuschrist.org (retrieved 2012-02-25), [[Wikipedia:IPA for English|IPA]]-ified from «rä´mä»</ref> by the [[Jaredites]]:

In the Book of Mormon, during the time of the [[Book of Alma]], the land of Cumorah was part of the land of Desolation, "the land which had been peopled and been destroyed, of whose bones we have spoken". This land is identified as being north of the land of [[Zarahemla]].<ref>{{Mormonverse|Alma|22:30-32}}</ref>

Moroni lived several years after recording the destruction of his people. He translated and abridged the plates which were the record of the [[Jaredite]]s as the [[Book of Ether]] on to the plates that he was keeping. During this process, he wrote, "Omer ... passed by the [[hill of Shim]], and came over by the place where the Nephites were destroyed,"<ref>{{Mormonverse|Ether|9:3}}</ref> and "it came to pass that the army of [[Coriantumr (Last Jaredite King)|Coriantumr]] did pitch their tents by the hill Ramah; and it was that same hill where my father Mormon did hide up the records unto the Lord, which were sacred."<ref>{{Mormonverse|Ether|15:11}}</ref> These passages identify the Nephite hill Cumorah as the same hill where the Jaredites had fought their final battle. [[Oliver Cowdery]] explained that this record "was written and deposited not far from" [Joseph Smith's home], indicating that both Mormon and Moroni lived in the vicinity of Palmyra, NY.<ref>{{cite web|title=History, 1834–1836, Page 65 |url=https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/69}}</ref>

==Geography and historicity==
For over 100 years, Mormons generally accepted the New York setting for the Hill Cumorah. Since the early-20th century, there has been discussion within the [[Latter Day Saint movement]] about whether Hill Cumorah in New York is the same place described in the Book of Mormon, or whether there are two hills of the same name—one in New York and one in either Southern Mexico, Central America, or South America.<ref name = questioning/> Mormon archeologists overwhelmingly favor the "two Cumorahs" theory, while conservative theologians and some leaders prefer the view that only one Cumorah exists. Some non-Mormon scholars have provided alternative theories for the origin of the name Cumorah.

===New York hill===
At least ten different accounts refer to certain events that occurred at the hill Cumorah in New York.<ref>{{cite journal |last= Packer |first= Cameron J |title= Cumorah's Cave |journal= Journal of Book of Mormon Studies |volume= 13 |issue= 1 |pages= 50–7 |publisher= Maxwell Institute |year= 2004 |jstor= 10.5406/jbookmormstud.13.1-2.0050 |s2cid= 193606120 |url= http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=jbms&id=338 |access-date= 2007-01-09 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061207175946/http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=jbms&id=338 |archive-date= 2006-12-07 |url-access= subscription }}.</ref> According to the account of [[Brigham Young]], the angel instructed Joseph Smith to carry the golden plates back to the hill Cumorah. When Smith and [[Oliver Cowdery]] arrived, "the hill opened, and they walked into a cave, in which there was a large and spacious room." The account continues by saying they found "more plates than probably many wagon loads; they were piled up in the corners and along the walls." When they first entered, the [[Sword of Laban]] was hanging on the wall. When they re-entered later, the Sword of Laban was unsheathed and resting on top of the newly delivered golden plates. The sword had an inscription on it that said the sword "will never be sheathed again until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our God and his Christ."<ref>{{citation |work= [[Journal of Discourses]] |volume= 19 |pages= 36–44 |first= Brigham |last= Young |author-link= Brigham Young |date= June 17, 1877 |title= Trying to be Saints — Treasures of the Everlasting Hills — The Hill Cumorah — Obedience to True Principle the Key to Knowledge — All Enjoyment comes from God — Organization — Duties of Officers — Final Results |url= http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/JournalOfDiscourses3/id/1107 }}.</ref>{{rp|38}} It has been suggested by Mesoamerican Cumorah advocates that these events occurred in a vision rather than a physical visit.<ref>{{cite journal |last= Tvedtnes |first= John A |title= Little Known Evidences of the Book of Mormon |journal= FARMS Review of Books |volume= 2 |issue= 1 |pages= 258–59 |publisher= Maxwell Institute |year= 1990 |url= http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=review&id=49 |access-date= 2007-01-09 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060905195130/http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=review&id=49 |archive-date= 2006-09-05 }}. Brenton G. Yorgason discusses his belief that it is geologically impossible for a cave to form within the existing hill. He suggests that the accounts given were a vision.</ref>

There has been no on-site archaeological research at Cumorah in New York.

===Cerro El Vigia===
{{see also|Limited geography model}}
For a variety of reasons, some Mormon scholars have proposed the Cerro El Vigia (coordinates: {{Coord|18|33|N|95|11|W|type:landmark|name=Cerro Vigia}} or {{Coord|18|27|25|N|95|21|01|W|type:landmark|name=Cerro Vigia}} ) in [[Veracruz]], [[Mexico]], as the hill Cumorah in the [[Book of Mormon]]. [[John L. Sorenson]] has listed 15 cultural criteria for the hill Cumorah which are based on contextual clues from the text of the Book of Mormon: cities, towers, agriculture, metallurgy, formal political states, organized religion, idolatry, crafts, trade, writing, weaponry, astronomy, calendar systems, [[cement]], and wheels. Sorensen alleges that the hill in New York at least partly fits four of these requirements while the Cerro El Vigia meets all of them.<ref>Taken from the [[Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies]] (FARMS), [http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/display.php?table=review&id=29 The Land of the Nephites] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080304111626/http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/display.php?table=review&id=29 |date=2008-03-04 }} under the heading, "Book of Mormon Criteria."</ref>

According to [[David A. Palmer|David Palmer]], a list of topographic and geographic criteria for Cumorah has been developed. These criteria are as follows:<ref>[[David A. Palmer|David Palmer]], ''In Search of Cumorah'', pp. 42, 53</ref>
#It was near an eastern seacoast ({{Mormonverse|Ether|9-3}}).
#It was near a narrow neck of land ({{Mormonverse|Alma|22:29-32}}, {{Mormonverse|Mormon|2:29}}, {{Mormonverse|Mormon|3:5}}, {{Mormonverse|Alma|43}}, {{Mormonverse|Alma|56}}, {{Mormonverse|Alma|50:33-34}}, {{Mormonverse|Alma|52:9}}, {{Mormonverse|Mormon|3:5-7}}, {{Mormonverse|Alma|63:5}}, {{Mormonverse|Ether|10:22-28}}).
#It was on a coastal plain, and possibly near other mountains and valleys ({{Mormonverse|Ether|14:12-15}}).
#It was one [[day's journey]] south (east-south-east in modern coordinates) of a large body of water ({{Mormonverse|Ether|15:8-11}}).
#It was in an area of many rivers and waters ({{Mormonverse|Mormon|6:4}}).
#It was in the presence of fountains ({{Mormonverse|Mormon|6:4}}).
#The abundance of water apparently provided a military advantage ({{Mormonverse|Mormon|6:4}}).
#There was an escape route to the land ("country") southward ({{Mormonverse|Mormon|8:2}}).
#The hill was large enough to provide a view of hundreds of thousands of bodies ({{Mormonverse|Mormon|6:11}}).
#The hill was apparently a significant landmark ({{Mormonverse|Ether|9|3}}; {{Mormonverse|Mormon|6:6}}).
#The hill was apparently free standing so people could camp around it ({{Mormonverse|Mormon|6:2}}, {{Mormonverse|Mormon|6:11}}).
#The climate was apparently temperate with no record of cold or snow ({{Mormonverse|Enos|1:20}}, {{Mormonverse|Alma|46:40}})
#The hill was located in a volcanic zone susceptible to earthquakes ({{Mormonverse|3 Nephi|8:6-23}})

===Alternative origin of the name===
[[File:Map of Anjouan,Comoros (1748) Jacques Nicolas Bellin.png|thumb|Meroni, Comoros appears on a 1748 map by French hydrographer [[Jacques Nicolas Bellin]]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Carmack |first1=Noel A |title=Joseph Smith, Captain Kidd Lore, and Treasure-Seeking in New York and New England during the Early Republic |journal=Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought |date=Fall 2013 |volume=46 |issue=3|pages=78–153 |doi=10.5406/dialjmormthou.46.3.0078 |id={{ProQuest|1530410447}} |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1530410447|url-access=subscription }}</ref>]]
[[Grant H. Palmer]] suggested that Smith borrowed the name "Cumorah" through his study of the treasure-hunting stories of Captain [[William Kidd]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Palmer|first1=Grant H.|title=Joseph Smith, Captain Kidd, Cumorah, and Moroni|journal=John Whitmer Historical Association Journal|date=2014|volume=34|issue=1|pages=50–57|url=http://www.jwha.website/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Journal_14-1.pdf|access-date=24 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160716234415/http://www.jwha.website/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Journal_14-1.pdf|archive-date=16 July 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> Previous to announcing his discovery of the Book of Mormon, Smith had [[Early life of Joseph Smith#Treasure hunting|spent several years employed as a treasure seeker]] in [[Chenango County, New York]].<ref>{{Harvtxt|Brooke|1994|pp=152–53}}; {{Harvtxt|Quinn|1998|pp=43–44, 54–57}}; {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2005|pp=45–53}}, {{Harvtxt|Persuitte|2000|pp=33–53}}, {{Harvtxt|Newell|Avery|1994|pp=17}}.</ref> Kidd is considered to have started the treasure digging phenomenon<ref>Capt. Kidd Mythology and Legend</ref> after burying treasure on [[Gardiner's Island]] in New York, which was later recovered by the colonial governor of New York. Capt. Kidd had buried this treasure after returning from an Indian Ocean voyage where he lost a third of his crew to cholera on the [[Comoros]] islands. Palmer suggested that Smith borrowed the name of a settlement in the Comoros—[[Moroni, Comoros|Moroni]]—and applied it to the angel who showed him where to find the golden plates buried in the Hill Cumorah.

[[FairMormon|FAIR]], the Latter-day Saint [[apologetics]] organization, contends at length that the connection is tenuous.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Question:_Could_Joseph_Smith_have_acquired_the_names_%E2%80%9CMoroni%E2%80%9D_and_%E2%80%9CCumorah%E2%80%9D_from_stories_he_read_as_a_youth,_maps_that_he_would_have_had_access_to,_or_other_people_within_his_local_vicinity%3F|title=Question: Could Joseph Smith have acquired the names "Moroni" and "Cumorah" from stories he read as a youth, maps that he would have had access to, or other people within his local vicinity? - FAIR|website=www.fairlatterdaysaints.org}}</ref>

===Alternate LDS archaeological view===
Mormon authors have suggested that the ancestors of the Nephite people may have encountered the Comoros islands on their initial voyage from the Arabian Peninsula to the western hemisphere, and that the Nephite civilization therefore may have retained a collective knowledge of the names "Comoros" and "Moroni".<ref>One Mormon author suggests that [[Lehi (Book of Mormon)|Lehi]] and his family may have re-supplied at Moroni during the voyage: W. Vincent Coon, ''Choice Above All Other Lands'', pg. 68; see also [http://www.bookofmormonpromisedland.com/Gross%20Geographies.htm "How Exaggerated Setting for the Book of Mormon Came to Pass"] and [http://www.bookofmormonpromisedland.com/Feasible%20voyage.htm "A Feasible Voyage"]. This position reflects the argument of others that the tradition that Lehi and his company voyaged across the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and finally the Pacific Ocean is "extreme" and non-authoritative: May, Wayne N., ''THIS LAND: They Came from the East'', Vol. 3, pp. 12–15; [http://www.bookofmormonlands.com/link%20seventeen.htm Olive, P.C.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100109021718/http://www.bookofmormonlands.com/link%20seventeen.htm |date=2010-01-09 }}, ''The Lost Empires & Vanished Races of Prehistoric America'', p. 39.</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=July 2025}}

A minority of LDS scholars, some of whom specialize in 19th-century American literature, place the original literary setting for the Book of Mormon among the mythic [[mound builders]] of North America.<ref>Silverberg, Robert, "…and the mound builders vanished from the earth", ''American Heritage Magazine'', June 1969.</ref>

== Popular culture ==
===Literary interpretation===
Charles W. Dunn depicts Coriantumr's last battle in his book ''The Master's Other Sheep: An Epic of America and Other Poems''. In an analysis of Dunn's poem, professor of English Edward Whitley highlights the significance that the Hill Ramah is portrayed as being the same as the Hill Cumorah, where the [[Nephites]] are also destroyed. He explores the hill's role in the Book of Mormon's destruction of purported ancient American peoples, namely the Nephites and the Jaredites, and how that is portrayed in literature.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Whitley |first=Edward |title=Americanist Approaches to The Book of Mormon |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2019 |isbn=978-0-19-022192-8 |editor-last=Hickman |editor-first=Jared |pages=429–30 |editor-last2=Fenton |editor-first2=Elizabeth}}</ref>

===Pageant===
{{main|Hill Cumorah Pageant}}
The {{convert|283|acre|km2|adj=on}} site near [[Palmyra (town), New York|Palmyra, New York]], formerly hosted the annual ''Hill Cumorah Pageant''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hillcumorah.org/Pageant/|title=Hill Cumorah Pageant website|access-date=2005-06-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061125171557/http://www.hillcumorah.org/Pageant/|archive-date=2006-11-25|url-status=dead}}</ref> This large, outdoor [[Latter-day Saint pageant]] typically occurred in early July and was free to the public.<ref>Applebome, Peter, "[https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/14/nyregion/hill-cumorah-pageant-offers-mormon-spectacle-way-off-broadway.html A Mormon Spectacle, Way Off Broadway]", ''[[The New York Times]]'', 13 July 2011; retrieved 14 July 2011.</ref> The pageant was sponsored by the LDS Church and traced its history back to 1935. The tradition of staging the play ''America's Witness for Christ'' began in 1937. This was a play by [[H. Wayne Driggs]] that remained the basic text of the pageant until 1987. The 1987 revision, which was used through the final performance, was written in large part by [[Orson Scott Card]].<ref>Gerald S. Argetsinger, [http://farms.byu.edu/publications/jbms/?vol=13&num=1&id=339&cat_id=475  "The Hill Cumorah Pageant: A Historical Perspecitive"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081223191436/http://farms.byu.edu/publications/jbms/?vol=13 |date=2008-12-23 }}, ''Journal of Book of Mormon Studies'' '''13'''(1).</ref> 
It was announced that 2020 would be the pageant's last year as a result of new directives by the church to discourage large-scale pageants.<ref>Stephenson, Kathy. [https://www.sltrib.com/news/2019/06/23/mantis-mormon-miracle/ "Manti's Mormon Miracle Pageant is now history. Here are five remembrances of the show's 52-year run."], ''[[The Salt Lake Tribune]]'', 23 June 2019. Retrieved on 24 March 2020.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Will next year's Manti Mormon Miracle Pageant be the last? Hill Cumorah show to end after 2020 as church steps away from large shows.|url=https://sltrib.com/religion/2018/10/27/mantis-mormon-miracle|access-date=2021-03-22|website=The Salt Lake Tribune|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.deseret.com/2018/12/5/20660498/church-finalizes-pageant-decision-4-to-end-3-to-continue|title=Church finalizes pageant decision: 4 to end, 3 to continue|first=Tad|last=Walch|date=December 5, 2018|website=Deseret News}}</ref>

Due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], this final performance was initially rescheduled for mid-2021<ref>{{cite news |url= https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/camps-youth-conferences-pageants-2020|title= Church Cancels 2020 Treks and Pageants: Youth camps and conferences in U.S. and Canada closed until further notice|work= Newsroom |publisher= [[LDS Church]] |date= 2020-04-30 }}</ref> and later canceled entirely,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hill Cumorah Pageant won't return, LDS Church announces|url=https://sltrib.com/news/2021/03/09/hill-cumorah-pageant-wont|access-date=2021-03-22|website=The Salt Lake Tribune|language=en-US}}</ref> bringing the tradition to an end.

==Notes==
{{Reflist|2}}

===Works cited===
{{refbegin|2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Brooke |given=John L. |title=The Refiner's Fire: The Making of Mormon Cosmology, 1644–1844 |year=1994 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eyvftt-1F_kC |isbn=0-521-34545-6}}
* {{Cite book |last=Bushman |first=Richard Lyman |author-link=Richard Bushman |title=Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling |year=2005 |place=New York |publisher=Alfred A. Knopf |isbn=1-4000-4270-4 |title-link=Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Newell |first1=Linda King |author-link=Linda King Newell |last2=Avery |first2=Valeen Tippetts |author2-link=Valeen Tippetts Avery |title=Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith |edition=2nd |publisher=University of Illinois Press |year=1994 |isbn=0-252-06291-4 |title-link=Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith}}
* {{Cite book |last=Persuitte |first=David |title=Joseph Smith and the origins of the Book of Mormon |year=2000 |publisher=McFarland & Co. |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |isbn=0-7864-0826-X}}
* {{Cite book |last=Quinn |first=D. Michael |author-link=D. Michael Quinn |title=Early Mormonism and the Magic World View |publisher=Signature Books |location=Salt Lake City |edition=2nd |year=1998 |isbn=1-56085-089-2}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}
{{Portal|Latter Day Saint movement}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061125171557/http://www.hillcumorah.org/Pageant/ Hill Cumorah Pageant - official site]
*Sites from former cast members: {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20130112021819/http://www.hillcumorah.net/ Hill Cumorah.net]}} and [https://web.archive.org/web/20051215160754/http://www.hillcumorah.info/ Hill Cumorah.info]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060528003710/http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=jbms&id=337  Encounters with Cumorah: A Selective, Personal Bibliography]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080212002335/http://farmsnewsite.farmsresearch.com/display.php?table=jbms&id=346 The Geologic History of Hill Cumorah]
*[http://www.boap.org/LDS/History/HTMLHistory/v1c2history.html History of the Church, Vol.1] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200413210842/http://www.boap.org/LDS/History/HTMLHistory/v1c2history.html |date=2020-04-13 }}
*[http://olivercowdery.com/smithhome/1880Math.htm Frederic G. Mather (1844–1925) "Early Days of Mormonism" Lippincott's Magazine 26:152 (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, Aug. 1880)]

{{LDSsites}}
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{{Authority control}}
{{Latter Day Saint movement}}

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