One likely location for Lamoni's home in Ishamael is the area around Chimaltenango near Guatemala City. LDS archaeologist base their findings on the direction Ammon and his brothers were traveling and the number of days allotted to their travel. If you will remember, the Lamanites were now living in the land that had once been the Land of Nephi , the capital city of which we have established to be Kaminaljuyu, a site right around Guatemala City.
When Ammon said he would be willing to be a servant to the Lamanite King Lamoni, he meant that literally. He took up his position as one of the shepherds guarding the king's flocks. The Book of Mormon calls these flocks "sheep." There has been some question as to what, exactly, Ammon and his fellows were herding. Some suggested a domesticated small deer called keh, llamas or even peccary. However, clothing made of real Eurasian sheep's wool has been found in a Pre-Columbian burial site in Cholula, MX, so Ammon may well have been herding sheep. Scientist claim that sheep weren't there at that time, but I'm not sure where the wool cloth came from if the sheep weren't there.
What is germane to this story isn't what Ammon was herding so much as what happened while he was doing his job. King Lamoni had been having trouble with marauding bands of other Lamanites who would drive off his animals so that they were lost in the wilderness. Lamoni was so frustrated that his herders weren't protecting his flocks that he would have the herders put to death when raids happened. It is little wonder that most men didn't want the job and had to be drafted - all but Ammon.
One day while they were out with the herds, the marauders came and scattered the flocks. The other herders began to mourn, knowing their lives were forfeit. Not Ammon. He picked up his sword and went after the marauders. He struck at them right and left, cutting off several of their weapon arms in the process. The remaining plunderers ran off and Ammon and his fellows were able to recapture the king's flocks and take them safely home.
Text copyright December 2013, Gebara Education
Map from www.weather-forecast.com
Chimaltinango, from www.flickr.com
Ammon defending the king's flocks from www.briancallart.com
Pre-Columbian sword, consisting of a wooden paddle with sharp obsidian blades strapped in my leather thongs from www.blog.zoesaadia.com
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