Jared Diamond's book "Guns, Germs and Steel" describes how more advanced civilizations dominate less-advanced civilizations, primarily through technology but also biology. He relates, for example, the account of the Spanish conquest of the Inca.
There are many parallels to the Book of Mormon account.
1. The Nephites came from the fertile crescent. Lehi and his family left Jerusalem around 600 B.C., at a time when the Israelites had a relatively advanced civilization. They had agriculture (domesticated plants and animals), writing (and the associated history), weapons and tools made of steel and other metals, ship-building technology, and other advantages over more primitive societies. It's important that Nephi refers to each of these. If they were not significant in contrast to the conditions he found in the New World, it is unlikely he would have mentioned them. He would have taken them for granted, as he did many other aspects of his life, such as his family life, his personal profession (was he a farmer, a hunter, a craftsman, or something else), his clothing, his residence, etc.
2. The Nephites dominated the New World. It is apparent that shortly after arriving in the New World, the Nephites became the leaders and priests not only of their own people, but of the indigenous people they encountered. (It seems apparent that Lehi's party included more than the immediate family described, since it is unlikely that a property owner such as Lehi would not have had a household of servants, but even this expanded family group could not account for the size of the populations mentioned in the Book of Mormon.) The Nephites in their sphere, and the Lamanites in theirs, quickly became the kings over the lands they inhabited. We know from archaeology that the Americas were not uninhabited around 600 B.C., so the Lehites necessarily encountered local populations. Diamond's book describes the process by which a new culture dominates an older one, and it has to do with the very items Nephi discussed: weapons, germs, and metal.
3. Nephite advantages. The Book of Mormon recounts only two specific interactions with indigenous populations. One is the remnant of the Jaredites, Coriantumr, who had been discovered years previously by the people of Zarahemla. The record of this encounter was kept ona large stone with engravings on it. The stone was interpreted by Mosiah, the King of the Nephites. The second encouter was with the people of Zarahemla themselves, who did not have records or writing, but related thie history orally. The Zarahemla account seems to be an example of how the Nephites assimilated and dominated the indigenous population. The Nephites taught them their language, with the benefit of the Nephite writing system. The Nephites with their superior technology in agriculture and metalwork would have easily overcome whatever resistance they would have encountered. A good example of this is the depiction of the discrepancy in war-making technology. The Nephites wore armor, while their enemies were barely clad.
4. Preliminary conclusion. Applying the lessons of "Guns, Germs and Steel" to the case of the Nephites argues strongly against locating the Nephite civilization in Mesoamerica. The Mayan civilization was at least as advanced as the Nephite civilization could have been, and the Mayans clearly had superior numbers, superior knowledge of the local geography, plants and animals. The Mayans had their own writing system, their own kings and priests, and their own sophisticated weaponry. It defies credulity to suggest that a boatload of Nephites could confront such a civilization and quickly dominate it.
5. Looking elsewhere. The complete absence of any references to Mayan agriculture and animals in the Book of Mormon demonstrates that the Nephites could not have had contact with the Mayans, particularly in light of the description of Nephite agriculture. Instead, we should be looking elsewhere in the New World for conditions that satisfy the requirements of the Book of Mormon.
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