The price of the tour is $1,695 per person based on double occupancy.
Airfare
is extra and is currently around $600-$700 per person for round-trip
flights from the USA to Mexico and back with internal flights to Villahermosa and Oaxaca.
Everyone needs a passport. Please contact us by email at
[email protected] if you need information on obtaining a passport, for help on
booking your airline tickets or if you have any other questions.
A $500 deposit per person is
required to reserve your space. The balance is due sixty days prior to
departure. Airfare is due upon booking. If you cancel the tour, a $200
cancellation fee per person and applicable costs will be assessed.
The Tour includes
seven nights deluxe hotel accommodations, daily buffet breakfast, seven additional lunches
or dinners at fine restaurants, first class bus transportation, entrance fees and
guide service to places listed on the itinerary, taxes and tips on group items,
FREE CD of the new second edition of Exploring the Lands of the Book of Mormon and a large wall map outlining proposed Book of Mormon sites. The tour is escorted by Maya scholars and professional tour
directors Blake Joseph Allen or Todd B. Allen.
On this tour you will see the
Book of Mormon history come to life as we travel throughout the area proposed
as the land northward where Cumorah was located. You will visit the LDS temples
in Villahermosa, Veracruz,
and Oaxaca, nine
archaeological sites and museums, eight locations associated with the Book of
Mormon and other places of interest.
The Maya ruins of Palenque located in the state of Chiapas, Mexico date from AD 300 to AD 900 and represent one of the longest dynasty in Mesoamerica. Photo by Sheryl Lee Wilson.
Itinerary
Day 1: Saturday, Villahermosa. Our air flights take us to Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico, a modern city located near the Gulf of Mexico. "Villa" means village and "Hermosa" means beautiful. The Grijalva River which originates in the mountains of Guatemala and which is proposed in Exploring the Lands of the Book of Mormon as the Sidon River passes through the city of Villahermosa. There is an LDS Temple in Villahermosa and the famous outdoor La Venta Museum featuring ancient Olmec monuments from the site of La Venta is located in Villahermosa. Upon our arrival we will transfer to the beautiful Camino Real hotel where we will spend the next three nights. (no meals are provided)
Day 2: Sunday, Villahermosa. After attending church with
the local saints, we will visit the LDS temple in Villahermosa.
In the afternoon we will walk through the beautiful outdoor museum of La Venta where we see many of the stone
carvings taken from the ancient Olmec city of the same name. The Olmecs coincide with the Jaredites in the
Book of Mormon with many strong evidences linking the two. Breakfast and dinner are included.
Day 3: Monday, Villahermosa. Although only four percent of
the population of the country of Mexico
live in the State of Chiapas, over 40% of the
wild animals live in the Tehuantepec, Chiapas
and Lacondone mountains. This is reminiscent of the statement in Ether wherein
it states that the “land southward was preserved for a wilderness to get game”
(Ether 10:21). We will visit the majestic Classic time
period Maya ruins of Palenque where we will analyze the panel of glyphs at the Temple of the Cross which shows the
lineage of a 7th century AD king named Chan Balaam, which dates back
to a Jaredite king named Kish, who was born on March 8, 993 BC. After lunch we will return to our beautiful hotel in Villahermosa with time to relax and enjoy our surroundings. A full buffet breakfast and a delicious dinner are provided..
Day 4: Tuesday, Catemaco, Veracruz. Today we will bus along Mexico’s “golden lane” passing by both the
“place where the sea divides the land” (Gulf of Mexico), and the “narrow neck
of land” (Isthmus of Tehuantepec). (See Ether
10:20.) Prior to our arrival at beautiful Lake Catemaco
where we will spend the night, we will pass by the hill Shim (Cintepec) where
Mormon obtained the records for his history (See Mormon 1:3, 17). Breakast and dinner are provided.)
Hotel La Finca on the shores of Lake Catemaco, Veracruz. Photo by Courtney Booice.
Day 5: Wednesday, Oaxaca. Today is a highlight of the
tour as we will check out of our hotel and visit the hill where leading Latter-day
Saint scholars are in agreement as to the location of the hill Ramah/Cumorah
mentioned in the Book of Mormon (Mormon 6:2,6; Ether 15:11). We will travel through the area of the waters
of Ripliancum (Ether 15:8), a place that has the same meaning in the Aztec
(Nahuatl) language, “exceeding large waters.” We will drive into the city of Veracruz where we will transfer to the airport for our flights to the city of Oaxaca. In Veracruz, we will have the
opportunity to see the Veracruz
Temple. Breakfast and lunch are provided.
Day 6: Thursday, Oaxaca. The Oaxaca
valley has archaeological evidence that dates to the Jaredite time period and
as a result is considered to be the ancient area of the Jaredite lands called Moron.
LDS scholars believe that the Jaredites landed on the Pacific side and
moved inland and that a branch of their society settled in the Oaxaca area. Three kingships later they moved to the Gulf Coast
area. Olmec/Jaredite settlements began
to show up along the Gulf
Coast between 2000 and
1500 BC. As we arrive in Oaxaca, we will visit the site of San Jose Magote dating
to the Jaredite time period and having Mesopotamian style stonework which may indicate their
coming from the Tower
of Babel area and time
period. We will also have time to
visit the Santo Domingo
Church and Museum. Breakfast and dinner are included.
Day 7: Friday, Oaxaca. This morning we will climb by bus to the top
of the mountain where the ancient Zapotec ruins of Monte Alban are located. The early Zapotecs may also have been part of
the Mulekite culture. Here we will
summarize the three civilizations identified in the Book of Mormon: the
Jaredites, Mulekites and Nephites. It was at Monte Alban,
excavated by Alfonso Casso, where the evidence of a written language was first
discovered in Mesoamerica. The site dates from 500 BC to AD 700 and may
have been controlled by the Nephites beginning at the reign of King Mosiah at
about 100 BC. In the afternoon we will
visit the Zapotec ruins of Mitla.
Although built about AD 700, it shows outstanding accomplishment in the
workings of cement and intricate design.
Zapotec civilization began in the Oaxaca
valley about 500 BC and would probably be considered as part of the Mulekite
culture. We will also visit a black pottery shop. A visit to the Oaxaca Temple
will culminate our day. Breakfast and a farewell dinner are included.
Day 8: Saturday, Oaxaca. Transferring to the airport,
we will check in for our flights home. Our journey to the Land of Cumorah
has come to an end, but we will take with us memories that will last a
lifetime. Meals are on your own.
Prices and itineraries are
subject to change. Provided meals are
noted at the end of each day.
Let the Book of Mormon change your life.....again!
Book of Mormon Tours
PO Box 970250 ♦ Orem,
UT 84097
www.BookOfMormonTours.com
Contact: [email protected]
click here for APPLICATION FORM
We visit three LDS Temples on this delightful eight day Book of Mormon experience. They are the Villahemosa Temple, the Oaxaca Temple and the Veracruz Temple shown here. Photo by Courtney Boice.
