Day 1: Saturday, October 22, Guatemala City
Our flights take us to Guatemala City, the
city of Eternal Spring. You can arrive anytime on this day. Upon arrival we
will transfer and check into our deluxe hotel. (No meals included)
Day 2: Sunday, October 23, Guatemala City
After attending church with the local saints,
we will visit the Guatemala LDS temple and then later, the National
Museum of Archaeology of Guatemala where we will analyze Kaminaljuyu’s stela
10, an altar that dates to 147 BC and may suggest a transfer of kingship
from King Noah to Limhi (see Mosiah 18 & 19). We will then explore the archaeological zone
of Kaminaljuyu, a place considered by many to have been settled by Nephi
in the 6th century BC (see 2 Nephi 5:5-10). (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 3: Monday, October 24, Guatemala City
An early morning flight (6:30 am) will take us
to the awe-inspiring, Maya archaeological zone of Tikal, occupied from
600 BC to AD 750. This dense rain forest is considered by many to be the East
Wilderness where the Nephites, under the direction of the military leader
Moroni, built many fortified cities during the 1st century BC (see Alma
50:7-15). New evidence shows a strong relationship between Teotihuacan and
Tikal at the close of the Book of Mormon history which resulted in the downfall
of the Nephite nation. In the early evening we will take a return flight to
Guatemala City at 7:30 pm. (Breakfast, Lunch).
Day 4: Tuesday, October 25, Lake Atitlan
This morning we will check out of our hotel at
7:00 am and bus to Lake Atitlan (3-1/2 hours). En route, we will pass by the Cakchiquel Maya
village of Patzicia, almost entirely destroyed by the 1976 earthquake. We will
recount the courage and faith of the missionaries and members of the Patzicia
stake. We will continue on to Lake Atitlan. Flanked by three dramatic
volcanoes, Lake Atitlan has been a scenic retreat for over 2000 years. It has
been proposed by many LDS scholars as a site for the Waters of Mormon where
Alma organized the church of Christ in the first century BC (see Mosiah
chapters 18 and 19). After a quick check in at our hotel, we will enjoy a cruise
on the lake to see the area where an ancient city was covered by water.
This city may have been Jerusalem mentioned in Alma 21:1 or it may have been
one of the other cities mentioned in 3 Nephi 9:7. Upon our return, a
presentation on the historical literature of the Book of Mormon will be presented
by your tour director. (Breakfast,
Dinner)
Day 5: Wed, October 26, Tapachula, Mexico
After checking out of our hotel, we depart at
7:00 am and we will pick up Alma’s trail as we make our way through the
wilderness to the Valley of Alma. Our journey will take us to
Quetzaltenango, the second largest city in Guatemala and the location of the
second temple in Guatemala. If time permits, we will visit the village of Almolonga,
renowned for its pure water and lush vegetable gardens, a place that may have
been occupied by Alma and his followers (Mosiah chapters 23 & 24). We will
then travel down from the highlands to the Pacific coast where we will cross
the border into Mexico and check into our hotel in the nearby city of Tapachula.
(About 7 hours of travel) (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 6: Thurs, October 27, Tuxtla Gutierrez
Today we will visit the archaeological site of
Izapa. While visiting Izapa, we will see Stela 5, the “Tree of Life
Stone”. This engraved stone dating back to 300 BC may depict Lehi’s dream
as recorded in first Nephi. Following our visit of Izapa we will bus along the
Pacific coast passing by the area of the “day and a half’s journey” as
well as the areas of the cities of Melek and Ammonihah as we
travel to the Chiapas valley, considered by many to have been the Land of
Zarahemla where the Nephites had their headquarters for 550 years (Omni
1:13-15 and Mormon 2:28-29). (Breakfast,
Dinner)
Day 7: Friday, October 28, Villahermosa
We will begin our day with a visit to the
archaeological zone of Chiapa de Corzo, a candidate for the city
Sidom (See Alma 15:1-8). We will then take a boat ride through the majestic
Sumidero Canyon on the Grijalva River, with walls towering 3000 feet
above our heads. The Grijalva has been proposed as the River Sidon in
the Book of Mormon. We will then travel
to the city of Villahermosa which represents the western edge of the “land
among many waters” described in Mosiah 8:8. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 8: Saturday, October 29, 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 areas of Tehuantepec, Chiapas and Lacondone mountains of
Chiapas. 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 take a two-hour bus ride
to the majestic Classic time period Maya ruins of Palenque. 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. We will return to
Villahermosa where we will spend the night. (Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 9: Sunday, October 30, Catemaco
This morning we will attend church with a local
ward and see the LDS temple. We will then check out of our hotel and visit the outdoor
La Venta Museum, a place that houses large engraved stone monuments dating
to the Jaredite time period. We will
then bus along Mexico’s “golden lane” and visit the site of La Venta
referred to as the city of Lib. We will also pass 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). (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 10: Monday, October 31, Veracruz
Today is a highlight of the tour. 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 spend
the night and have the opportunity to see the Veracruz Temple.
(Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 11: Tuesday, November 1, Flights Home
Transferring to the Veracruz airport, we will
check in for our flights home. Our journey to the Book of Mormon lands has come
to an end, but we will take with us memories that will last a lifetime. (No
meals included)
2-day Extension:
A two-day extension is available with this
tour. For those who desire, the following can be added to the end of the tour
for the cost of $495 per person, double occupancy:
Day 11: Tuesday, November 1, Mexico City
This morning we will take a flight to Mexico
City. Upon arrival we will visit the
ancient ruins of Teotihuacan. Occupied from about 200 BC to AD 900,
Teotihuacan was one of the largest populated cities in the world during its
peak. The inspiring pyramids of the Sun and Moon attract millions of visitors
to this most popular archaeological zone in Mexico. This may have been the
great city built by King Jacob of the Gadianton Robbers (See 3 Nephi 7). We
will then return to Mexico City and check into our hotel. (Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 12: Wed, November 2, Mexico City
Today will visit the Plaza of Three Cultures.
The name "Three Cultures" is in recognition of the three periods of
Mexican history reflected by buildings in the plaza: pre-Columbian, Spanish
colonial, and the independent nation of Mexico.
The square contains the archaeological site of Tlatelolco
and is flanked by the oldest European school of higher learning in the Americas
called the College of Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco built in 1536 by friar Juan de
Torquemada. We then visit the Shrine of Guadalupe where we will learn
about the origin of the Catholic Church in Mexico. We will also see the Mexico
City LDS temple. Finally, we will visit the National Museum of
Anthropology, one of the most spectacular archaeological museums in the world.
Touring the museum will provide us with an excellent review of our tour and
expose us to many beautiful exhibits ranging from ancient pottery to gold and
jade jewelry. We will return to the hotel for the night. (Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 13: Thu, November 3, Flights Home
Transferring to the Mexico City airport, we
will check in for our flights home. (No meals included)
