Day 1: Sat, October 21, Guatemala City
Our flights take us to Guatemala City, the
city of Eternal Spring. Upon arrival we will transfer and check into our
deluxe hotel.
Day 2: Sunday, October 22, 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 visit the large relief map
of Guatemala in order to orient ourselves with the geographical overview of the
country in relation to the Book of Mormon. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 3: Monday, October 23, Guatemala City
Our air flight 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. (Breakfast,
Lunch).
Day 4: Tuesday, October 24, Lake Atitlan
This morning we will check out of our hotel and
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). We will then bus to Antigua,
the old Spanish capital of Guatemala. Several buildings date to the 16th
and 17th centuries. We will
visit the jade factory prior to continuing on to Lake Atitlan. 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 our trek to the village of Panajachel, and check
into our hotel that is nestled on the shore of Lake Atitlan. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 5: Wednesday, October 25, 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). The day will consist of 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. The afternoon will be free for shopping or relaxing or other
available activities. A presentation on the historical literature of the Book
of Mormon will be presented by your tour director in the evening. (Breakfast,
Dinner)
Day 6: Thurs, October 26, Quetzaltenango
After a leisure morning, we will check out of
our hotel and 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 new, second temple
in Guatemala which we will see prior to checking into our hotel that
overlooks the city square. (Breakfast,
Dinner)
Day 7: Fri, October 27, Tapachula, Mexico
After checking out of our hotel, 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. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 8: Sat, October 28, 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 area of 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 9: Sunday, October 29, Tuxtla Gutierrez
Following church services, we will visit the temple
at Tuxtla Gutierrez and the Regional Museum of Tuxtla Gutierrez that
shows many pre-Classic (Book of Mormon period) sites and artifacts, including
an engraved stone that manifests the early long count date of December 9, 36
B.C. In the afternoon we will visit the zoo and see the majestic Quetzal
bird, the national bird of Guatemala and the bird used to represent the white
god Quetzalcoatl. (See Helaman chapter 4).
(Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 10: Monday, October 30, 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 11: Tuesday, October 31, 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 take a two-hour bus ride to the
majestic Classic 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 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 12: Wed, November 1, Catemaco
This morning we will 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 also visit the Villahermosa Temple
and then 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). (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 13: Thursday, November 2, 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 agree 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 14: Friday, November 3, 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 return to Mexico City in the afternoon. (Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 15: Saturday, November 4, Mexico City
We begin our day with a visit to the Mexico
City temple which is currently undergoing renovation. Afterwards we will
visit the Shrine of Guadalupe where we will learn about the origin of
the Catholic Church in Mexico. In the
afternoon, 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 16: Sunday, November 5, Flights Home
Transferring to the Mexico City 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.
Included
in the Tour:
●
Fifteen nights in deluxe hotel accommodations
●
Three internal air flights, a $400 value
●
Two or more full meals daily
●
First-class bus transportation
●
Entrance fees and guide service to places listed on the
itinerary
●
Taxes and tips on group items
●
Literature and maps pertaining to your tour
●
Escorted by professional tour director, Blake Joseph Allen.
