Interpreter Foundation
Mesoamerica Tour
14-Day Deluxe Tour
Hosted by: Brant A.
Gardner
Escorted by Blake
Joseph Allen
With Dan Peterson,
Steve Densley, and Larry Ainsworth
of The Interpreter Foundation
October 22 – November 4,
2024
$3,799 per person
double occupancy
Cash price. Additional fee for credit
card payments.
Includes all internal airfare (3
flights).
Does not include international round-trip
airfare.
(United States to Guatemala City and Mexico
City to the United States)
On
this deluxe Book of Mormon tour, we will recall Book of Mormon history as we
travel to locations that are considered by scholars to be good candidates for the
land of Nephi, the east wilderness, the land of Zarahemla, including a
candidate for the Nephite hill Cumorah where the both the Nephite and Jaredite
nations came to an end, concluding in Mexico City and the archaeological site
of Teotihuacan. Most tours don’t even go to Chiapas and Veracruz where exciting
evidence on the Book of Mormon is available. Over 80% of the history in the
Book of Mormon has been proposed as having taken place in the areas visited on
this all-inclusive deluxe tour. You will see five LDS Temples, twelve
archaeological sites and museums, and nineteen locations that have been
proposed as sites that are associated with the Book of Mormon. Call today to
book your space on this deluxe Book of Mormon experience. 1.801.226.5200 or
email Blake Allen at [email protected].
Tour Includes: thirteen nights hotel accommodations, three
internal air flights (a $480 value), two or more meals daily except on first
and last days, 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, and escorted by professional tour director
Blake Joseph Allen.
Physical Exercise: An area for preparation for travel to
Mesoamerica is to develop a physical exercise program. Although there is not an
excessive amount of walking, the decision to climb the pyramids may be
determined by your own physical condition. You will have the opportunity to
climb several major pyramids during the course of the trip. The most difficult
day is Tikal. The tour covers about 3 miles of walking in approximately 4
hours. Most of the terrain is foot paths
along jungle trails with slopes and steps.
A
tour deposit of $500 per person (plus a $15 fee for credit card payments) is
due in order to reserve your space on the tour. A second payment of $1,000 per
person (plus $30 fee for credit card payments) is due six months prior to
departure with final payment due 60 days prior to departure. The deposit is
non-refundable; however, it may be transferred to another tour if taken within
12 months of the original scheduled tour departure. See terms and conditions
for details. Prices and itineraries are subject to change.
ITINERARY
Day 1: Tuesday, October 22, 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. (No meals)
Day 2: Wednesday, Oct 23, Tikal, Petén
We will begin our tour with a visit to the large
relief map of Guatemala in order to orient ourselves with the geographical
overview of the country as we recall the events of the Book of Mormon. Afterwards
we will explore the archaeological zone of Kaminaljuyu, a place
considered by many to have been in the area settled by Nephi as the city of
Nephi in the 6th century BC (see 2 Nephi 5:5-10). We will also see
the Guatemala City LDS Temple. In the afternoon we will fly to Flores in
the Peten jungle area. We will transfer to the Jungle Lodge resort, our
hotel in the beautiful rain forest surrounding Tikal for the night. (In
accordance with restrictions and regulations of Tikal National Park, from 10 pm
until 6 am, there is only electricity for a ceiling fan, night light, and power
outlet. This can change depending on seasonal demands.) (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 3: Thursday, Oct 24, Guatemala City
Today we will visit 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. We will take a return
flight to Guatemala City for the night. (Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 4: Friday, October 25, Lake Atitlan
This morning we will visit a museum to
learn about some of the artifacts discovered at some of the archaeological
sites in Guatemala. Afterwards, we will 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: Saturday, October 26, 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 fireside presentation will be given in the evening.
(Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 6: Sunday, October 27, Tapachula, MEX
After attending church with a local branch,
we will check out of our hotel 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, the area proposed as Lehi’s land of first
inheritance. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 7: Mon, Oct 28, Tuxtla Gutierrez, MEX.
Today we will travel to the area proposed as Lehi’s
land of first inheritance. If possible, we will see the archaeological site of
Izapa where Stela 5 is located, which has been called the “Tree of
Life Stone”. Some believe that this engraved stone, dating back to 300 BC,
may depict Lehi’s dream as recorded in 1st Nephi. Another option may be to
visit the Tapachula Planetarium. The Izapa culture were great astronomers. Afterwards,
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, the likely Land of Zarahemla where the Nephites had their
headquarters for 550 years. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 8: Tuesday, October 29, 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 of the Book of Mormon. We see
the LDS Temple in Tuxtla Gutierrez as we depart for our journey to
Villahermosa where we will spend the next two nights. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 9: Wednesday, Oct 30, 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. Following lunch, we will
return to Villahermosa. (Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 10: Thursday, October 31, Catemaco
This morning we will check out of our hotel and
see the LDS Temple in Villahermosa prior to visiting the outdoor La
Venta Museum, a place that houses large, engraved stone monuments dating to
the Jaredite time period. 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 what has been
proposed to be the hill Shim (Cintepec) where Mormon obtained the records for
his history (See Mormon 1:3, 17). (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 11: Friday, November 1, Mexico City
Today is a highlight of the tour. We will check out of our hotel and visit the
hill where many Latter-day Saint scholars agree to be the best candidate for the
location of the hill Ramah/ Cumorah mentioned in the Book of Mormon
(Mormon 6:2,6; Ether 15:11). We will travel through what is possibly 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 LDS Temple prior to our air flight to
Mexico City. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 12: Saturday, November 2, Mexico City
Today 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 late afternoon. (Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 13: Sunday, November 3, Mexico City
Today we will attend church with a local ward.
Afterwards, we will visit the Mexico City LDS Temple and then 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 final night of
the tour. (Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 14: Monday, November 4, Flights Home
Transferring to the Mexico City airport, we
will check in for our flights home. Our journey has come to an end, but we
will take with us memories that will last a lifetime. (No meals)
Included
in the Tour:
●Thirteen
nights in deluxe hotel accommodations
●
Three internal air flights, a $480 value
●
Two or more full meals daily with one beverage
●
First-class bus transportation
●
Entrance fees and guide service to places listed on
the itinerary
●
Taxes and tips on group items (guides, drivers,
bell
boys, etc.)
●
Literature and maps pertaining to your tour
●
Escorted by professional tour director, Blake Joseph
Allen.
●
Hosted by Brant A. Gardner
●
Tour sponsored by the Interpreter Foundation
with
Daniel Peterson, Steve Densley, and
Larry
Ainsworth
Not included in the
Tour:
●
International airfare
●
Third meal when not included in the itinerary
●
Additional beverages at group meals
●
All personal expenses, travel, and health
insurance
●
Airport and country departure taxes
●
Anything not mentioned in the above “Included”
section
Additional
Information:
●
$845 single supplement for hotels
●
3% fee will be added to bookings paid with a
credit
card
●
Provided meals are noted at the end of each day.
●
Time will be given for optional third meals or
snacks
during the day.
●
Prices and itineraries are subject to change.
