Land Northward to
Bountiful Tour
15-Day Tour to the
Lands of the Book of Mormon
With BOOK OF MORMON
TOURS
(We are the Pioneers of
the Book of Mormon tour)
November 5 – 19, 2022
$3,095.00 per person
double occupancy
Does not include international round
trip airfare
(United States to Mexico City and Cancun to the United States)
Several Book of Mormon
historical events are associated with the land referred to as the “land
northward”. That is the name given to the area that was the heartland of the
ancient Jaredites. The Mulekites landed in the land northward. The Nephites
lived in the land northward during a portion of their thousand-year history.
The last battles recorded in the Book of Mormon were fought in the land
northward. The Nephites called the land northward “Desolation.” And the land
northward was separated from the land southward by a narrow neck of land, which
was used as a passageway between the land northward and the land southward.
During the Jaredite time period (1200 BC–600 BC), the land southward was
preserved as a wilderness to get game. The land southward is synonymous with
the greater land Bountiful. On this tour you will better understand cities made
of cement and a land of large bodies of water. The hill Cumorah, the waters of
Ripliancum, the narrow neck of land, the land among many waters, and the city
Bountiful will all come to life.
You
will visit four LDS temples, eighteen archaeological sites and museums, and nineteen
locations associated with the Book of Mormon. Call today to book your space on
this once-in-a-lifetime Book of Mormon experience. Call us at 801.226.5200 or email
us at BookOfMormonTours@gmail.com
TOUR INCLUDES: fourteen nights in deluxe or best
available hotel accommodations, 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 Allen.
The
tour deposit is $500 per person. The total payment is 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: Saturday, November 5, Mexico City
Our flights take us to Mexico City, one of the
largest cities in the world with a total population of more than 26 million in
the valley. Upon arrival we will
transfer to our hotel. (No meals included)
Day 2: Sunday, November 6, Mexico City
This morning we will attend church with local
members. We will then visit the LDS Temple and Visitor’s Center of Mexico
City. In the afternoon we will visit
the beautiful National Museum of
Anthropology, one of the most spectacular museums of its kind in the world.
Touring the museum will provide us with an excellent overview of our tour as we
are exposed to many beautiful exhibits ranging from ancient pottery to gold and
jade jewelry. Lunch will be provided
while at the museum. (Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 3: Monday, November 7, 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
afternoon. (Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 4: Tuesday, November 8, Puebla
After checking out of our hotel, we will visit
the Shrine of Guadalupe where we
will learn about the origin of the Catholic Church in Mexico. We then continue
our travel to the city of Cholula,
which is home to the largest-based pyramid in the world. It dates to the pre-Classic era (500 BC). It was destroyed at the time of Christ and has
been built over several times. A Catholic church sits peacefully on top of the
pyramid today. We will spend the night in Puebla. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 5:
Wednesday, November 9, Oaxaca
Today we head into the rugged mountains of 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 (pronounced Wa-Ha-Ca) 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 the colonial city of
Oaxaca, we
will visit the site of San Jose Mogote dating to 2600 BC and having
Mesopotamian style stonework which may indicate their coming from the Tower of
Babel area and time period. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 6:
Thursday, November 10, Oaxaca
Today we will visit the Zapotec ruins
of Mitla, a post-Book of Mormon site, but one that has some fascinating history
associated with it. Although built about
AD 700, it shows outstanding accomplishment in the workings of cement and
intricate design. A visit to a local
artisan shop and the world-famous Tule Tree, believed to be one of the oldest
trees on earth, will conclude our day.
(Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 7:
Friday, November 11, Oaxaca
This morning we will climb by bus to the top
of the mountain where the ancient Zapotec ruins of Monte Alban are
located. Here we will summarize the three civilizations identified in the Book
of Mormon: the Jaredites, Mulekites and Nephites. It was at Monte Alban where
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 black
pottery shop and learn of how this beautiful pottery is created. A visit to the Santo Domingo Church and
Museum will complete our visit to the city which was home to Benito Juarez,
a contemporary of Joseph Smith, and Mexico’s only pure native
President. (Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 8:
Saturday, November 12, Veracruz
We depart Oaxaca and travel to the beautiful
Gulf coast city of Veracruz. As we arrive,
we will have the opportunity to see the LDS temple here and spend
the night in our beach hotel. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 9: Sunday, November 13, Catemaco
Today is a highlight of the tour. After attending Church, we will check out of
our hotel and 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 then 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 drive into the lake-side town of Catemaco for the evening.
(Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 10: Monday, November 14, Villahermosa
Today we 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.) As we leave beautiful Lake
Catemaco we will pass by the hill Shim
(Cintepec) where Mormon obtained the records for his history (See Mormon 1:3,
17). A visit to the site of La Venta, a
place we refer to as the city of “Lib”,
will continue our study of the magnificent Olmec culture. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 11: Tuesday, November 15, Palenque
We start our day with a visit to the Villahermosa LDS Temple followed by the
outdoor La Venta Museum, a place
that houses large engraved stone monuments dating to the Jaredite time
period. We will then bus on to the beautiful Chiapas
mountains which are located in the area of the “land among many waters” described in Mosiah 8:8. 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 period Maya ruins of Palenque. We will analyze the panel of glyphs
at the Temple of the Cross where we see the glyph that has been translated to
mean and
it came to pass. Dinner will be provided at the hotel. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 12: Wednesday, November 16, Kohunlich
Today we make our way through the area proposed
as the land among many waters. We will
pass by the Usumacinta River, commonly mistaken as the river Sidon in the Book
of Mormon. We will visit the ancient fortified city of Becan,
which is remarkably similar to those constructed by Captain Moroni in the East
Wilderness of the Book of Mormon, which constructions have been labeled by a
leading archaeologist as “the brainchild of some local innovator.” Tonight, we stay at
the beautiful jungle resort of the Explorean at Kohunlich, a favorite of
everyone. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 13: Thursday, November 17, Chetumal
Wake up to nature at
its best in this peaceful jungle setting.
The misty dew on the grass, the sounds of the birds in the tress and the
serenity of the eco-resort setting makes this a day to remember forever. This morning
we will visit the archaeological zone of Dzibanche, a fertile region
where evidence suggests the city Bountiful may have been located where
the Savior visited the Nephites.
Dzibanche, meaning “writing on wood,” owes its name to the fact that
Temple number VI had a fairly large lintel made from quebracho wood that bears eight glyphs dated to AD 618. Dzibanche was a major site in the Maya area
in the Classic Period (AD 300-900). Afterwards we will go to the archaeological site of Kohunlich, which is best known for its
Temple of the Masks, an Early Classic pyramid whose central stairway is flanked
by large stucco masks. The temple was built around AD 500. The giant masks represent the Sun God
"Kinich Ahau". The city rose to prominence in the Early
Classic when there were important ties to the cultures of northern Belize. We travel to Chetumal for the night. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 14:
Friday, November 18, Playa del Carmen
We travel today to the ruins of Tulum located on the shores of the turquoise blue waters of the Caribbean sea. These Maya post-Classic (A.D. 1200- 1600)
ruins were still under occupation when the Spaniards arrived in Mexico in the
16th century. This relatively
small city did not exist during the Book of Mormon time period but represents
the continuation of building programs long after the demise of the Nephite
society at A.D. 400. The above does not
imply that there were not small settlements around the area during the middle
to late Classic time period (A.D. 400 - 800), it simply means that the majority
of the buildings were built at a much later time period. (Breakfast,
Dinner)
Day 15:
Saturday, November 19, Flights Home
We transfer to the airport where 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. (Breakfast)
Please let us know if you would like to extend and stay extra time on the Mexican Riviera.
TOUR
INCLUDES:
• Fourteen
nights deluxe hotel accommodations
•
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
•
Escorted by professional tour director Blake Allen
