Day 1: Saturday, June 25, 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, June 26, 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, June 27, 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, June 28, 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, June 29, 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: Thursday, July 30, 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: Friday, July 1, Tapachula
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: Saturday, July 2, 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, July 3, 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 time 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, July 4, 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, July 5, 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 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 12: Wednesday, July 6, 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, July 7, 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 14: Friday, July 8, 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). Returning to
Mexico City in the afternoon, we will stop at the Shrine of Guadalupe where we
will learn about the origin of the Catholic Church in Mexico. (Breakfast,
Lunch)
Day 15: Saturday, July 9, Mexico City
We begin our day with a visit to the Mexico
City temple which is currently undergoing renovation. Afterwards we will visit the downtown center
of Mexico City and see the National Palace, National Cathedral and Great Temple
of the Aztecs. 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, July 10, 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.
