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Book of Mormon Tours has been operated by the Allen family since 1970. We are the "Pioneers" of the Book of Mormon tour concept. We have taken more tours to Mesoamerica to compare the ancient sites and civilizations with the Book of Mormon than any other tour operator.
Joseph Allen took the first tour to Mexico in 1970. At the time he was serving as Director of the LDS Institute of Religion at El Paso, Texas. Joseph is a student of Mayan History, ancient languages and the Book of Mormon. His dissertation was on the subject of the white god Quetzalcoatl.
In 1978, the company was known as Middle America Tours and it became the largest company to conduct tours to the lands of the Book of Mormon, an area today known as Mesoamerica. Middle America Tours was the wholesale operators for such companies as BYU Travel Study, Murdock Travel and the Foundation of Ancient Research in Mormon Studies.
In 1989, the book, Exploring the Lands of the Book of Mormon, written by Dr. Joseph L. Allen was published. It was used as a text book by Dr. Bruce Warren in the course at BYU called Archaeology and the Scriptures.
In 1990, Todd Allen joined his father in conducting Book of Mormon Tours to Mesoamerica. He had been traveling to Mexico from the time he was six years old. His ability in language and history, associated with a keen sense of humor and a high service mentality, made him an immediate hit among people who traveled with him. Todd has escorted over 100 tours to Mexico, Central and South America.
In 1996, Blake, the eldest son of Joseph joined the business and administered the affairs of the office. When he was ten years old, he accompanied his father to Mexico where he (his father) did research for his doctoral dissertation. Like Todd, Blake has also escorted more that 100 groups to Mesoamerica. His schooling in accounting is manifested in his tours as he pays attention to details. His knowledge of the history of Book of Mormon in relation to Mesoamerica is admirable. He is fluent in the Spanish language. In this same year, the name of the company was changed from Middle America Tours to Book of Mormon Tours. Blake is now owner of Book of Mormon Tours.
In 2002, the book called Sacred Sites, authored by Joseph was published. It, like Exploring the Lands of the Book of Mormon became a best seller.
In 2005, the Allens introduced cruises to the western Caribbean to their itineraries. They now offer cruises along both the Pacific and the Atlantic sides of Mesoamerica. In the near future, they plan on adding more cruises to other world destinations.
In 2008, the new second edition of Exploring the Lands of the Book of Mormon, with authors Joseph and Blake, and edited by Dr. Ted Stoddard was published. This new 919 page book is expected to be the encyclopedia of Book of Mormon history and geography for years to come.
Our mission statement is that the Book of Mormon is a true account of two major civilizations that lived in the New World during Pre-Colombian times. It's message is to teach Christ and His Atonement. We believe that the more we understand about the history, language, culture and geography of the Book of Mormon, the more we understand the Book of Mormon. We have chosen Travel and Research to pursue this goal. We invite you to join us in exploring the lands of the Book of Mormon.
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