12 Day Nephi to Zarahemla
October 30-November 10, 2008
$2,995 per person double occupancy, plus round trip international airfare
Does not include international airfair
A tour deposit of $500 per person is due to reserve your space. The balance of the cost of the tour is due by August 30, 2008. 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.
Itinerary
Day 1: Thursday, October 30, Mexico City
Our flights take us to Mexico City, the largest city in the world. Upon arrival we will transfer and check into our deluxe hotel.
Day 2: Friday, October 31, Tapachula, Chiapas
After checking out of our hotel, 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). If time permits, we will also visit the renowned Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. An evening flight will take us to Tapachula, near the Guatemala border. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 3: Saturday, November 1, Antigua
We will check out of our hotel and being the day with a visit to the site of Izapa in the proposed area for the Nephite’s “land of first inheritance.” 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. We will continue to make our way across the border into Guatemala to the old Spanish capital of Antigua. En route we will begin our discussion of Book of Mormon geography as we discuss the many evidences which place the Book of Mormon in Mesoamerica. Upon our arrival in Antigua, we will visit the jade factory and learn about how jade is discovered, processed and made into jewelry. Jade was the preferred precious stone of the Maya. We will then check in at our hotel and the remainder of the day will be free. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 4: Sunday, November 2, Guatemala City
Following Church services in Antigua, you will have some free time to enjoy this colonial city. Several buildings dating to the 16th and 17th centuries, the artisan’s market and a charming town square are some of the things you may wish to see. In the afternoon we will bus to Guatemala City and visit 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) after which we will check into our hotel. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 5: Monday, November 3, 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 6: Tuesday, November 4, Panajachel (Lake Atitlan)
For those who desire, we will attend a session at the Guatemala City Temple. Afterwards we will check out of our hotel and visit the large outdoor relief map of Guatemala in order to orient ourselves with the geographical overview of the country in relation to the Book of Mormon. We will then 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 then travel 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 Atatlan. A presentation of the historical literature of the Book of Mormon will be presented by your tour director in the evening. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 7: Wednesday, November 5, Quetzaltenango
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. After lunch, 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, where we will check into our hotel that overlooks the city square. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 8: Thursday, November 6, Huehuetenango
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 higher into the highlands to the mountain village of Huehuetenango. Here we will visit the post-Classic site of Zaculeu which was the capital of the Mam Maya group. We will spend the night in the nearby city of Huehuetenango. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 9: Friday, November 7, San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico
This morning we will visit a local textile shop and see how beautiful Maya blankets and other items are still made with a manual loom. We will then travel through “the narrow strip of wilderness” which separated the land of Nephi from the land of Zarahemla. We will cross the border into Mexico and then drive through areas proposed as Minon, Manti and the Valley of Gideon (the Valle Largo). We will spend the night in the quaint mountain city of San Cristobal de las Casas. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 10: Saturday, November 8, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico
Following breakfast we will drive down the mountain into the Chiapas depression (valley). The Chiapas valley is 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) We will visit 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. After lunch we will visit the Zoo where you can catch a glimpse of the beautiful quetzal bird, the national bird of Guatemala. (Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 11: Sunday, November 9, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas
Following breakfast we will attend church at a local ward. There will be time to see the temple at Tuxtla Gutierrez. We will also visit 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. (See Helaman Chapter 4). (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 12: Monday, November 10, Flights Home
Transferring to the 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.
Prices and itineraries are subject to change.
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