Day
1: Saturday, November 1, 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 provided)
Day
2: Sunday, November 2, Guatemala City
Following
church services with a local ward, we will see the LDS temple in Guatemala City.
Afterwards, we will 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). 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, 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 late afternoon we will take a
return flight to Guatemala City.
(Breakfast, Lunch).
Day
4: Tuesday, November 4, Lake Atitlan
After checking out of our
hotel, we will visit the archaeological zone of Kaminaljuyu, a place considered by many to be the place where Nephi
settled in the 6th century BC (see 2 Nephi 5:5-10). We will then bus
to Antigua, the old Spanish capital of Guatemala, where we will visit the jade
factory to see how the intricate jade artifacts are made. Jade was the most important precious stone to
the Maya. We will continue 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, November 5, 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. After lunch, you will have free time in
which you may relax, shop, or make a visit to a small museum containing pottery
recovered from beneath the surface of Lake Atitlan. This pottery is known as
the ¡°Miraflores¡± style which dates to the 1st century BC and comes
from Kaminaljuyu. A fireside on the
historical literature of the Book of Mormon will be presented by your tour
director in the evening. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day
6: Thursday, November 6, Quetzaltenango
Following
a leisurely 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, where we will check into our hotel that
overlooks the city square. We will have
the opportunity to see the new LDS temple
that we dedicated in December 2011. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day
7: Friday, November 7, Tapachula, Mexico
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, Nov 8, Tapachula, Mexico
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 the
rest of the day will be free to prepare for our trip home. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day
9: Sunday, November 9, 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. (No meals provided)
