Allen’s Book of Mormon
Tours
15-Day Land Northward to Bountiful Tour
October 5 – 19, 2024
$3,495.00 per person
double occupancy
Does not include
international air flights.
(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.
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 Joseph
Allen.
A
tour deposit of $500 per person is due in order to reserve your space on the
tour. A second payment of $1,000 per person is due 6 months prior to departure
with the final payment due 60 days prior to departure. The deposit amount 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.
Call
today to book your space on this deluxe Book of Mormon experience.
1.801.226.5200 or email us at [email protected].
Itinerary
Day 1: Saturday, October 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, October 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, October 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, October 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 will 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, October 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, October 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, October 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 during the reign of King Mosiah at about 100 BC. In the afternoon, we will visit the black
pottery shop and learn about 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, October 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, October 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 several scholars agree 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 lakeside
town of Catemaco for the evening. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 10: Monday, October 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” (the 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, October 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, October 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 will stay
at the beautiful jungle resort of the Explorean at Kohunlich, a favorite of
everyone. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 13: Thursday, October 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 trees 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, October 18, Playa del Carmen
This morning we will travel from Chetumal north
along the coast of the Riviera Maya to the archaeological site of Tulum.
The ruins are situated on 39-feet-tall cliffs along the east coast of the
Yucatán Peninsula on the beautiful turquoise colored Caribbean Sea. Tulum was
the last great city constructed and inhabited by the Mayan people between the
thirteenth and fifteenth centuries. It was a site of worship to the Great
Descending God whose image adorns the temples within the site. Tulum was
also of great importance for sea trade, most specifically for the trading of
obsidian. Tribes from all over Mexico and other Central American countries
would travel to this Caribbean port for commerce. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 15:
Saturday, October 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. (No meals
included)
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 Joseph Allen
