BOOK OF MORMON TOUR to CENTRAL AMERICA 2012
July 28, 2012 — August 9, 2012
Director: Dr. Jerry Lyman Redd
ensigntravel@gmail.com 801-472-4411
Click here to print Registration Forms for this tour!
Day 1– Saturday, July 28 (Guatemala City/Kaminaljuyu /Temple/MTC)
After arriving in Guatemala City, we will board our private air conditioned motor coach and head to our hotel for a brief orientation, after which we visit the ancient archaeological site of Kaminaljuyu (850BC-800AD, archaeological apex 575-121 BC). At this site we find over 200 temple mounds (2 Nephi 5:16), evidence of several kin groups or lineages (Jacob 1:3), and literacy among the elite (Mosiah 1:2-4). The scholars who place the land of Lehi-Nephi at the location of present day Guatemala City have also suggested that Kaminaljuyu could be the ruins of the ancient city of Nephi. We will ascend to the top of one of these ancient temple mounds and take a few moments to read about the very first temple in this land (Nephi’s temple – 2Ne 5:16), outline the evolution of these “sacred man-made mountains” in Central America, and discuss their modern-day impact on our ability to live “after the manner of happiness” (2 Nephi 5:27). After we visit these ancient temple mounds, we will visit a modern temple – the Guatemala City Temple and make a memorable stop at the Missionary Training Center. We will then enjoy our first evening meal together, and overnight in Guatemala City.
Day 2 – Sunday, July 29 (Panajachel/Lake Atitlan)
After breakfast, we will drive from Guatemala City up the Pan-American Highway into the highlands of Guatemala and attend church services with the local saints in the Patzicia Stake. In this memorable meeting with these humble saints and beautiful children, we will
feel the same spirit, unity, and love that pervaded earlier meetings described in the Book of Mormon (Mosiah 18:21, 30). At the conclusion of the meetings, we continue our drive into the highlands past precarious mountainside farms that seem to defy gravity as they cling to steep slopes. We will also drive past the waterfall that Freiberg used in his painting of Alma baptizing at the Waters of Mormon. Our travels will take us to breathtaking Lake Atitlan, considered by some to be the most beautiful lake in the world and believed by many to be the waters of Mormon. This lake is fed by springs of pure water (Mosiah 23:4), is very beautiful (Mosiah 18:30), and has submerged ruins in the area of Santiago Atitlan – that dates to the same time period as the city of Jerusalem that was covered by water during the destruction that accompanied Christ’s visit to the American Continent (3Ne 9:7). We will take a boat ride on the lake, stop for a few moments in a beautiful and
peaceful setting, and contemplate “how beautiful are they [the waters and forests of Mormon] to the eyes of them who there came to a knowledge of their Redeemer” (Mosiah 18:30). We will consider the many lives that may have been changed in this area anciently, then discuss the elements of our own true conversion. After returning to shore, we will enjoy dinner and a fireside, then overnight in Panajachel, Guatemala.
Day 3 – Monday, July 30 (Obsidian Mountain)
After breakfast, we will take some time to walk through the markets, do some shopping, and observe native Indians dressed in multi-colored clothes. As you shop, keep your eyes open for a system of weights, still used in these markets, similar to the Nephite monetary system described in Alma 11:5-10. When the shopping is finished, we drive to Honduras and the ruins of Copan. On our way we will make a brief stop at an obsidian mountain. Obsidian is a black, hard, almost glass-like substance, used in Book of Mormon times, to make tools, cutting devices, and weapons of war. Obsidian today represents the sharpest cutting edge known to man, several times sharper than a surgical steel scalpel. We will talk about the process by which obsidian becomes such a superior surgical instrument and compare it to the process by which we become similar “instruments” in the hands of the Lord. We will overnight in Copan, Honduras.
Day 4 – Tuesday, July 31 (Copan)
After breakfast we visit the breathtaking ruins of Copan (900BC-1200AD, archaeological apex 465-738 AD), a major Mayan ceremonial complex. It has been said that Tikal is like New York City and Copan is like Paris. The newly uncovered ruins of Copan have been featured in the October 1989 and December 1997 National Geographic. We will see the great Hieroglyphic Stairway, the longest single written inscription in Pre-Columbian America, an artifact said to be the Star of David or Solomon’s Seal, a Mayan sculpture of a
bearded man, the “Rosalila” Pyramid, a near perfect Mayan ball court, the large and small museums, and a sculpture of a jaguar that looks like the twin brother of BYU’s own Cosmo – immortalized like a charging running back on Copan’s stony wall. Copan was the center of a dynasty that ruled the Maya kingdom for over 400 years and today marked for it majestic art and hieroglyphs. We will be impressed with the skill, time, and effort it must have taken to carve these hieroglyphs in stone. These glyphs have endured the test of time
and compel us to remember that these regal but desolate ruins are ruins, because they forgot Him. We will take some time to contemplate why it is important for us to “remember” and reflect on some eternal truths that we must never forget. We should have time in the afternoon to rest, relax, and swim as we overnight again at the Posada Real de Copan.
Day 5 – Wednesday, August 1 (Quirigua)
Today we travel across the Rio Dulce and into the Peten Jungle to the ruins of Quirigua (300AD-900AD). When John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood discovered Quirigua in 1840, the Times and Seasons (edited by the Prophet Joseph Smith) published the following statement: “We are not going to declare positively that the ruins of Quirigua are those of Zarahemla” but then added that it would be difficult to “prove that the ruins of the city in question are not one of those referred to in the Book of Mormon.” Quirigua is the site of the tallest, most intricate, and most distinctive monuments of the Mayan Empire – including Stela E, which is over 35 feet tall and weighs 65 tons. The stone depiction of dignitaries dressed in tall decorated headdresses (almost matching the height of the man himself) reminds us of Mormon’s question, “why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life” (Mormon 8:39) and Moroni’s declaration “pride hath proven their destruction” (Moroni 8:27). We will take a moment to ponder the principle of pride – as pronounced by prophets both ancient and modern. We will overnight in Flores, Guatemala (very near the area where “Survivor Guatemala” was filmed, and home to some of the most intense water volleyball games you will ever experience).
Day 6 – Thursday, August 2 (Tikal)
Today we visit the incomparable ruins of Tikal (600BC-900AD). These ruins reveal the Mayan civilization in its greatest splendor – being among the most famous, extensive, and breathtaking of all ancient architecture. We will visit the Great Plaza, Temple I, Temple II, the Lost World pyramid, and the largely unexcavated 230-foot Temple IV, some of which we will climb. We will see the same vista that George Lucas used in his Star Wars episode. We will hear King Benjamin’s sermon broadcast from the top of a pyramid in a normal voice, yet heard across the entire plaza. In the Central Acropolis, we will sit on an ancient judgment throne, marvel at palace floor plans, and sit on the edge of an ancient stone bed. We will envision the lifeless body of Alma the younger laying upon a bed that must have
been very similar to this one for three days before coming to his physical and spiritual senses. We will take some time to ponder our own position to the question “Have ye . . . been born of God” (Alma 5:14)? We will have a catered lunch in the Tikal Park and overnight again in Flores, Guatemala.
Day 7 – Friday, August 3 (Usumacinta River/Yaxchilan)
Today we depart very early from Flores and bus to the Usumacinta River, considered by several scholars as a great candidate for the river Sidon. We will boat down this river to the archaeological site of Yaxchilan (150 BC-880AD) which means “green stones” in the Mayan language. This site, beautifully located on the west side of the river – much like the ancient city of Zarahemla – is famous for its remarkable stelae, impressive fortifications,
ponderous walls, labyrinthine entrances, well preserved lintels above the doors, and remnants of a pyramid-like object in the middle of the river that may have been part of an ancient suspension bridge used to cross the river. Yaxchilan is also home to one of the largest Cieba trees in the Maya world – considered by the Maya for thousands of years to be the sacred tree of life. Before leaving Yaxchilan, we will apply some powerful principles of truth to our own lives from the tree in Lehi’s dream: “I beheld a tree whose fruit was desirable to make one happy” (1 Nephi 8:10). We will leave this site with a much better
understanding of who the tree represents and how we partake of that fruit which brings so much joy. By mid afternoon we will say “adios” to Guatemala and “hola” to Mexico as we come back down the river and exit onto Mexican soil. We will overnight in Palenque.
Day 8 – Saturday, August 4 (Palenque/Misol-Ha Falls)
This morning we will visit the fabled ruins of Palenque (200AD-900AD, archaeological apex 600-800AD). We will visit the inner courtyard of the king’s palace dominated by an
observation tower that is unique in all of the Americas. We will visit the Temple of Inscriptions and attempt to locate the Mayan glyph that means “and it came to pass”. Buried in the base of this temple is Lord Shield Pacal – making this edifice the largest burial monument in America. We can climb the temples of the Sun, the temple of the Cross, and the temple of the Foliated Cross. We will take a few moments to examine
artifacts in the recently completed Palenque Museum. A highlight of our experience today will be to sit on the steps of the inner courtyard under the shadow of a majestic observation tower that was used anciently to monitor movements along one of the great trade routes of Mesoamerica. Here, the story of wicked King Noah and Abinadai will come to life. Here, we will discuss the design and purpose of ancient observation towers. Here, we will talk of “spiritual towers” even more essential and eternally significant than those we now admire. After our visit to Palenque, we will take a short drive to the picturesque Misol-Ha Falls and enjoy the exquisite beauty of this 200-foot waterfall cascading over the cliffs into a large pool of water and have an opportunity to swim at the base of this magnificent miracle of nature. We will overnight again in Palenque, Mexico.
Day 9 – Sunday, August 5 (Becan/Chicanna/Chetumal)
Today we will take a long drive across the Yucatan Peninsula to visit the ruins of Becan (600BC-1450AD, archaeological apex 100-300AD) which means “Road of the Serpent” in Mayan. These ruins are surrounded by a large dry moat that was constructed between 100
AD and 250 AD, very similar in both time and construction to the fortifications of Captain Moroni described in Alma 50 and 53. The massive moat and amazing fortifications at Becan remind us that Moroni’s strongholds were the key to his success (Alma 53:4-5). Creating our own “strongholds” will be the key to ours. We will find a private place at some nearby ruins and discuss a powerful principle of personal love taught by the Savior during his visit to this land. We will take some time to be by ourselves, have a testimony meeting, and a sacrament service outside on the grass, similar to the Savior’s very first sacrament meeting on this continent. On our way to Chetumal, we will also visit the ruins of Chicanna 300BC-1100AD, archaeological apex 550-700AD) which means “serpent house” in Yucatec Mayan. The entrance to Chicanna is a gigantic open mouth of the serpent monster Itzamna. By coming forth out of this mouth, the Mayan priests proclaimed their power over the underworld and death. As a group, sitting inside this magnificent man-made gate, we will learn about “the goodness” of another Priest with
eternal power never to be diminished or decreased, “who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell” (2 Nephi 9:10).
Our day will end with our arrival in Chetumal, Mexico.
Day 10 – Monday, August 6 (Tulum, All-Inclusive Mayan Riviera Resort)
The morning will find us traveling up the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula to the ruins of Tulum (1200AD-1514AD). Although Tulum does not date to the Book of Mormon, it is perhaps the one of the most picturesque of all the ruins in Central America. It sits strategically on a cliff overlooking the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean. We will see the temple ruin called El Castillo, the temple paintings which contain frescoes with sacred colors, and an immersion font fed by a spring. We will overnight at an all-inclusive resort on the Mayan Riviera.
Day 11 – Tuesday, August 7 (Free Time at the Resort)
Today’s activities consist of either spending time at the Resort OR participating in resort-sponsored activities and excursions that require additional fees. At the resort you can rest, relax, play, and eat all you want and whenever you want – free of charge. You can
paddle boat, wind surf, sail boat, and snorkel – all free of charge! You can swim or sunbathe in any of the 8 lavish pools, miniature golf, 3-hole golf course, participate in ping pong tournaments, basketball tournaments, water volleyball tournaments, sand volleyball tournaments, water aerobics, beach front aerobics, and obstacle course competitions, – all free of charge. In the evenings there are Broadway-type entertainment shows – and, of course, more food – free of charge. If you get bored with the free activities, for additional fees you can choose a variety of activities (swim with dolphins and other marine animals, parasail, wave runners, 4-runners, jungle zip line) or excursions (Chichen Itza, Xcaret, Coba, Cenote Ikil, scuba, and snorkel excursions).
Day 12 – Wednesday, August 8 (Free Time at the Resort)
Today’s activities consist of either spending time at the Resort OR participating in resort-sponsored activities and excursions that require additional fees. Catch up on anything you missed yesterday or do some shopping in the world-famous markets of Playa Del Carmen (15 minutes from the resort) and/or take a ferry from Playa Del Carmen to the nearby island of Cozumel (world-renown for crystal clear waters, scuba diving, and snorkeling).
Day 13 – Thursday, August 9 (Flight to United States)
After breakfast, we will board the bus for Cancun International Airport. If time permits, we will take a quick tour of the city of Cancun and take a few moments for last minute
shopping. Reluctantly, we will say goodbye to a people we have grown to love, the land that we have learned about, and memories we have made that will never be forgotten. We will arrive in Salt Lake City late Wednesday evening.
