BOOK OF MORMON LAND YOUTH TOUR

We Arrive At The Guatemala City Airport And Transfer By Shuttle To Our Hotel For Check-In And An Overnight Stay.

This Morning We Will Visit The Guatemala City Temple. Next, We Transfer To The Guatemala Relief Map, A Large Outdoor Relief Map Of The Country, To Gain A Better Understanding Of It’s Rugged, Mountainous Topology (Alma 22:27), And Discuss Reasons For Which Armies And Exploration Parties Were So Easily Lost In The Wilderness (Mosiah 23:30, 21:25).

This Afternoon We Transfer To The Ancient Archaeological Site Of Kaminaljuyu Which Is A Proposed Candidate For The City Of Nephi. 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). We Will Visit An Ancient Temple Site And Take A Few Moments To Read About The Reasons For Temple Rites Ancient And Modern (2 Nephi 5:16, Malachi 3:1, 4:5-6, D&C 128:11-13, 24 D&C 138:46-49), Outline The Evolution Of These “Sacred Man-Made Mountains”, And Discuss Their Modern-Day Impact On Our Ability To Live “After The Manner Of Happiness” (2 Nephi 5:27). We Return To Our Hotel For An Overnight Stay.

Today We Will Attend Sacrament Meeting To Enjoy The Music And Spoken Word Of The Meeting In The Beautiful Spanish Language. Afterward, We Will Drive Into The Western Highlands Over The Continental Divide Past Precarious Mountainside Farms With Terraced Hillsides And See Colourfully Dressed Indigenous Women. We Will Stop At Godinez, A Small Community In Solola, To Visit The Safe Homes For Children Orphanage And Help Families In The Local Community. Later, We Will Drive To Panajachel And Check Into Our Hotel For An Overnight Stay.

Today, We Will Take A Brief Boat Ride On Lake Atitlan, Considered To Be One Of The Most Beautiful Lakes In The World And Proposed To Be The Waters Of Mormon. This Beautiful Lake Is Fed By Several Rivers And Small Springs (Mosiah 18:30, 23:4). Interestingly, It Has A Submerged Site, Samabaj, That Dates Closely To Time Period Given Of Destruction, When The City Of Jerusalem Was Covered By Water During That Preceded Christ’s Visit To The Americas (3 Ne 9:7). At The Lake We Will Discuss And Contemplate “How Beautiful Are They To The Eyes Of Them Who There Came To The Knowledge Of Their Redeemer” (Mosiah 18:30). In This Beautiful And Peaceful Setting, We Will Consider The Many Lives That May Have Been Transformed And Discuss The Elements Of Our Own True Conversion. Afterward, We Will Visit The San Buenaventura Nature Reserve To Feed The Spider Monkeys And Coatimundis And Hike Its Trails And Suspension Bridges. For The Adventurous Members Of The Group, We Will Join A Zip Line Tour (Optional) That Zigzags Across The Ravine For Some Of The Most Exhilarating And Breathtaking Vistas You Can Imagine Of The Lake Below. Afterward We Will Return To Our Hotel For An Overnight Stay.

After Check-Out We Will Transfer To Copan Honduras. En Route, We Will Stop Briefly At El Chayal (“Obsidian” In The Kakchikel Maya Language), Site Of The Most Important Obsidian Mine In The Mayan World. Over Many Years, Vast Quantities Of Black Obsidian Were Mined At El Chayal And Chipped To Form Into Arrow And Spear Points, Axe And Knife Blades, And Other Tools. John Sorensen, A Book Of Mormon Scholar Has Proposed That El Chayal Is Onidah, The Place Of Arms Mentioned As A Gathering Place For The Lamanite Armies (Alma 47:5). Afterward, We Will Continue Our Journey To Copan Crossing The Honduran Border Before Checking Into Our Hotel For An Overnight Stay.

This Morning We Visit The Breathtaking Copan, A Major Mayan Ceremonial Complex. The Explored Copan Have Been Featured In Many Archaeological Studies And Articles. Copan Rose To Prominence During The Classic Maya Period, After The Close Of The Book Of Mormon, In Large Part Due To Its Tributary Control Of The Trade Routes On The Copan And Motagua Rivers, Although Its Early History Shows Olmec Influence, The Earliest Known Civilization Of Mesoamerica, Considered By Many Book Of Mormon Scholars To Be The Jaredite Civilization (Ether). Copan Was The Center Of A Dynasty That Ruled The Maya Kingdom For Over 400 Years And Is Marked For Its Majestic Art And Hieroglyphs. The Skill, Time, And Effort Taken To Carve These Hieroglyphs In Stone Are Remarkable And Inspiring. The Great Hieroglyphic Stairway, The Longest Single Written Inscription In Pre-Columbian America, Curiously, Boasts The Star Of David. We Will Visit The Rosalila Pyramid, A Mayan Ball Court, And Also A Museum. We Will Contemplate Why It Is Important To “Remember” Our Sacred Past And Reflect On Eternal Truths That We Must Never Forget (Helaman 12). Afterward, We Will Take A Tour Of The Mountain Valley On Horseback (Optional) And Return To Our Hotel For An Overnight Stay.

Today We Transfer Back Into Guatemala And Travel Along The Motagua Flood Plains To Visit Quirigua. After The 19th Century Explorers, John Lloyd Stephens And Frederick Catherwood, Documented Their Visit To Quirigua, The Times And Seasons, Vol. III, Published At Nauvoo In October, 1842 Suggested Quirigua To Be The City Of Zarahemla, In Part, Because Of Its Proximity To A Prominent River (Alma 6:7) And Detailed Stone Inscriptions (Omni 1:20-21). To Date, Archaeological Excavations, Indicate The Site Was Occupied Principally From The 5th Century AD To The 9th Century AD, After The Close Of The Book Of Mormon, But The Extravagant, Larger-Than-Life Stela At The Site Are Obvious Reminders That Power And Pride Often Precede Destruction (2 Nephi 26:10-11). 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 Could Remind 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 Transfer To Rio Dulce And Take A Memorable Boat Ride On The Rio Dulce River. Afterwards, We Will Transfer To Our Hotel For Check-In And An Overnight Stay.

Today We Will Transfer To The Incomparable Tikal. This Mayan Classic City Reveals The Mayan Civilization In Its Greatest Splendour –Among The Famous, Extensive, And Breathtaking Examples Of Ancient Architecture. We Will Visit The Great Plaza, Temple I, Temple II, The Lost World Pyramid, And The 230-Foot Temple IV, The Reference Point From Which Mayan Day Keepers Marked Sacred Dates On Their Agricultural Calendar. We Will Also Describe And Discuss The Significance Of The Celestial Serpent Or Feathered Serpent On Lintel 3 Found Inside The Chambers Of The Temple Shrine Atop Temple IV. The Source Of This Important Creator God, Whose Motif Is Found At Many Ceremonial Sites Across Mesoamerica, Is Considered By Book Of Mormon Scholars To Be Jehovah Or Jesus Christ, The Creator, Healer And Savior Of All Those Who Receive Him (Num. 21:8-9, John 3:14-15). We Will Consider The Importance Of Our Relationship With Jesus Christ And The Constant Need To Keep Our Focus On Him As A Fixed Point Of Reference Eternally (Alma 33:19-22). In The Central Acropolis, We Will Marvel At The Homes And Palaces, And Can Rest On An Ancient Stone Bed. We Might Envision Alma The Younger Lifeless For Three Days Before Returning To His Physical Senses And Surroundings. We Will Ponder And Discuss The Question “Have Ye . . . Been Born Of God” (Alma 5:14)? Afterward, We Will Transfer To Our Hotel For Check-In And An Overnight Stay.

Today We Will Transfer To Belize And Take A Boat Ride Up The New River To The Archaeological Site Of Lamanai, Remarkedly Similar To Laman Or Lamoni, Names Of Lamanite Kings In The Book Of Mormon. Etymologists Propose That The Name Lamanai Means “Submerged Crocodile” In The Yucatec Mayan Language. According To Early 16th Century Catholic Church Records, The Name Origen Of This Site Long Predates The Spanish Conquest. We Will Discuss The Meaning Of The Mayan World Tree Or Tree Of Life As It Relates To Their Early Understanding Of The Physical And Spiritual Worlds. We Will Relate The World Tree To Lehi And Nephi’s Dreams (1 Nephi 8:10 And 11:7) To Gain A Better Understanding Of What The Tree Of Life Represents To Us And How We Can Partake Of The Love Of God Which Brings Real Joy And Lasting Purpose To Our Lives. We Will Return By Boat To Our Bus And Transfer To Our Hotel At Chetumal And An Overnight Stay.

Today, We Will Visit The Local Church Services For Sacrament Meeting And Then Return To Our Hotel For Check-Out. Next, We Continue Up The Coast Of Quintana Roo To The Ceremonial City Of Tulum, A Late Post Classic Maya City (1200 AD To 1600 AD) Built On The Edge Of A Cliff Overlooking The Caribbean Sea. Although Tulum Post Dates The Book Of Mormon, It Is Noteworthy That Tulum Was Long Preserved As A Religious Centre For Mayan Priests. We Will Visit The El Castillo Temple, The Temple Of The Frescoes, And The Temple Of The Descending And Diving God, Associated With Kukulkan, The Feathered Serpent, And The Venus Deity Worshipped Throughout Mesoamerica. Interestingly, Venus Is One Of The Morning And Evening Stars, Another Name Title Of Jesus Christ. We Will Recall The Eyewitness Account Of Christ’s Appearance As The Resurrected Lord God To His People At The Temple In Bountiful After His Ascension From Jerusalem (3 Nephi 11:7-11). Afterwards, We Will Transfer To Our Hotel In Playa Del Carmen For Check-In And Say Farewell To Those Who Have Helped Us Create Many Unforgettable Memories. We Will Overnight At Our Hotel

oday We Will Transfer To The Cancun International Airport For Our Return Flight To The U.S. Buen Viaje!