Mormon tourists travel to key sites of their faith

For the world's 13 million Mormons, the ruins of Mexico and Central America are hallowed ground, a place where Old Testament tribes settled after traveling across the ocean and where Jesus came to preach after his Resurrection. Although archaeologists say there is scant evidence to back up such beliefs, a growing number of travelers are paying thousands of dollars to search for connections on Mormon-themed tours and cruises.

"It solidifies the things you read about in the Book of Mormon," Randy Andrus of Gilbert said as he walked through a section of Teotihuacan known as the Citadel. "I'm feeling some good things here."

Mormons believe that three groups of people _ the Jaredites, the Mulekites and the family of a Hebrew merchant named Lehi _ sailed from the Middle East and settled in the Americas hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus.

The descendants of Lehi split into two camps, the Nephites and the Lamanites, and were visited by Jesus after his Resurrection around A.D. 34, Mormons believe. The Nephites kept records of their history on gold plates....

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as the Mormon church is known, does not have an official position on where the ancient tribes lived. Even Mormon archaeologists say more research is needed to pinpoint their cities.

But that hasn't stopped tour companies from offering Book of Mormon trips to Guatemala, Honduras and southern Mexico, places rich in pre-Hispanic ruins.

"No one is exactly sure where these things happened, but we think we have some good candidates," said Blake Allen, president of Book of Mormon Tours.

Book of Mormon Tours, which started in the 1970s, claims to be the first such company, but at least 10 others now offer tours and cruises. One of the biggest tour operators, Liahona Tours, started in 2001 and has seen its business double every year, President Shelby Saberon said. This year, it will conduct 16 tours.