Some bad news and some good news

First, the bad: the tour with Cruise Lady this year has been cancelled. The ship was filling up and the lower rate was lost for this excursion. But Cruise Lady is still interested in having Daniel headline a cruise, so they have scheduled one for him next year in September. If you had wanted to go on this one but did not have the time now, start thinking about next year! It should be very fun and informative.

Also, the Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum had invited Daniel to give a presentation at this year's conference. Initially, he had to turn it down because it conflicted with the cruise, but since he now has that time open and the BMAF still has a spot available, he will be speaking there this year. This will be a good time to let people know about An LDS Guide to the Yucatán, which should be ready and out by then. We have finished our initial layout and sent the files to our publisher, Cedar Fort. They are now working on proofing and editing the text. We are very excited to have completed this second book and look forward to getting the word out and talking to all those who are interested. Our contact at the publisher has some good ideas about promoting it, so stay tuned for more info.

New article about Cancuén

The Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum has published an article written by Daniel from our upcoming book. It is taken from from the chapter on the Guatemalan site of Cancuén. A full PDF can be downloaded from our blog, but the BMAF's site has a nice, condensed page where you can quickly get an overview of this interesting site.

Daniel has also been asked by the BMAF to give a presentation on horses in ancient America at their conference this fall. Stay tuned for more info.

Click here to read the Cancuén article at the BMAF's website.

Native American traditions about horses

Things on the blog have been quiet as we are furiously working on finishing up our new book this month. But here is some information we felt was important to share. Daniel has been gathering research that supports the existence of horses on the American continent for much longer than is commonly believed. Look for the chapter on the Loltún Caves in An LDS Guide to the Yucatán for data on horse bones, including radiocarbon dating, stratigraphic excavations, and more.

But perhaps an overlooked area of support for indigenous ancient American horses is found in Native traditions about them. Many Native American tribes adapted very quickly to the use of horses once they were reintroduced by European conquerors. Was this something they were already familiar with culturally?

Click here for a page with articles supporting the idea that horses were here before Columbus.

Guest on a paranormal radio show

In a surprising turn of events, Daniel contacted a paranormal-themed radio show based in Massachusetts, Spooky Southcoast. His purpose was to see if they were interested in an LDS perspective on topics like ghosts, hauntings, life after death, angels, and so on. They responded quite quickly and thought it would be a great idea for a show, since Mormons are in the news a lot these days and no one seems to know what our take on these topics is.

He was invited to be the guest on their 7 April live show. Daniel was kept on for an hour and a half, answering many questions on the origin of the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, missions, the Word of Wisdom, temples and other core LDS beliefs, instead of many of the topics he had prepared. There was still a substantial amount of time to discuss the nature of spirits, the pre-existence, ministering of angels, life on other planets, and so on, but there seemed to be a great deal of interest in our basic beliefs. Daniel was also able to talk about the books and the experiences and research that led to them. We hope this was an enlightening experience for all involved. Daniel had a good time and the hosts were quite pleasant and sincere. In fact, he wouldn't mind doing this again.

Click here to listen to the audio archive.
Click here to listen to a podcast in iTunes.

Evidence for horses receives attention

Daniel's recent article about horse bones from the Yucatán has been attracting attention on the Internet. Someone posted it on the LDS Freedom Forum and got a response from Steven Jones, who used to be a professor at BYU. He and another professor, Wade Miller, have done research including DNA testing and Carbon-14 dating on other ancient horse remains from the Americas. The findings show that horses unrelated to the European varieties brought by the Spanish were here before Columbus. There is some good information in these posts and links to other helpful articles as well.

Daniel registered with the forum and added some replies to the topics being discussed. He is also in contact with Professors Jones and Miller to see what other work they have done in this area. A lot is coming to light these days that supports the existence of horses in ancient America for a long time, not just before the last Ice Age.


Click here to read the posts at the LDS Freedom Forum.

Come on an adventure in Book of Mormon lands

We have some exciting news to announce. Daniel has been contacted by Cruise Lady, an LDS tour company, to headline their cruise and tour to Book of Mormon lands this fall. The cruise ship leaves from Port Canaveral in Florida on 13 October and returns on the 20th. The ship stops at ports in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, Belize, and Honduras. Maya sites visited will be Tulum, Lamanai, and Chacchobén. While at sea, Daniel will be giving presentations and firesides on these lands and their connection to Book of Mormon themes.

If you have ever thought about taking a cruise to these areas, this October is your chance! The presentations will be great opportunities to bring up and discuss all your questions and comments on these topics. Daniel will also be offering free, signed and personalized copies of An LDS Guide to Mesoamerica to the tour guests, one per household. He will also be discussing our new book, which will be out as an eBook by that time.

Daniel will accompany the group on all tours and activities on land to add insights to the sights we visit. This promises to be a great vacation and learning experience. The cruise price is based on double occupancy and the prices are quite reasonable. In order for this tour to happen, enough people need to sign up, so we are trying to get the word out. If you know someone who would like a trip like this, let them know as well. Click the image above for a larger view of the trip's details and prices.

Click here for a detailed page on this tour at Cruise Lady's site.