PHOENIX (AP) — In a corner of ancient ruins, not far from the towering Pyramid of the Sun, a small group of Mormons sat among the milling tourists in Teotihuacan, Mexico, and gazed across what they believe could be a significant part of their church's history.

"This is just what it says in the Book of Mormon about the Jaredites," Bill Welsh of Provo said excitedly as an archaeologist described how internal strife sped the downfall of Teotihuacan.

For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the ruins of Mexico and Central America may have been the places 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, Ariz., 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 Nephites were destroyed by rival tribes around A.D. 385, the church says. One of the last surviving Nephites wandered through the Americas and eventually buried the plates in New York.

The plates were found and translated in the 1800s by the Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith, the church says.

The LDS Church 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.