Quito Ecuador Temple

On 3 April 2016, during the Sunday morning session of the 186th Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Thomas S. Monson announced that Ecuador's second temple would be constructed in the capital city of Quito. The Quito Ecuador Temple will be constructed east of Quito in the beautiful suburb of Cumbayá at the junction of Ruta Viva and Escalón Lumbisí.

Nestled in a long, narrow valley high in the Andes mountains, Quito is known for being the highest capital city in the world at 9,350 feet above sea level.

There are more than 250,000 members of the Church in Ecuador and more than 300 congregations. There are 42 operating stakes in this city of 2.5 million people, which is the second-most populous city in Ecuador after Guayaquil, where the nation's first temple was constructed.

Prior to the announcement of Quito's temple, Ecuador was the country with the highest number of members with only one temple. The Saints of Quito currently travel 270 miles to reach the Guayaquil Ecuador Temple, which was dedicated on 1 August 1999. Saints in the Imbabura region, north of Quito, generally arrange 13-hour overnight bus trips to attend the temple, participating in two endowments sessions and lunch before re-boarding the bus and returning home.

The Quito Ecuador Temple will serve Latter-day Saints in Quito, Otavalo, Ambato, Santo Domingo, and other areas in the region.

The Groundbreaking Ceremony Is Held for the Quito Ecuador Temple

The official rendering of the Quito Ecuador Temple was released on 7 March 2019.

More than 800 people participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for the Quito Ecuador Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including religious leaders, community leaders, and Dr. Maria Paula Romo, the Interior Minister, on Saturday, 11 May 2019. Elder Enrique R. Falabella, South America Northwest Area President, presided and dedicated the temple site signifying the beginning of construction for the sacred edifice.

Elder Hugo Montoya, a member of the Seventy and a counselor in the South America Northwest Area Presidency, expressed his love for the people of Ecuador. He said, "As members we support each other to serve the citizens of this country. The temple will be a refuge. We should not be distressed despite our problems. If we can be in a safe place, this place is the temple."

Attendance at the temple site was by invitation only, but the general public was invited to view the proceedings live from local meetinghouses.

The South America Northwest Area Presidency with their wives outside the Quito Ecuador Temple. Courtesy The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Quito Ecuador Temple will serve the Latter-day Saints of Quito, Otavalo, Ambato, Santo Domingo, as well as other areas in the region. This will be the second temple in the country. The Guayaquil Ecuador Temple was dedicated on 1 August 1999.

Open House

The public open house is being held from Friday, 14 October 2022, to Saturday, 29 October 2022, excluding Sundays — 16 October and 23 October.

Elder Jorge Zeballos, Elder Jorge T. Becerra, and Elder Rafael E. Pino, General Authority Seventies and members of the South America Northwest Area Presidency, accompanied by their wives and officials from the Church’s Communication Department, welcomed the media on October 11.

Dedication of the Quito Ecuador Temple

Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presided over three dedicatory sessions of the Quito Ecuador Temple November 20 at 9 a.m., noon, and 3 p.m. He was accompanied by his wife, Sister Mary Cook; Elder Kevin R. Duncan, a General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Church’s Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Nancy Duncan; Elder Shayne M. Bowen, General Authority Seventy, and his wife, Sister Lynette Bowen; Elder Jorge F. Zeballos, a General Authority Seventy and president of the Church’s South America Northwest Area, and his wife, Sister Carmen Zeballos.

A group of nearly 100 people gathered around the east corner of the temple in anticipation of the symbolic sealing of the building’s cornerstone during the first dedicatory session.[1]

In addition to Quito, the temple will serve those in the Ecuadorian cities of Otavalo, Ambato, Santo Domingo and other areas.

The temple is the 24th temple in South America — with the 23rd being dedicated a few hours earlier in Belém, Brazil.