Puebla Mexico Temple

On 7 October 2018, at the close of the 188th Semiannual general conference, Russell M. Nelson, the president and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that a temple will be built in the city of Puebla, México. Puebla is located in east-central México, southeast of Mexico City (La Ciudad de México).

México is home to more than 1.5 million Latter-day Saints. There are 11 stakes and two districts in Puebla, and over 1,800 Latter-day Saint congregations in México.

The Puebla México Temple is the 14th temple built in México. The temple is constructed in the northwestern section of the city, just south of a highway interchange on a beautiful boulevard with a landscaped center island named 15 de Mayo.

The official rendering of the Puebla Mexico Temple was released to the public on Tuesday, 24 September 2019, in conjunction with the groundbreaking ceremony announcement.

Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Puebla Mexico Temple

On Saturday, 30 November 2019, Church and community leaders gathered for the groundbreaking ceremony of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints's Puebla Mexico Temple, signifying the beginning of construction.

Elder Arnulfo Valenzuela, a General Authority Seventy and then-president of the México Area, presided at the event presided and offered the dedicatory prayer. His counselors, Elder Rafael E. Pino and Elder John C. Pingree Jr., also attended. The event was transmitted via the internet to stake centers in the proposed temple district.

Open House

A public open house was held Friday, March 29 through Saturday, April 20, 2024, excluding March 31, April 6, 7, and April 14. Before the public open house, a media day was held on Monday, March 25, 2024. Religious leaders, government officials, and community leaders toured the temple through Thursday, March 28, 2024.

Dedication

Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the Puebla Mexico Temple in two sessions on Sunday, May 19, 2024. The dedicatory sessions were held at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. CST.

“A temple is a beacon of light in a community,” said Elder Gong, “and it lifts us and draws us to God our Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.”

Elder Gong was accompanied by his wife, Susan; Elder Kevin R. Duncan, General Authority Seventy and Executive Director in the Temple Department, and his wife, Nancy; and Elder Hugo Montoya, General Authority Seventy and President of the Mexico Area, and his wife, Maria.

Mexico — with the 10th largest population and the 11th largest economy — is an important country in the Church and the world, Elder Gong noted. “Mexico is blessed multiple generations of covenant-keepers,” he said. “There is so much goodness and faith among the people of Mexico.

Standing on the temple grounds the day before Sunday’s dedication, Elder Hugo Montoya, General Authority Seventy and President of the Mexico Area, paid tribute to the faithfulness and consecration of Church members in the Puebla temple district. “People in this area have been waiting 100 years for the house of the Lord in their city,” he said. “Many prayers have been answered.”[1]