Tijuana México Temple
On 2 October 2010, during the opening of the 180th General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Thomas S. Monson announced the construction of a new temple in Tijuana, México. Currently there are 12 operating LDS temples in México, and the Tijuana México Temple, once dedicated, will be the 13th. The new temple is located on Paseo del Río in southeastern Tijuana with a backdrop of the beautiful Cerro Colorado, a landmark hill in eastern Tijuana, near Macroplaza on Boulevard Insurgentes, which bears white letters near the peak that state: Jesucristo es el Señor (Jesus Christ is Lord). The Tijuana México Temple is the first LDS temple built in México since one was completed a decade ago in the northern industrial city of Monterrey. Its geographic service area will be Baja California and the Sonoran border community of San Luis Río Colorado. Currently, Latter-day Saints from the area must cross the U.S. border to attend the San Diego California Temple.
The Church of Jesus Christ has experienced rapid growth in Tijuana in recent years. There are six stakes in the city of Tijuana with nearby stakes located in the states of Baja California and Sonora.
Total Church membership in México is reported at 1,368,475 with 34 missions, 1,998 congregations, and 228 stakes. There are more than 2,000 Mexican full-time missionaries serving in México and in various other parts of the world.
Site Dedication and Ground Breaking Ceremony
On the morning of Saturday, 18 August 2012, some 2,000 faithful Latter-day Saints gathered to a barren lot in eastern Tijuana to participate in the site dedication and groundbreaking ceremony for the Tijuana México Temple. The design of the landmark building reflects the Spanish Colonial influences that characterize much of Mexican architecture including the Spanish missions found throughout Mexico and the southwestern United States—specifically the San Xavier del Bac Mission in Tucson, Arizona. Elder Benjamín De Hoyos of the Seventy, First Counselor in the México Area presidency, presided at the event. He commented, "Those early Spanish friars were very valiant in their preaching and building. And today, we in México are very comfortable with the style of those churches. The temple will be an emblem for the entire Tijuana community." The brilliant white exterior of the sacred edifice symbolizes the holy purpose of the temple, which is crowned with a distinctive central tower, lifting the eyes heavenward. Towering palm trees and colorful landscaping will decorate the temple grounds.
Dominga G. Sifuentes, who was baptized in 1964, stated, "I remember when the first chapel was built here. We had 30 members then. Now we have a temple. I've watched the Church grow and have seen many chapels constructed, but the temple brings a special air of peace and tranquility." Elder De Hoyos further commented, "We've seen in other Mexican cities where a temple has been built that there is a new-found peace in the city itself. Not only in Mexico, but in other Latin American countries I've visited, a temple can be a real factor in bringing a sense of security and prosperity. And we feel certain much the same thing will happen here."
History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tijuana
The history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in México goes back to 1875, when Brigham Young, then President of the Church, sent Daniel Jones to lead a small group of six missionaries to La Ciudad de México (Mexico City) to distribute Spanish language materials about the Church to Mexican leaders. One of these brochures about the Book of Mormon fell into the hands of Plotino Rhodacanaty, who after reading it, wrote to President John Taylor, Brigham Young’s successor, to request more information about the Church.
Upon arriving in México in 1876, the missionaries divided into two groups. In 1876, Helaman Pratt and Meliton Trejo, a Spanish convert, traveled to Hermosillo, Sonora, where they baptized the first five members in México. In 1885, a group of nearly 400 colonists from Utah arrived at the northern Mexico Casas Grandes River and acquired property. Mexico's first stake (similar to a diocese) was created in Colonia Juárez in 1895. By 1912, more than 4,000 members had settled in Chihuahua and Sonora.
When Rey L. Pratt returned to central México in November of 1917, he found the members had remained faithful in spite of difficult living circumstances. Local Mexican leaders again maintained stability and expanded proselyting work, and in 1930, six local missionaries were called to serve. In 1946, Church President George Albert Smith, visited Church members in Mexico, who then numbered more than 5,300.On 3 December 1961, the Mexico Stake was created, with Harold Brown as president. Membership numbered nearly 25,000. Church schools were begun in Mexico in 1959. On 3 April 1976, a temple was announced for Mexico City and the completed temple was dedicated 2 December 1983 by President Gordon B. Hinckley. At that time, membership in Mexico was conservatively numbered at about 240,000. Mexico was the first country outside the United States to hold 100 Latter-day Saint stakes.An historic moment came on 29 June 1993, when the Mexican government formally registered the Church, allowing it to own property. President Howard W. Hunter visited Mexico to create the Mexico City Contreras Stake, the Church's 2,000th, on 11 December 1994.
The first missionaries arrived from San Diego, California, in the 1940s, and local families formed a group that met for worship services in the house of a member. The first congregation of the Church was organized in Tijuana on 25 April 1954, and on 23 May 1976, the first Tijuana stake (similar to a diocese) was established, with Carlos Mendez Zullik as its first president.
The Latter-day Saints have had a long history in México. When they migrated from Illinois to the Salt Lake Valley, Utah was actually part of México Territory. Some Latter-day Saints settled in México when the U.S. Government imprisoned Mormon men for practicing polygamy in the later 1800's. The first Mormon baptisms were performed in the state of Sonora in 1876.
Open House, Cultural Celebration, and Dedication
A free public open house for the Tijuana México Temple will be held from Friday, 13 November 2015 through Saturday, 28 November 2015. There will not be an open house on Sunday 15 and 22 November 2015.
A cultural celebration will be held Saturday, 12 December 2015, and the temple will be dedicated in three sessions on Sunday, 13 December 2015.
The dedicatory sessions at 9:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. will be broadcast within the temple district, and the three-hour block of meetings for those congregations will be cancelled for that Sunday to allow members to attend the sessions. Once the temple is dedicated it will serve 25,000 Latter-day Saints.
