Dedication of the Guadalajara Mexico Temple
The Guadalajara Mexico Temple was announced on April 14, 1999, by Church President Gordon B. Hinckley. Exactly two years later, the public open house for the constructed temple began. During the public open house, 840 missionary referrals were received, prompting local members to call the temple Guadalajara’s top missionary.
The temple resides near Guadalajara’s commercial district. The house of the Lord stands out in the city and commands the attention of those in the area. Even at the time of construction, the cab drivers in Guadalajara didn’t need directions to find the temple. The temple’s beauty, they said, preceded its message.
April 29, 2001, a week after the open house ended, served as a special day for President Hinckley and his wife, Sister Marjorie Pay Hinckley, as President Hinckley dedicated the house of the Lord on the day of the Hinckleys’ 64th wedding anniversary.
Americo Garcia, the then-president of the Guadalajara Mexico Moctezuma Stake, said, “This temple is going to strengthen us. It will help us become better people and better families. By simply participating in the spirit of the temple, we will become more united Church members.”
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “Bless all who attend as patrons, that Thy Spirit may rest upon them, that the covenants of the house of the Lord may be impressed upon their minds, that they may know that in receiving the ordinances of this house, they receive that which is most precious above all other blessings.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Guadalajara Mexico Temple here.
Timeline of the Guadalajara Mexico Temple
The Guadalajara Mexico Temple was announced on April 14, 1999, by the First Presidency. The groundbreaking took place on June 12, 1999, with Elder Eran A. Call of the Seventy and president of the Mexico North Area. President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the Guadalajara Mexico Temple on April 29, 2001.
Architecture and Design of the Guadalajara Mexico Temple
The Guadalajara Mexico Temple is 10,700 square feet and stands on a 2.69-acre property. The exterior of the house of the Lord is Blanco Guardiano white marble from Torreón, Mexico. The temple has a celestial room, two sealing rooms, two instruction rooms and a baptistry.