Dedication of the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple
Among the 9,100 Latter-day Saints attending the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple dedication were 75 members of the Kekchi indigenous people, natives of Guatemala. The Church members traveled by foot, paddle boat and bus for two days to reach the temple dedication.
Ramon Chocooj, one of the Kekchi who made the trip and president of the El Estor Branch in Guatemala, said, “It was the longest trip of my life, but now we have come to know for ourselves what the temple is like. We are very happy.”
Many other thousands of faithful Saints in Guatemala watched as President Gordon B. Hinckley, second counselor in the First Presidency, dedicated the country’s first house of the Lord on Dec. 14, 1984.
“This is as tremendous a development as the coming of morning after night,” President Hinckley said at the dedication. “It is a miracle.”
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “Please accept this house as the gift of Thy children. We have built it according to Thy will, that Thou, our Father, and Thy Son, our resurrected Lord, might have a place to manifest Thyself to Thy people. We consecrate it with love. Let Thy mighty blessings rest upon it and Thy Holy Spirit sanctify it.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple here.
Timeline of the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple
A temple for Guatemala City, Guatemala, was first announced April 1, 1981. The groundbreaking ceremony for the temple was held Sept. 12, 1982.
More than 8,200 visitors toured the completed house of the Lord from Nov. 27 through Dec. 10, 1984. The Guatemala City Guatemala Temple was dedicated Dec. 14 to Dec. 16, 1984.
Architecture and Design of the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple
The 17,609-square-foot Guatemala City Guatemala Temple was built on 1.43 acres of land near the border of mountain ranges and the buildings of Guatemala City. Trees and grass areas fill the temple grounds, and the exterior finish consists of Guatemala marble.
The temple, with six detached spires around the edifice, includes four instruction rooms and three sealing rooms.