Announcement of the La Paz Bolivia Temple
President Russell M. Nelson, 17th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, announced the La Paz Bolivia Temple on Oct. 3, 2021, during the Sunday afternoon session of October 2021 general conference. A house of the Lord in La Paz will be the third such edifice for this South American nation.
For Bolivian native Guizella Rocabado, a temple can bring unity and light to her hometown of La Paz — which is also the country’s administrative capital where civil disturbances can occur. “I hope that this temple can bring peace to the area,” she said after the Church President’s announcement. She added, “I know that it will.
“The people need some rest,” Rocabado related. “They need peace and something they can look to for answers and purpose.”
At the time of its announcement, the La Paz Bolivia Temple was to serve Latter-day Saints in La Paz and El Alto, an adjacent city to the west. The combined El Alto-La Paz metropolitan area is Bolivia’s most populous urban area.
Timeline of the La Paz Bolivia Temple
The La Paz Bolivia Temple was announced by Church President Russell M. Nelson on Oct. 3, 2021. A location — near Avenida Los Sauces and Calle 8 de Calacoto — for the sacred edifice was announced by the Church on Aug. 28, 2023. Details about the temple’s groundbreaking have not yet been released.
Architecture and Design of the La Paz Bolivia Temple
According to site plans released by the Church on Aug. 28, 2023, the La Paz Bolivia Temple will be approximately 18,850 square feet. The edifice will stand on a 3.8-acre site near Avenida Los Sauces and Calle 8 de Calacoto.
Architectural renderings of the house of the Lord show an off-white exterior surrounded by arched windows. A two-story tower with a domed cupola stands above the center of the building. Trees and flower gardens adorn the grounds.