Exterior rendering of the Querétaro Mexico Temple. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Groundbreaking of the Querétaro Mexico Temple
The groundbreaking of the Querétaro Mexico Temple was presided over by Elder Adrián Ochoa, second counselor in the Mexico Area presidency, on Jan. 7, 2023. The closest temples to Querétaro before this temple announcement had been the Mexico City Mexico and Guadalajara Mexico temples.
During the Querétaro temple’s groundbreaking ceremony, Elder Ochoa quoted this statement from President Gordon B. Hinckley, said during the dedication ceremony of the Guadalajara temple in 2001: “When the Lord builds a temple somewhere, it’s not only because He wants to bless the members of the Church but because He wants to bless an entire town.”
The temple’s groundbreaking ceremony was held Jan. 7, 2023, with Elder Adrián Ochoa, a General Authority Seventy and the second counselor in the Mexico Area presidency, presiding.
The Querétaro temple was announced April 4, 2021, by President Russell M. Nelson. The groundbreaking and site dedication were held on Jan. 7, 2023, and presided over by Elder Adrián Ochoa, a General Authority Seventy and the second counselor in the Mexico Area presidency.
Architecture and Design of the Querétaro Mexico Temple
The Querétaro temple is a two-story building of approximately 27,500 square feet. Renderings and plans call for a white exterior around the house of the Lord and a two-story arched entryway in front of the entrance.
Atop the temple is a multilevel central tower with an octagonal base and a domed cupola on top. The temple sits on a 3.58-acre site, with red flowers and blue flowers adorning the temple grounds.
Groundbreaking Photos of the Querétaro Mexico Temple
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Elder Adrián Ochoa and his wife, Nancy, accompanied by several of the special guests and members of the Church, removed the earth with their shovels to symbolically begin the construction of the Querétaro Mexico Temple at the groundbreaking ceremony on January 7, 2023. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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A row of ceremonial golden shovels at the Querétaro Mexico Temple groundbreaking ceremony on Jan. 7, 2023. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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The Querétaro Mexico Temple Groundbreaking ceremony on Jan. 7, 2023. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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Elder Arnulfo Valenzuela of the Seventy — who also served a few years prior as Mexico Area President — speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Querétaro Mexico Temple on Jan. 7, 2023. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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Elder Adrián Ochoa and his wife, Nancy — accompanied by several of the special guests and members of the Church — symbolically turn the dirt at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Querétaro Mexico Temple on Jan. 7, 2023. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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Elder Paul Montes of the Seventy speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Querétaro Mexico Temple, which brought together dozens of special guests and Church members from local stakes, on Jan. 7, 2023. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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A choir composed of young Latter-day Saints from congregations around Querétaro perform a musical number at the Querétaro Mexico Temple groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Additional Facts
Fact #1
This will be the 16th Latter-day Saint temple built in Mexico and the first built in the state of Querétaro.
Fact #2
President Nelson announced a house of the Lord for Querétaro, Mexico, in the same talk he announced a temple for Torreón, Mexico. Before then, the only other time two temples were announced for Mexico on the same day was on April 14, 1999, with a temple announced for the city of Veracruz and one announced for Guadalajara.
Fact #3
The closest temple to Querétaro at the time of its announcement was the Mexico City Mexico Temple, a distance of approximately 115 miles away.
This will be the 16th Latter-day Saint temple built in Mexico and the first built in the state of Querétaro.
Fact #2
President Nelson announced a house of the Lord for Querétaro, Mexico, in the same talk he announced a temple for Torreón, Mexico. Before then, the only other time two temples were announced for Mexico on the same day was on April 14, 1999, with a temple announced for the city of Veracruz and one announced for Guadalajara.
Fact #3
The closest temple to Querétaro at the time of its announcement was the Mexico City Mexico Temple, a distance of approximately 115 miles away.
