Sites Announced for Two New Temples in Latin America 

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has released the location of the Toluca Mexico Temple.

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This house of the Lord will be built on a 4.87-acre site located at Calle Guadalupe Victoria corner Uruapan, Col. Las Jaras, Metepec, State of Mexico, 52166. Plans call for construction of a single-story temple of approximately 19,000 square feet. 

Church President Russell M. Nelson announced the temple during the Church’s October 2022 general conference and said, “We are also planning to build multiple temples in selected large metropolitan areas where travel time to an existing temple is a major challenge. Therefore, I’m pleased to announce four additional temples near Mexico City where new temples will be built in Cuernavaca, Pachuca, Toluca and Tula.” The Toluca Mexico Temple is the first of these four temples to have the location announced.  

The preaching of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ began in Mexico during the 1870s. In 1961, a stake (similar to a diocese) was organized in Mexico City. In 1983, a temple was dedicated in Mexico City.

The Toluca Mexico Temple will be one of 24 temples operating, under construction or announced. Dedicated temples in Mexico are found in Ciudad Juarez, Colonia Juarez, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Mérida, Mexico City, Monterrey, Oaxaca, Tampico, Tijuana, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Veracruz and Villahermosa. There are also temples under construction or announced in Cancún, Cuernavaca, Culiacán, Mexico City Benemérito, Pachuca, Puebla, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Toluca, Torreón and Tula.

Mexico is home to more than 1.5 million Latter-day Saints, more than any other country except for the United States, in more than 1,850 congregations.

The João Pessoa Brazil Temple

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has released the location of a temple to be built in João Pessoa, Brazil.

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This sacred house of the Lord will be built on a 3.9-acre site located at Rua Paulino Pinto and Avenida Ministro José Américo de Almeida in the Cabo Branco neighborhood. Plans call for a temple of approximately 18,850 square feet.

João Pessoa is a port city located in the state of Paraiba in northeastern Brazil, about 75 miles north of Recife. President Russell M. Nelson announced the João Pessoa Brazil Temple in October 2023.

“Spending more time in the temple builds faith, and your service and worship in the temple will help you to think celestial,” said the prophet, who has announced 153 new temples since 2018.

The preaching of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ began in southern Brazil in 1928. The Portuguese translation of the Book of Mormon was published in 1940, igniting a new era of growth in the country. Today, there are nearly 1.5 million Latter-day Saints in Brazil (more than any other country aside from the United States and Mexico) in more than 2,175 congregations.

The João Pessoa Brazil Temple will be  one of 22 temples operating, under construction or announced. 

Ten temples are in operation in Belém, Brasília, Campinas, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Manaus, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo. The Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple and the Salvador Brazil Temple are under construction. In additional to the João Pessoa Brazil Temple, there are nine temples announced in Goiânia, Londrina, Maceió, Natal, Ribeirão Prêto, Santos, São Paulo East, Teresina and Vitória.  

The Barcelona Spain Temple 

An exterior rendering has been released showing the planned design of the Barcelona Spain Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

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Church President Russell M. Nelson first announced this temple in April 2022. The Barcelona Spain Temple will be the second temple in the country, and a site location was released in January 2023. The first temple in Spain, The Madrid Spain Temple, was dedicated in 1999.

Spain is home to more than 63,000 Latter-day Saints in over 135 congregations.

Temples differ from the Church’s meetinghouses (chapels). All are welcome to attend Sunday worship services and other weekday activities at local meetinghouses. The primary purpose of temples is for faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to participate in sacred ceremonies that unite families forever.