News Release

Mexico City Temple Opens to the Public 

Open house for newly remodeled temple begins on August 14th

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will open the doors of the newly remodeled Mexico City Temple and has invited the public to experience a guided tour of its interior.

Guided tours will be offered from August 14 through September 5, 2015. These tours will be available on Mondays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Tuesdays to Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Downloadable HD quality B-roll of still photos with movement for media

Downloadable HD quality B-roll of still photos for media

After functioning without interruption for 25 years, the temple closed its doors for the first remodel in March of 2007, opening them again in October of 2008. It closed again in January of 2014 for a second remodel that lasted 19 months.

On Sunday, September 13, 2015 — eight days after the final day of the open house — the Mexico City Temple will be formally rededicated. Latter-day Saints from the region will attend three rededicatory sessions. Other members of the Church will participate in the rededication by satellite transmission in meetinghouses throughout the country.

After its rededication, the temple will serve more than 384,000 members of the Church who live in Mexico City and the states of Mexico, Baja California South, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Michoacán, Morelos, Puebla, Querétaro and San Luis Potosí.

Today, there are 147 dedicated and operating temples throughout the world. The Mexico City Temple was the first of 12 temples constructed in Mexico and was originally dedicated December 2, 1983. Currently, a temple is under construction in Tijuana.

This remodel of the Mexico City Temple focused on new interior features including marble extracted from Spain and fabricated in China; new carpet carving with a Mesoamerican design in the celestial room; other geometric Mesoamerican designs throughout the interior; new art glass with coordinating Mesoamerican designs; new doors made of oak and cast bronze; and millwork, including carved columns with a waterfall design, which is found on the temple’s exterior with a basket weave design that encircles the temple exterior. A complete exterior cleaning was done to enhance the temple’s appearance.

Latter-day Saint temples are considered “houses of the Lord” where Christ's teachings are reaffirmed through sacred ordinances such as marriage that unite families for this life and all eternity. In the temple, Church members learn more about the purpose of life and make covenants with God to serve Him and their fellow man. Temples differ from the Church’s meetinghouses or chapels where members meet for Sunday worship services.

The history of the Church in Mexico traces back to 1875, when Brigham Young, then president of the Church, sent Daniel Jones, along with a small group of missionaries, to Mexico City, where they distributed brochures to several Mexican leaders. One of these brochures fell into the hands of Plotino Rhodacanaty, who later became the first member of the Church in Mexico.

On November 13, 1879, the Church’s first congregation in Mexico City was organized with Rhodacanaty as its leader.

Currently, the Church in Mexico has 228 stakes (similar to dioceses) and more than 1.3 million members.

Style Guide Note:When reporting about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please use the complete name of the Church in the first reference. For more information on the use of the name of the Church, go to our online Style Guide.