Mérida Mexico Temple Wiki

Details

The Mérida Mexico Temple is the 92nd operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

History

The Church of Jesus Christ also has a rich history in the area. In 1875 at a General Conference of the Church, six missionaries were assigned to open a mission in Mexico. The assigned missionaries began traveling by land to Mexico and arrived on January 7, 1876. Missionary work started in El Paso del Norte and Chihuahua. In 1880 Mexico was blessed and dedicated so that the missionary work would go forward. Missionary work did progress in Northern Mexico at a great rate, but it was not until February 5, 1959, that the first missionaries arrived in Merida. The first Sunday service was held the next day with eight people in attendance that wanted to learn more about Mormon beliefs. On April 14, 1959, Raquel Pech, was the first person to be baptized in Merida. By 1968 the first chapel was dedicated. This first chapel has since been torn down for the building of the temple. Today there are more than 13,000 members just in Merida and many more members throughout the area that will benefit from having a temple so close.

Announced

The building of the temple in Mérida, Yucatán, was announced on September 25, 1998.^[1]”5 new temples in U.S., Mexico announced“, Church News, Oct 24, 1998 It is one of thirteen temples in Mexico.

Groundbreaking

A groundbreaking ceremony and site dedication were held on January 16, 1999 with Carl B. Pratt, a member of the Seventy and president of the México South Area, presiding.

Elder Pratt spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony. He recalled that after President Hinckley’s April 1998 announcement, each of the stake presidents in Mérida hoped that a temple site in their city would be chosen. Elder Pratt said that upon knowing that “a temple would be built in Mérida, my heart was filled with joy.” “We want to establish a culture of temple attendance,” he said. “From sacrifice comes blessings. I know that the construction of this temple will add to the strength of the home; it will add to the love of husbands and wives; it will add to the peace in the Yucatán Peninsula.”

President Fermin Herrera of the Mérida Central stake said, “We have received an eternal hope through the atonement of Jesus Christ. Without this, the work of the temple is not possible. In this beautiful city, the sun is always radiant, but it is no more resplendent than the hearts of the saints who know that in this land of the Mayas there will be built a House of the Lord.”

Also speaking was Brother Abel Ordaz, the first president of the Mérida stake. He recalled the 1959 dedication of the first meetinghouse and the later dedication of the first stake center. He recognized the symbolism of the building of the temple. As old buildings are demolished and removed to make way for the new, so must members “demolish the barrier of unbelief, and have faith in the Lord. As the old material is removed, so must the sins be removed through repentance. As the ground is cleared and made clean for construction, so must lives be made clean through baptism. Then, just as construction commences, also begins the growth of the delicious fruit, the word of God”^[2]Church News, 30 Jan. 1999.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Mérida Mexico Temple was held on the same day as the groundbreaking ceremony for the Memphis Tennessee Temple.

Open House

The Mérida Mexico Temple was open for tours to the public June 24 through July 1, 2000.

Dedication

Thomas S. Monson, a member of the LDS Church First Presidency, dedicated the temple on July 8, 2000. Four sessions of the dedication were held which allowed more than 5,400 members to attend the services. The Mérida Mexico Temple serves 33,000 members in nine stakes and six districts in Mexico and Belize.

On 28 March 2020, the Mérida Mexico Temple was closed in response to the coronavirus pandemic.^[3]Stack, Peggy Fletcher. “All Latter-day Saint temples to close due to coronavirus“, The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 March 2020. Retrieved on 28 March 2020.

Presidents

Temple President	Temple Matron	Years Served	Total Years
Sergio Saavedra Melendez	Liz María Hernandez Olmos de Saavedra	2022–
Abraham Martínez Cerón	Virginia Monroy Villalobos de Martínez	2019–2022	3
Augusto Peña Barrera	Sandra Alicia Orozco Rojas de Peña	2016–2019	3
Oscar Bernardo García García	Rosa María Castorena de García	2013–2016	3
Zeniff Mejía Mora	Elizabeth Parra Trujillo de Mejía	2010–2013	3
Ronald Earl Dyer	Myrna Lue Montierth Dyer	2007–2010	3
Carl Lavon Call	Jean Russell Silver Call	2004–2007	3
Fernando Rogelio Gómez Paez	Enriqueta Pina Gómez	2001–2004	3
Nefi Treviño Allison	Rosa Elia Flores de Treviño	2000–2001	1

Details

Location

The site of the temple is 1.53 acres (6,200 m2) on the north end of the Yucatan Peninsula, near the Gulf of Mexico. The area is rich with history and the temple site is close to some of the most famous archeological ruins, such as Uxmal and Chichen Itza.

Exterior

Interior

The 10,700 square foot temple has two ordinance rooms placed in a progressive (2 stage) layout, a celestial room, two sealing rooms, and one baptistry.