Tampico Mexico Temple Wiki

Description

The Tampico Mexico Temple is a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints built in Tampico Mexico. Before the Tampico Mexico Temple was built, members living in northeastern Mexico had to travel 500 miles over the Sierra Madre, a foreboding mountain range, to attend the temple in Mexico City.

While Tampico is renowned for its miles of tourist-friendly beaches, French architecture reminiscent of New Orleans and oil-centric economy, in more recent years its economy has been troubled and its streets marred by widespread violence. For faithful patrons who worship in the Tampico Mexico Temple, the Old Testament prophet Isaiah’s words may seem particularly relevant:

“And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.”

Isaiah 4:6

History

Tampico Church members had longed for a temple closer to home and hoped Rabbit Hill might be home to a temple one day. Despite their remote location and the relatively small number of members in the area, the residents of Tampico had been expecting a temple in their city for over 20 years. At one point time the Church was considering selling the land on which the temple now stands. The local Stake President urged the Church to keep the land, and told local members that someday a temple would be built there.

The Tampico area has seen rapid growth with the number of members in the area going from one stake to four stakes in just twenty-five years. Tampico itself has a population of about 212,000 and is located on the Gulf of Mexico. There are about 18,000 members in the city.

Announcement

Groundbreaking

Elder Call presided over the groundbreaking ceremony, which about 930 people attended, on 28 November 1998. During the ceremony Elder Call said, “Having a temple near will open doors to growth, and as we attend we will receive blessings that we can’t even begin to comprehend or understand at this time. Men and women will grow in their strength and power so that Satan will have less power over them.” ^[1]“News of the Church,” Ensign, Mar. 1999, 75

Open House

Dedication

On 20 May 2000, after less than two years of construction, the temple was dedicated by President Thomas S. Monson, then a counselor in the First Presidency of the Church. For President Monson, dedicating a temple in Tampico was especially significant because he had been the one to organize Tampico’s first stake, or group of congregations, in 1972. Between the stake’s establishment and the temple’s dedication, Church membership in Tampico and surrounding areas had blossomed into several stakes.

In the dedicatory prayer, President Monson petitioned, “May this structure be sacred to all who look upon it that no unrighteous hand may deface it or damage it in any way.” He also said, “Bless this great nation of Mexico, its officers and governors at whatever level, that they may be friendly to Thy people and ensure their peace and security.”^[2]Tampico Mexico Temple dedicatory prayer, in Church News, May 27, 2000

He also prayed “that there may emanate from this Thy house a spirit of love and peace, a spirit divine and holy, which will be felt in this great city.” President Monson ended the prayer with a plea for the Saints in the area saying, “Lift the burdens of poverty from the backs of Thy children and prosper them as they serve Thee in righteousness, walking in obedience to Thy commandments.” ^[3]Tampico Mexico Temple dedicatory prayer, in Church News, May 27, 2000

Dedication Order

The Tampico Mexico Temple is the 83rd temple worldwide and the eighth in Mexico.

Presidents

Details

Announced in 1998 and dedicated in 2000, the Tampico Mexico Temple was one of dozens of temples built on the cusp of the 21st century. At that time, Church President Gordon B. Hinckley led an effort to simplify temple architectural plans in order to build more of these sacred structures where Latter-day Saints live. Hence, the design of the Tampico Mexico Temple matches that of a number of temples and is familiar to Church members worldwide, though members in Tampico treasure the temple as their own.

Location

Built atop a flourishing slope once known as Cerro de Conejos, or Rabbit Hill, the Tampico Mexico Temple overlooks tidy lawns, flowerbeds and palm trees. The white marble edifice not only serves as a sacred place of worship for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but it also provides an inspirational beacon of light for Tampico, an industrial city situated near the Gulf of Mexico

The temple and its adjacent Church meetinghouse occupy almost four acres.

Exterior

Cladding

The Tampico Mexico Temple is clad in Blanco Guardiano white marble. The surface above each window is decorated with repeating circular designs.

Windows

the repeating circles also appear in the windows’ glass.

Symbolism

Inscriptions

Cornerstone

ERECTED
2xxx

Spires and Moroni

Spire

An elegant spire rises against the humid Gulf Coast sky.

Moroni

capped with a gold-leafed statue of the angel Moroni, a Book of Mormon prophet,

Interior

The Tampico México Temple has a total floor area of 10,700 square feet, two ordinance rooms, and two sealing rooms.

Rooms

Individuals and Contractors

Sources and Links

Additional Articles

Sources/Citation