Announcement of the Cuernavaca Mexico Temple
President Russell M. Nelson, 17th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, announced the Cuernavaca Mexico Temple on Oct. 2, 2022, during the Sunday afternoon session of the October 2022 general conference.
After hearing the news, Lisdebeth Pérez said she was thrilled she would no longer have to wait for monthly temple trips to Mexico City. Now, once the Cuernavaca temple is dedicated, she can visit more often.
“Pure joy,” Perez said.
The Church first sent missionaries to Mexico in 1875, the year after Daniel W. Jones, Henry Brizzee and Meliton Gonzalez Trejo started translating the Book of Mormon into Spanish. The first stake in Cuernavaca was organized in 1983, and a mission was opened in 2006. When the Cuernavaca temple was announced, there were two stakes in the city.
Ground will be broken for the Cuernavaca Mexico Temple on Nov. 14, 2026, with Elder Moisés Villanueva — a General Authority Seventy and president of the Mexico Area — presiding.
Timeline of the Cuernavaca Mexico Temple
The Cuernavaca Mexico Temple was announced by President Nelson on Oct. 2, 2022. Ground will be broken for the temple on Nov. 14, 2026, with Elder Moisés Villanueva presiding.
Architecture and Design of the Cuernavaca Mexico Temple
According to site plans released by the Church on Jan. 16, 2024, the Cuernavaca Mexico Temple will be a single-story edifice of approximately 19,000 square feet. The edifice will stand on a 5.36-acre site at the corner of Calle Hernán Cortes and Calle Santa Prisca in Colonia Vista Hermosa, Cuernavaca, in the state of Morelos, south of Mexico City and in the south-central area of the country.
Architectural renderings of the house of the Lord show an off-white exterior surrounded by rectangular windows, with arches around the entryway. A domed cupola with arched windows and a red-brick roof stands above the center of the building. Flower gardens and walkways will adorn the grounds.