The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced the location of the Retalhuleu Guatemala Temple. An exterior rendering of the temple has also been released.
The temple will be built on a 5.51-acre site located at Km. 182.5 RN-9, Caserío Puca I, Municipio de San Sebastian, Retalhuleu, Guatemala. This will be the city’s first temple.
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
Church President Russell M. Nelson announced this temple during the April 2023 general conference.
He said then, “Jesus Christ is the reason we build temples. Each is His holy house. Making covenants and receiving essential ordinances in the temple, as well as seeking to draw closer to Him there, will bless your life in ways no other kind of worship can.”
The Retalhuleu Guatemala Temple will be the sixth house of the Lord in Guatemala. The Guatemala City Guatemala Temple, dedicated in December 1984, was the first temple built in Central America and just the fourth built in Latin America. The Quetzaltenango Guatemala Temple was dedicated in December 2011. The Miraflores Guatemala City Guatemala Temple is currently under construction, and the Huehuetenango Guatemala Temple was previously announced.
The Cobán Guatemala Temple was dedicated on June 9, 2024, by Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
The first Latter-day Saint missionaries arrived in Guatemala in 1947. Today, Guatemala is home to more than 290,000 Latter-day Saints in nearly 440 congregations.
The ceremonies conducted inside each temple teach about the purpose of life and unite families, both past and present. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints promise to keep God’s commandments, support His work, live the higher law that Christ taught while on earth, remain chaste and dedicate their lives to building the Church of Jesus Christ.