Hermosillo Sonora Mexico Temple Fun Facts

-The Hermosillo Temple is built on the land that was once the home of the Mexico Hermosillo Mission offices.

-The Hermosillo Sonora Temple is the 72nd dedicated temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

-The Hermosillo Sonora Temple is 10,769 square feet.

-Before the Hermosillo Sonora Temple was built the members in Sonora were in the Mexico City Temple district. For the members to get from Sonora Mexico to the Mexico City Temple they had to travel 36 hours each way by car or bus! Members from the area are closer to the Mesa Arizona Temple but visas and passports made that journey harder.

-Getting Temples into Mexico was a hard situation. In 1917 the Mexican constitution only allowed churches to function, but they were not legally recognized. The churches in Mexico did not have the right to own property. The law required that churches property be held by the Mexican government and all buildings would be open to the public. It seemed impossible for Latter-Day Saint Temples to build a temple under the circumstances but in 1993 it changed and made way for more temples in Mexico!

-Hermosillo is a city of great church history importance! Just outside of the city is where the first five converts in Mexico were baptized in 1875!

-The members of the area were so excited to get a temple that they donated their time and landscaped the area that lead up to the temple. The architect drew up plans and the members implemented the plans, creating beautiful gardens.

-The dedication of the Hermosillo Sonora Mexico Temple was on February 2000 and was a milestone for President Hinckley. The Hermosillo Sonora Temple was the 50th temple President Hinckley had dedicated or rededicated!

-There were so many people that wanted to tour the temple during the open house that they extended the hours until 11 p.m. each day. On the final day of the open house there were so many people that wanted to tour the temple that they opened and did not close until midnight.

-The groundbreaking ceremony of the Hermosillo Sonora Temple was on the same day as the groundbreaking of the Colombia South Carolina Temple.

References:

https://www.thechurchnews.com/2010/3/4/23228738/hermosillo-sonora-mexico-temple

https://rsc.byu.edu/colonia-juarez-temple-prophets-inspiration/president-hinckleys-revelation-recent-temple-building

https://www.mormonwiki.com/Hermosillo_Sonora_Mexico_Temple

https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/chd/organization/mission/mexican-1879?lang=eng#:~:text=Daniel%20W.,Jones%2C%20Anthony%20W.