New Temple Announced for Ecuador

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced plans for a new temple in Otavalo, Ecuador, adding another house of the Lord in a city with deep roots in the Church’s history in the Andes region. Elder Juan Pablo Villar of the South America Northwest Area Presidency delivered the announcement on behalf of the First Presidency during a devotional with local Latter-day Saints on May 14, 2026.

Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presided at the devotional, and Elder S. Mark Palmer of the Presidency of the Seventy joined the meeting. According to a Church Newsroom release, the First Presidency stated, “We are pleased to announce the construction of a temple in Otavalo, Ecuador.”

A Temple Announcement With Deep Historical Roots

The announcement connects to more than six decades of Church history in Ecuador, including the early arrival of missionaries in Otavalo in 1966. A Church history chronology notes that missionaries traveled to Otavalo and nearby Ibarra on March 1 of that year, only months after missionaries first entered Ecuador.

Within weeks of their arrival, printed notices in nearby Ibarra warned residents against listening to Latter-day Saint missionaries and other proselytizing groups. Despite that opposition, the work continued to grow in the region.

The first branch meeting in Otavalo took place on March 6, 1966. According to the Church history account, only the missionaries and Manuel Macías Caseras attended that first meeting, but the branch grew to more than 18 members within a year.

On June 5, 1966, José and Rosa Bautista became the first members of the Church in Otavalo. Church leaders later returned to the area several times during the early years of the Church in Ecuador.

Early Church Leaders Focused on Ecuador

Church leaders had considered missionary work in Ecuador years before missionaries officially arrived in the country. In 1960, the First Presidency commissioned an assessment about sending missionaries to Ecuador but decided to wait until conditions improved.

In October 1963, Elder A. Theodore Tuttle of the Council of the Seventy and Andes Mission president Sterling Nicolaysen traveled to Quito to begin legal registration efforts for the Church. Those efforts helped establish an official foundation for future missionary work and Church organization.

The following year, Elder Boyd K. Packer visited Quito with Elder Tuttle. According to the Church history page, the two men looked out over the city from their hotel window, envisioned a future temple in Quito, and “even agreed on the spot where it should be built.”

Missionaries from the Andes Mission officially arrived in Ecuador on Oct. 4, 1965. Two days later, Elder Spencer W. Kimball met with Church President David O. McKay and spoke about the people of the Andes region, saying he believed “the time of the Lamanite has come for them to hear the gospel.”

Growth in Otavalo and Across Ecuador

Elder Kimball dedicated Ecuador for the preaching of the gospel on Oct. 9, 1965, at Panecillo hill in Quito. Weeks later, the first baptisms in Ecuador took place in the capital city.

Church growth soon expanded into other cities, including Guayaquil, Ambato, and Otavalo. In May 1967, Elder Kimball returned to Ecuador and preached about the Book of Mormon on a hillside in nearby Peguche to a largely Otavalan audience.

The Church organized the Ecuador Mission in 1970 as membership continued to increase throughout the country. In 1980, Church leaders dedicated the first meetinghouse in Otavalo.

A year later, the Church organized the Otavalo Ecuador Stake. According to the Church history chronology, it became the first stake in South America with an almost entirely indigenous American membership.

Ecuador’s Temple History Continues

The Otavalo temple announcement adds to a long history of temple development in Ecuador. In 1982, the First Presidency announced plans for a temple in Guayaquil.

After years of planning and construction, President Gordon B. Hinckley visited Ecuador in 1997, marking the first visit to the country by a sitting Church President. More than 108,000 people toured the completed Guayaquil Ecuador Temple during its 1999 open house before Church leaders dedicated the building in August of that year.

Church leaders announced another temple for Ecuador during the April 2016 general conference when President Thomas S. Monson announced plans for a temple in Quito. The Otavalo temple will become the country’s third temple.

The First Presidency did not announce a location or construction timeline for the Otavalo temple. The statement said, “The specific location and timing of the construction will be announced later.”

Church leaders encouraged members to view the announcement as a blessing for the region. The First Presidency said the new temple “will allow more frequent access to the ordinances, covenants and power that can only be found in the house of the Lord.”

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Holly Wallace

Holly Wallace is a writer and storyteller drawn to meaningful questions and overlooked details. Her work explores Latter-day Saint life and culture through faithful inquiry, inviting readers to pause, consider, and engage more deeply with what matters most.