Temple Site Possibilities: Central America Area

Hello again, everyone! I am back in the early morning hours of November 28 with my next post in the series exploring potential future temple sites. This post will discuss the current temples in the Central America Area and which locations in that area might have a temple announced in the near future. Let's dive right in to that.

The Central America Area of the Church covers the nations of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. There are 6 temples in that area, 2 in Guatemala (Quetzeltenango & Guatemala City), 1 in El Salvador (San Salvador), 1 in Honduras (Tegucigalpa) 1 in Costa Rica (in San Jose), and 1 in Panama City Panama.

Let's get into specifics for each of these countries. Belize has 2 districts (with a total of 12 branches), so it seems unlikely that the Church will build a temple in that nation in the next little while. Costa Rica, in addition to having the aforementioned temple, also has two missions (both of which are headquartered in San Jose). There are also 10 stakes and 23 districts, which are further subdivided into 56 wards and 23 branches, making a grand total of 79 congregations.

Since the dedication of the temple in June 2000, the second mission in that country was established, and 4 of those 10 stakes have been created. Many have seen the case for a second temple there, and I explored two of those at one point. But lately Costa Rica has had a very negative political climate, which does not lend itself to the progress of the Church. It's possible, but not likely, in my opinion, that we will see a second temple in that nation in the near future.

In El Salvador, the three missions are all located in San Salvador, the capital city, although one of them also serves Belize. There are 21 stakes that further break down into 133 wards and 31 branches, for a total of 164 congregations. That nation may be set for now with just the one temple, but if and when I find a good potential candidate for a second one, I will be sure to pass that along.

Next we come to Guatemala, where there are two temples in operation: in Guatemala City and Quetzeltenango. There are six missions of the Church in Guatemala. There are also 48 stakes and 15 districts, which break down further into 285 wards and 156 branches, bringing the total number of Guatemalan congregations to 441.

But what of the current temple districts? The temple in Guatemala City has a district containing 31 stakes and 10 districts.  And Quetzeltenango;s temple district only serves 17 stakes and 7 districts.

In relation to Guatemala, for a while now, I have believed that Guatemala City could get a second temple, based on the precedent set with the second temples in Lima Peru and Manila Philippines. And that could still happen in a big way. But I looked into things further, and a city called Villa Nueva is 3,582 miles from Guatemala City. And while Villa Nueva may be closer to Quetzeltenango (by around 2,00 miles), it is still in the Guatemala City district). Either way, that is around 10 times further than President Monson's goal, so a temple in Villa Nueva makes sense. I could also see the merits of having a second temple in Guatemala City as well.

Now we turn our attention to Honduras. Its only temple is in Tegucigalpa. The nation has four missions (1 in Tegucigalpa, 1 in Comayaguela, and the final two in San Pedro Sula). There are also 31 stakes and 5 districts, which are further divided into 176 wards and 60 branches, making a grand total of 236 congregations, which is a lot for one temple. Many have said that a second temple in San Pedro Sula would be a great idea, and I couldn't agree more. So it is on my list.

Next on the list, I wanted to note that Nicaragua has no temples yet. That nation has two missions, both of which are headquartered in Managua. Nicaraguan members are currently assigned to the Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple district, and to get there, they have to travel a distance of 233.4 miles. That is not much further than the 200 mile goal President Monson set for each member's distance from a temple, but is still far enough to qualify for its own temple.

There are also 12 stakes and 4 districts, which are subdivided into 72 wards and 39 branches, for a total of 111 congregations. As I have previously noted, in 2012, then-Elder Nelson publicly proposed a temple for Managua, and my research indicates land has been held in reserve for that purpose, which means an announcement is only a matter of time. Additionally, Nicaragua ranks #1 of the top ten countries with the most members that does not have a temple in any phase. So it is sure to happen sooner rather than later.

We conclude the discussion of this area by reviewing where the Church is at in Panama. That nation's sole mission is located in Panama City, where the only temple is also located.There are 7 stakes and 4 districts in that nation, which further break down into 45 wards and 28 branches, for a total of 73 congregations. I don't see the Church announcing a second temple in that nation until more units are created.

That does it for this post. Thanks for wading through it. Any comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.