Veracruz México Temple, Modern religious temple in Boca del Río, Mexico

The Veracruz Mexico Temple is a single-spire building of classic modern design in Boca del Río, measuring 77 by 149 feet with 10,700 square feet of floor area. Its exterior is clad in Blanco Guardiano white marble from Torreón, the same stone used for the Guadalajara, Villahermosa and San José Costa Rica temples. Inside are two ordinance rooms, two sealing rooms and a baptistry; a statue of the angel Moroni tops the spire.

Construction began with a ceremony in 1999 and the building opened to worshippers in 2000. This opening marked an important moment for the religious community in the region.

The temple serves members across nine stakes within a hundred-mile radius, including Xalapa, Teziutlán, Tuxtepec, Orizaba and the Los Tuxtlas region. Like all Latter-day Saints temples, it is not used for Sunday worship; after dedication only members holding a current temple recommend may enter. The first local meetinghouse was built in 1961.

The temple stands on a 3.37-acre site in Boca del Río, less than half a kilometer from the Gulf of Mexico, with a meetinghouse on the same property. Like all temples of the church, it is not used for Sunday worship, and after dedication only members holding a current temple recommend may enter. The public open house of June 26 to July 1, 2000, drew 10,067 visitors.

During construction, an unexpected trench collapsed and buried two workers completely; both were rescued alive, an event local members regard as a miracle. A second such account concerns the angel Moroni statue: rain stopped just long enough to place it atop the spire.