David NoyceFrom the start of his tenure as leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Dallin H. Oaks said to expect a slowdown in the announcement of new temples.
While the pace lags behind that of his predecessor, three in seven months is hardly nothing.
On Thursday, the Utah-based faith revealed that a new temple would be built in Otavalo, Ecuador. It will be the church’s third such edifice in the South American country and the third to be named during Oaks’ presidency.
General authority Seventy Juan Pablo Villar, a Chilean native and member of the South America Northwest Area Presidency, shared the news on behalf of the governing First Presidency during an evening devotional in Otavalo.
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) General authority Seventy Juan Pablo Villar shares an announcement from the First Presidency that a new temple will be built in Otavalo, Ecuador, during a devotional in Otavalo on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
“The specific location and timing of the construction will be announced later,” the First Presidency statement said. “This is a reason for all of us to rejoice and express gratitude for such a significant blessing — one that will allow more frequent access to the ordinances, covenants and power that can only be found in the House of the Lord.”
Villar’s message brought happy tears and smiling cheers from the members at the meeting.
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Latter-day Saints in Otavalo, Ecuador, react to the news Thursday, May 14, 2026, that a new temple will be built in their city.
The Otavalo Temple will join the church’s two other temples in Ecuador — in Guayaquil (which opened in 1999) and in the capital of Quito (which began operations in late 2022).
Ecuador is home to nearly 280,000 members, according to the faith’s website, and more than 335 congregations.
Thursday’s news continues Oaks’ plan to announce temples where they will be built rather than at the church’s twice-yearly General Conferences — as had famously become the pattern, especially under his immediate predecessor, Russell M. Nelson, who named 200 temples during his presidential tenure.
The first new temple under Oaks was announced in December for Portland, Maine, the first for that New England state. The second was named last month for Marysville, near Seattle, the church’s seventh existing or planned temple in Washington.
Unlike regular Latter-day Saint meetinghouses, where Sunday services are held, temples are viewed by members as Houses of the Lord, places where the faithful take part in their religion’s highest religious rites, including eternal marriage.
The church of 17.8 million members now has 385 announced or existing temples in the world.
David is a managing editor at The Tribune, where he has worked since 1984. He oversees coverage ranging from local government and west-side issues to growth, development and housing. In addition, he directs religion reporting, co-hosts the award-winning “Mormon Land” podcast and writes the Mormon Land newsletter.