Uruguay: Church Chronology

1851 • ChileElder Parley P. Pratt of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was called to open South America for missionary work. He began by spending time in Chile.

1886 • Salt Lake City, Utah, USAThe Spanish translation of the Book of Mormon was published.

December 25, 1925 • Buenos Aires, ArgentinaElder Melvin J. Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the lands of South America to the preaching of the gospel.

June 25, 1944 • Montevideo, UruguayThe Montevideo Uruguay Branch was created, with Frederick S. Williams, the former president of the Argentine Mission, as branch president.

August 1947• Montevideo

The Uruguayan Mission was created, with Frederick S. Williams as the first mission president.

October 1947 • MontevideoThe first missionaries called to the Uruguayan Mission arrived in Montevideo.

February 1948 • UruguayElder Stephen L. Richards of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles visited Uruguay for one week while on an extended visit to Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay.

November 4, 1948 • UruguayFirst local converts were baptized in Uruguay.

December 31, 1949 • UruguayBy the end of 1949, there were 22 branches in Uruguay and a total mission membership of 257, with 207 baptisms taking place in 1949.

May 4, 1952 • UruguayThe first male Uruguayan to serve as a full-time missionary embarked on his mission.

August 21, 1952 • UruguayThe Church was granted legal recognition in Uruguay.

January 14, 1953 • MontevideoGround was broken for the first meetinghouse in Uruguay.

January 26, 1954 • UruguayThe first visit to Uruguay by a President of the Church, David O. McKay, commenced.

December 12, 1954 • MontevideoThe first meetinghouse built in Montevideo was dedicated by Elder Mark E. Petersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

February 2, 1961 • MontevideoThe Church constructed the so-called “Mormon Block” in the Carrasco section of Montevideo to house the building missionaries. The building missionary program, in which young missionaries were called to do full-time construction work on Church buildings, began in Montevideo and eventually spread worldwide. The Carrasco property was later converted to house several Church office buildings and a temple.

August 25, 1961 • MontevideoThe Administrative Center for South America was established in the Carrasco section of Montevideo.

November 12, 1967 • MontevideoThe first stake in Uruguay—the third stake in South America—was organized.

February 17, 1974 • MontevideoThe second stake in Uruguay was organized.

October 1978 • MontevideoAn area conference, presided over by Church President Spencer W. Kimball, was held in Montevideo, with over 9,000 members in attendance.

February 22, 1979 • UruguayThe country of Uruguay was dedicated for missionary work by Ezra Taft Benson, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who reaffirmed the dedicatory prayers of Elder Parley P. Pratt in 1851 and Elder Melvin J. Ballard in 1925.

April 6, 1996 • Salt Lake CityFrancisco J. Viñas was called as a General Authority.

April 27, 1999 • MontevideoThe groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new temple, which would be on part of the property where the Church started its building program in 1961.

June 2000 • Real de San CarlosThe 100th meetinghouse in Uruguay was dedicated.

March 18, 2001 • Montevideo

The Montevideo Uruguay Temple was dedicated by Church President Gordon B. Hinckley.

October 25, 2018 • MontevideoChurch President Russell M. Nelson spoke to the members in Uruguay from a large center in Montevideo. The talk was broadcast throughout Uruguay.