Bolivia: Church Chronology

1851 • ChileElder Parley P. Pratt of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was called to open up South America for missionary work. He spent most of his time in Chile but hoped for the day when the gospel would be preached throughout South America.

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.

July 23, 1926 • La Paz, BoliviaMelvin J. Ballard obtained permission from the Bolivian government for the Church to pursue missionary work in Bolivia.

April 1927 • BoliviaJ. Vernon Sharp became the first missionary to preach the gospel in Bolivia.

November 1, 1959 • ChileThe Andes Mission, which included Bolivia, was created, with J. Vernon Sharp as mission president.

August 3, 1963 • Cochabamba, BoliviaA woman named Maria, the first convert in Bolivia, was baptized.

December 27, 1963 • La PazThe Church was registered as a legal entity in Bolivia.

June 10–12, 1964 • BoliviaElder Spencer W. Kimball of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, A. Theodore Tuttle, and the Andes Mission president visited Bolivia to investigate the possibility of missionary work there.

November 20, 1964 • La Paz and CochabambaMissionaries arrived in Bolivia.

December 6–7, 1964 • La Paz and CochabambaBranches were organized in La Paz and Cochamamba.

January 1, 1965 • CochabambaThe first sister missionaries were assigned in Bolivia.

September 19, 1965 • La PazThe first local Relief Society president was sustained in the La Paz Branch.

April 30, 1966 • La PazEduardo Mercado Talavera was sustained as president of the La Paz Branch.

July 22, 1966 • La PazThe first property was purchased by the Church for the construction of the La Paz Branch meetinghouse.

December 24, 1966 • Quiriza, Bolivia Desiderio Arce, the first Quechua missionary, began missionary work in Quiriza, his home village, and helped his fellow missionaries learn Quechua.

June 1, 1967 • La PazBolivia was dedicated for the preaching of the gospel by Spencer W. Kimball.

1968 • La PazLa Escuela Mormona de Bolivia, a Church-sponsored elementary school, opened in La Paz.

August 14, 1968 • BoliviaCarlos Pedraja became the first full-time missionary called from Bolivia.

1969 • BoliviaA missionary singing quartet, Los Hermanos Mormones, performed for more than 100,000 people and reached another 1.5 million by media.

Quiriza meetinghouse

July 25, 1969 • Quiriza

The first meetinghouse constructed in Bolivia was dedicated.

September 21, 1969 • La PazThe La Paz Bolivia District was organized.

August 31, 1970 • BoliviaMartha Taborga Coca, the first sister missionary called from Bolivia, began serving in Ecuador.

July 18, 1971 • BoliviaYouth in Bolivia began taking home seminary courses.

1971 • BoliviaMissionaries began preaching in Aymara and Quechua.

April 8, 1973 • La PazBolivian members were able to hear general conference for the first time via radio broadcast.

September 7, 1977 • BoliviaSister Laura and Sister Mamani were called as the first Indigenous sister missionaries from Bolivia, serving in the Bolivia La Paz Mission.

October 30, 1978 • São Paulo, BrazilBolivian Saints attended the São Paulo Brazil Temple dedication.

January 14, 1979 • Santa Cruz, BoliviaThe Santa Cruz Bolivia Stake was organized, with Eugenio Noriharu Ishigaki Haraguchi as president.

1981 • Salt Lake CitySelections of the Book of Mormon were published in Quechua.

April–May 1986 • Salt Lake CityThe Book of Mormon was published in the Aymara language.

June 16, 1987 • BoliviaA Bolivian couple was called to preside over the Colombia Cali Mission.

May 24, 1989 • BoliviaAnti-government rebels in La Paz shot and killed American missionaries Jeffrey Ball and Todd Wilson. North American missionaries were temporarily removed from the country, and local members accepted calls to continue preaching in many places.

1995 • Lima, PeruA Bolivian couple was called to preside over the temple in Lima, Peru.

1998 • BoliviaChurch membership surpassed 100,000.

Cochabamba Bolivia Temple

April 30, 2000 • Cochabamba

The Cochabamba Bolivia Temple was dedicated by Church President Gordon B. Hinckley.

January 19, 2003 • BoliviaThe Perpetual Education Fund was introduced in Bolivia.

January 2007 • CochabambaSaints in Cochabamba provided refuge to Saints who had traveled long distances to attend the temple but were prevented from returning home by political upheaval.

November 2009 • Santa CruzDuring Family Week, the Relief Society organized a public exhibition showcasing Church organizations and activities, which was attended by members of the public and Church members from local stakes and wards.

November 2, 2010 • Santa CruzThe Piray stake held a family health activity for married couples, featuring nutritionists and doctors who provided instruction in first aid, food safety, home finances, and training for men in caring for their wives during menopause.

February 9–12, 2013 • Samaipata, BoliviaDuring the annual Carnival celebration, the Santa Cruz Bolivia La Pampa Stake sponsored a camp for young women, young men, and young single adults in Samaipata.

November 2014 • BoliviaChurch members celebrated the 50th anniversary of its first official meeting in Bolivia. As of the anniversary, there were more than 177,000 members and three missions in Bolivia.

2014 • El Alto, BoliviaLatter-day Saint Charities helped families in El Alto build their own greenhouses and container gardens to grow vegetables and supplement their diets with healthy greens free from harmful chemicals.

July 31, 2015 • Santa CruzMembers of the seven wards of the Santa Cruz Bolivia La Pampa Stake held an International Folkdance Festival. Local dance academies Ballet Aires Bolivianos and Academia Superior de Danzas Ninoshka contributed judges and special dance numbers.

October 21, 2018 • El AltoChurch President Russell M. Nelson visited El Alto on his South American trip and spoke at a devotional that was broadcast to all stakes in Bolivia.

October 4, 2020 • Salt Lake CityThe construction of the Santa Cruz Bolivia Temple was announced at general conference.

October 9, 2020 • La PazOvershadowed by the global pandemic, 120 youth of the La Paz Bolivia Copacabana Stake worked outside, planting trees throughout the city of La Paz, as part of the Siembra Vida campaign.