Mormon temple in Honduras opens to the public prior to March dedication (+photo gallery)

Latter-day Saints in Central America rejoiced this weekend as the Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple opened to the public for tours on Feb. 9.

The doors will be open to the public until March 2, with tours running from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

On March 17, a member of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will formally dedicate the temple, after which only Latter-day Saints who have been recommended by ecclesiastical leaders will be able to enter.

The Tegucigalpa Temple is the 141st temple to be dedicated by the church and the sixth in Central America. Three dedicatory sessions will be held to accomodate the large number of Latter-day Saints who wish to participate in the historic event.

According to the Mormon Newsroom, the exterior of the temple is made from Chinese granite and features art-glass windows with designs inspired by the Mayan culture. The interior of the temple houses murals of Honduran landscapes, and the furniture is adorned with orchids, the national flower of Honduras.

The temple will serve approximately 233,000 members of the church in Honduras and Nicaragua. There are currently more than 150,000 members of the church in Honduras in 227 congregations.

Megan Marsden is an intern for DeseretNews.com, writing for the Faith and Family sections. She is a junior at BYU-Idaho studying communication.