“I am the only living thing in this museum. This is me right here,” said Fernando Gomez, owner of the museum.
Fernando gomez started the museum of Mormon Mexican history in Mexico City in 1991.
In 2011, Gomez and his wife brought the museum to Provo, Utah and over the years added new additions to the collection.
“We have some unique exhibits like the first Book of Mormon that was translated in 1875.”
Many of the artifacts on display are family heirlooms.
Donors outside the Gomez family have contributed to the museum. Gomez hopes to show others that the church is worldwide.
“It helps them to understand a different culture. It helps them understand a different language. I think those are two points that are important between relationships between citizens of one country and another,” he said.
With the recent tension among the Mexican and American government, the museum also provides a spirit of unity and remembrance.
Gomez’s daughter, Sandra Riddle, will own the museum one day. “This museum really shows a lot about the history of the political tension that was going on during the 1800’s between Mexico and the United States. It also shows how the people at that time helped each other,” she said.
A museum attendee, Tyrell Mangum, said that his great grandmother was among one of the first thousand converts in Mexico. “I think she’s a great woman. I really appreciate her legacy because it’s a part of my legacy.”
