461-year-old Mexican church submerged underwater reappears

A 16th century church in Mexico was once flooded by reservoir waters.
(Image credit: YouTube.com/Reuters)

Visitors are flocking to a 16th century church in Mexico that has resurfaced after being underwater since 1966.

A drought has caused the water levels at the Nezahualcóyotl reservoir in Chiapas state to drop 82 feet, making the Temple of Santiago, also known as the Temple of Quechula, visible once again. The church was built in 1554 by Dominican friars, Reuters reports, and was abandoned after a plague hit between 1773 and 1776. "It was a church built thinking that this could be a great population center, but it never achieved that," architect Carlos Navarretes said. "It probably never even had a dedicated priest, only receiving visits from those from Tecpatán."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.