400-year Old Church Emerges After Water Level Drops In Mexico
Drought and lack of rains revealed a 400-year old Church in Mexican reservoir at Nezahualcoyotl. A colonial church had been hidden in the flooded reservoir since past 50 years but the ruins were revealed last week due to receding water level as a result of lack of rains in Mexico. The 16th century church had not been seen in over a decade, said Discovery.com.
The church was originally built by Dominican monks led by Friar Bartolome de la Casas and was located in Quechula. Monks believed that the small town would eventually become a large population center but was completely abandoned in the 1770s after a devastating plague ravaged the area. The mid-16th century church is known as the Temple of Santiago, as well as the Temple of Quechula, said Daily Mail UK.
Remaining Quechula was originally lost to the waters of the Nezahualcoyotl reservoir in 1966 when it flooded. It completely submerged when Mexican authorities dammed the nearby Grijalva River. This is the second time that the church has resurfaced in the state of Chiapas as a result of drought. The river was last this low in 2002, when visitors were able to walk about inside the church, said The Independent UK.
Currently, fishermen are ferrying curious passengers and tourists in and around the Church which is believed to have been built by Spanish colonists, is 183ft long and 42ft wide, with a bell tower that rises 48ft above the ground. A fisherman narrated that the people celebrated. They came to eat, to hang out and to do business and he sold them fried fish. Tourist passengers also did processions around the church. Curious visitors have taken to exploring the ruins, and climbing its walls, said The Guardian.
