450-year-old Church Emerges From Reservoir As Water Levels Drop, Is It A Mystery Or Just Nature?

#1

The church was built in 1564 and abandoned two centuries later.

The Temple of Santiago, also known as the Temple of Quechula, normally rests under nearly 100 feet of water since the completion of a dam in 1966 created the Nezahualcoyotl reservoir in Chiapas.

The church was built in 1564 with the expectation that the surrounding area would see a surge in population, the news agency reported;

"It was a church built thinking that this could be a great population center, but it never achieved that," architect Carlos Navarretes told AP. "It probably never even had a dedicated priest, only receiving visits from those from Tecpatan."

After a plague devastated the area from 1773 to 1776, the church was abandoned.

#2

After an ongoing regional drought caused water levels to reduce by a staggering 25 meters It's the second time a drop in the reservoir has revealed Santiago since it was first flooded as the dam was being completed in 1966.

The first time, in 2002, the water was so low visitors could actually walk inside the church.Not knowing how long they'd be able to observe it, locals and tourists alike are touring the old Colonial church by boat, soaking in all its historical beauty.

"The people celebrated. They came to eat, to hang out, to do business. I sold them fried fish. They did processions around the church," the fisherman stated.

#3

The Associated Press reports that the church is 183 feet long and 42 feet wide, with a bell tower that rises 48 feet above the ground.

Despite being submerged for the past 60 years and having a past characterized by misfortune, the Temple of Santiago still stands tall. This beautiful historical place itself stays a mystery as to how it was built underneath 100feet of water and how has it been able to stand tall after all these years being submerged in the water..