An indication of the extent of drought conditions in southern Mexico was shown earlier this fall when a colonial-era church, under a man-made reservoir for nearly 50 years, was revealed by receding waters.
The Temple of Santiago, also known as the Temple of Quechula, is an abandoned Roman Catholic church located in the Nezahualcóyotl Reservoir in the southern-most state of Chiapas. It was built in 1564 but later abandoned due to a smallpox epidemic in 1773 and ultimately submerged by a dam in 1966.
Drought conditions in Chiapas have seen the ruins rise again. In late October, the water level in the reservoir had dropped by more than 80 feet. The church normally rests under 100 feet of water.
The church is 183 feet long and 42 feet wide, with a bell tower that rises 48 feet high. When constructed, it was far larger than needed given the size of the congregation, but the Spanish anticipated a population boom.
“It was a church built thinking that this could be a great population center, but it never achieved that,” architect Carlos Navarretes told the Associated Press. “It probably never even had a dedicated priest, only receiving visits from those from Tecpatán.”
While parts of the church occasionally reappear during some dry seasons when water levels are low, the only other time a sizeable part of the church reappeared previously was in 2002. Then, visitors were even able to walk inside it.
The Nezahualcóyotl Reservoir was built on the Grijalva River to generate hydroelectric energy. Nezahualcóyotl is the nation’s second-largest reservoir.
(Top and below: Temple of Quechula, partially rises above the waters of Nezahualcóyotl Reservoir in the Mexican state of Chiapas.)
The Cotton Boll Conspiracy 
This looks as though it might have once been a beautiful church.
I would think so; it reminds me of the mission churches in California, even though they were built more than 200 years later.
Fascinating and great pictures. That top one looks like a face.
An old and somewhat craggy face. But considering the church is 450 years old, has been abandoned for almost 250 years and underwater for the past 50, I’d say it’s in pretty good shape.
I wonder how modern buildings would fare if submerged as long……there are some which would appeal as experiments…
There are a number of buildings, including most hi-rises built after the 1950s, which I wouldn’t mind seeing submerged. And I doubt they would hold up as well. Most don’t look that good above water.