Drowned 16th-Century Church Emerges From Bottom of Reservoir After Drought

A 16th-century church has emerged from the waters of a reservoir in Mexico amid a drought. The colonial-era Dominican church is located in Quechula in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas.

The building had been almost entirely submerged since 1966 when a dam was built on a tributary of the nearby Grijalva River.

For many years, tourists visited the church by boat. But now it is completely exposed, with visitors arriving at its gates in their cars and on motorcycles, AFP reported Sunday.

A lack of rain and high temperatures in the region have resulted in falling water levels at the reservoir, revealing the entire building.

"Very nice, impressive to see after so many years that the small church still exists," José Eduardo Zea, who visited the church with a friend, told AFP.

The low water levels in the reservoir are beneficial for tourists who want to visit the church, but they are starting to have an effect on local fishermen in the area, some of whom farm tilapia.

Around five months ago "the water began to drop too much, and it has already gone beyond normal," local tilapia farmer Darinel Gutiérrez told AFP. "What do I support my family with? Right now I have nothing."

The church was constructed by members of the Dominican Order (DO) in the 16th century when the territory that is now Mexico was under Spanish colonial rule.

One of the major orders of the Roman Catholic Church, the DO was founded in France by Spanish priest, saint and mystic, Dominic, in 1215 to preach the gospel and oppose heresy. Its members, who number more than 5,000 today, include friars, nuns and laypeople.

Dominican friars were among the earliest European missionaries to arrive in the Americas during the 16th century, establishing churches in several different countries.

Some came as chaplains to the Spanish conquistadors, while others arrived to preach the gospel to the indigenous peoples of the Americas.

The first destination in the Americas for the Dominican friars was the settlement of Santo Domingo—located in what is now the Dominican Republic—where some members arrived in 1509. By 1526, members of the order had reached Mexico.

Last month, researchers announced that they had uncovered the remains of a long-lost church that was submerged in a devastating storm surge around 700 years ago off the coast of Germany.

The church is thought to have once formed part of the medieval trading settlement of Rungholt, which has sometimes been referred to as the "Atlantis of the North Sea."

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