The church in the vanished town of San Juan Quechula, dedicated to the Apostle James the Greater and built by the Dominicans who evangelized the area under the direction of Friar Bartolomé de las Casas in the 16th century, was flooded in 1966 during the construction of the Nezahualcóyotl hydroelectric dam, also known as the Malpaso dam.
In recent years, the upper part of the church became visible and tourists could approach it by boat.
However, this year’s drought has allowed the centuries-old Catholic church to be seen in full.
It is one of at least seven churches that are “buried” under water or stone in different parts of Mexico.
According to the Tecpatán Town Hall website, the church was built between 1564 and 1606, before being abandoned in 1776 due to a series of plagues that affected surrounding communities.
On June 9, the municipality of Tecpatán announced that the church “has become more visible” in the past two months due to the “lack of rain in our area.” In addition, authorities have ordered that the area be cleared and that “timely attention” be given to visitors.
Gilberto Hernandez, head of the diocesan communication commission of the Archdiocese of Tuxtla Gutierrez, recalled in a press release that the church is visible at least partially every year.
“The lowering of the level makes it possible to contemplate the great structure of the church, which has resisted the passage of time and the onslaught of water,” he said, pointing out that this year the whole of the building can be seen “due to the drought and the delay in the rainy season.”
The current conditions, he said, makes is so “that it is no longer necessary to reach the church by boat. It can now be accessed by van or motorbike, which makes it possible to better appreciate the magnitude of the beautiful Dominican church.”
According to the Mexican Drought Observatory, “during the first two weeks of June 2023, rainfall deficits were observed over a large part of the national territory.” In regions of Chiapas, the drought category has changed from moderate to severe.
Due to an intense heat wave and drought that has spread through several regions of Mexico, a more than 400-year-old Catholic church has completely emerged from the waters in the state of Chiapas.