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Dropping water levels from the drought in Mexico revealed something incredible

Melia Robinson

2015-11-05T15:05:14Z

Temple of Quechula, underwater church chiapas mexico — the rear of the facade. Side chapel at left, stairwell behind the side chapel Jack Nelson

The Temple of Quechula is about the closest thing we have to a lost ruin of Atlantis.

Last month, a drought in Chiapas, Mexico, caused water levels in the Nezahualcoyotl reservoir to drop over 80 feet — revealing a mid-16th century church long-buried beneath the surface. Photos of the spectacular structure went viral online, and residents and tourists alike recruited local fisherman to row them out to the ruin.

As the dam gates close and the reservoir fills to a normal level, locals expect the church to sink back to its watery grave soon.

Photographer Jack Nelson and his family recently visited the Temple of Quechula to catch one last glimpse at the living time capsule. Nelson shared his photos exclusively with Tech Insider. Here's what happened on his maritime adventure.

There's a drought ravaging the Mexican state of Chiapas, and it's impossible to ignore.

When Jack Nelson and his family reached the village of Embarcadero Apic Pac, they were surprised to find the hill bone-dry. The water usually reaches the house atop.

They rented a boat and a pilot from the local fishing cooperative, and set out for the other side of the lake.

Nelson, a Rhode Island native who moved to Mexico in 1996, formerly ran a tour guide business in the area. He consulted his maps to estimate the church's location.

After a bit of searching, they found the church. It stuck out like a sore thumb.

As they approached, the beauty of the abandoned ruin took their breath away.

They tied the boat to the rubble and stepped onto the facade — and into the past.

The Temple of Quechula was built by a group of monks who arrived in the region around the mid-16th century.

Led by Friar Bartolome de la Casas, the Spanish settlers were clearly inspired by the architecture they knew at home.

On the other side of the facade, Nelson discovered two round, decrepit structures.

A small, partially submerged dome possibly covered a baptismal chapel, Nelson says. (He explored a number of old churches during his touring days.)

In front of it, a spiral staircase peeped above the water. Nelson guesses it led to the bell gable, or espadaña.

Nelson's daughter Angela dared climb inside.

The door to the possible baptismal chapel could be seen from inside the church.

After being submerged under 100 feet of water for nearly 50 years, the arch looked well preserved.

It's believed the builders had great expectations for the church, considering its proximity to King's Highway.

Source: Associated Press

But those ambitions fell flat.

Plague swept the area between 1773 and 1776, after explorers, settlers, and traders arrived in the New World spreading bacteria and viruses. The church was abandoned.

Source: IFL Science

Later, it was swallowed whole. The state erected a dam in 1966, which flooded the church and neighboring ghost town.

The Temple of Quechula rose above water once before, in 2002, during an even more severe drought. Water levels were so low, you could walk across the church floor.

While the church's reappearance has been received as a "silver lining" amidst the drought ...

It won't be here for long. Nelson suspects the dam gates have been closed, given the reservoir's rapid rise.

Here's the Temple of Quechula just three weeks ago, photographed by the Associated Press.

temple of santiago, temple of Quechula, chiapas mexico church drought — The remains of a mid-16th century church known as the Temple of Santiago, as well as the Temple of Quechula, is visible from the surface of the Grijalva River, which feeds the Nezahualcoyotl reservoir, due to the lack of rain near the town of Nueva Quechula, in Chiapas state, Mexico, Friday, Oct. 16, 2015. “The church was abandoned due the big plagues of 1773-1776,” said architect Carlos Navarette, who worked with Mexican authorities on a report about the structure that would be flooded in 1966 when the dam was completed. (AP Photo/David von Blohn) David von Blohn/AP

And here it stood during Nelson's visit.

Goodbye, silver lining.

Mexico