A dam's falling water levels revealed a lost work of art

Monday, October 19, 2015, 1:52 PM - There have been stories in most media of the effects of drought worldwide (California, for example, is in an epic dry period).

And as drought-stricken areas continue to thirst, and reservoir water levels keep dropping, the most amazing things can emerge.

That's what's been happening in the Mexican state of Chiapas, where a 25-metre drop in the level of the Nezahualcoyotl reservoir has revealed a church dating back to the mid-16th century, not long after the Spanish conquest of the region.

"It was a church built thinking that this could be a great population center, but it never achieved that," architect Carlos Navarrete told the Associated Press. "It probably never even had a dedicated priest, only receiving visits from those from [the nearby monastery of] Tecpatan."

Abandoned in the late 1700s as plague struck the area, the place was a ruin when the reservoir's waters washed over it in 1966.

Since its recent reemergence, it's become a popular spot for boaters, with some fishermen even ferrying visitors over for a price.

It's not the first time since 1966 the church has been visible. Water levels were even lower in 2002, and one fisherman, Leonel Mendoza, told the AP people could walk within it.

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

SOURCE: Mashable/Associated Press

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