【Featured Churches】A Mysterious Church in Mexico Re-emerges After 13 Years

By: Crystal Wong

Mysterious places often intrigue people.Mexico—what impressions do you have of this place?Mexicois the birthplace of multiple ancient American civilizations, giving rise to cultures such as the Maya, Toltec, and Aztec, and is home to numerous ancient histories and legends.

And inMexico’sChiapas state, a mysterious church has “suddenly” emerged from the bottom of a body of water. Due to persistent drought and water shortages, the water level in the pond dropped drastically. As a result, this church, which had been underwater for over 400 years, has resurfaced, attracting many visitors.

The church, named the Temple of Santiago, measures approximately 61 meters in length, 14 meters in width, and 10 meters in height. It was built during the Spanish colonial period in the 16th century.

No one knows who once lived there, nor can it be confirmed who built it. According to the architect tasked with evaluating the site, the church was abandoned between 1773 and 1776 during a major plague when it housed a large ossuary filled with the bones of plague victims. In 1966, with the completion of the Malpaso Dam, the church along with many skeletal remains were submerged underwater. It briefly resurfaced in 2002 before disappearing again until it reappeared late last year.

Now the church has become a new attraction, with many tourists renting boats to visit the ruins. If you also want to see this mysterious church, you’ll need to act fast—because if you miss this chance, you might have to wait over a decade for the next one.

Source: Huffingtonpost

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