16th century church resurfaces from reservoir in Mexico

A 16th century church has resurfaced from a reservoir in Mexico.

The Catholic church, known as the Temple of Santiago or the Temple of Quechula, was flooded along with a whole town called Jalapa Viejo to make way for the Benito Juarez dam in 1962.

It has been under 100ft of water in the Nezahualcóyotl reservoir in Chiapas state ever since.

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The temple has since emerged three times when the area suffers severe droughts, according to the Daily Telegraph.

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A lack of rain means the water levels drop to reveal the old church.

According to the BBC, the church previously re-emerged in October 2015.

The site adds that low water levels in 2002 meant that visitors could actually walk inside it.

According to the Guardian, the church is believed to have been built by Spanish colonists. It is 183ft long and 42ft wide, with a bell tower that rises 48ft above the ground.