Drought conditions have resulted in the resurfacing of a 450-year-old church from the waters of a reservoir in southeastern Mexico.     

The Temple of Santiago, also known as the Temple of Quechula, reappeared as the water levels of the Nezahualcóyotl reservoir in Chiapas state dropped nearly 25 meters.

The church, believed to have been built in 1564 by Spanish colonists, is 61 meters long and 14 meters wide, with a 16-meter-high bell tower.

"The church was abandoned due the big plagues of 1773-1776," the Associated Press quoted Mexican architect Carlos Navarete as saying.

“It was a church built thinking that this could be a great population center, but it never achieved that,” he added.

The site has turned into a tourist attraction with local fishermen ferrying curious tourists around ruins.