Have you ever dreamed about visiting a town underwater? There is a kind of magic to these places full of secrets and myths. However, the reason why the church towers or chimneys are the only visible edifices is never quite as legendary. Most of these towns were purposely submerged in order to create dams as well as to make way for hydropower. There are some that were believed to have been gone forever yet recent droughts have made them come back, at least partly.
All these flooded ghost-towns are nearby the “new” towns were the inhabitants were relocated to. You can visit the ruins by boat, do some mountain biking or hiking on the nearby shores, or even have a picnic, and enjoy the local folklore or stories about phantom apparitions.
Quechula, Chiapas
This temple and original town were abandoned in the mid-eighteenth century due to plagues and diseases decimating the local population. In 1966, the construction of a dam of the nearby Grijalva river left the ghost town underwater. Yet in recent years, the El Niño effect and global warming has led to the church returning to the surface. If you wish to visit these archaeological sites, it’s important to consider drier months, since summer rains are sure to make it difficult to reach the buildings despite the boats and guides.
San José de Batuc, Sonora
This eighteenth century church that is the only building left from this pueblo is probably the oldest of the Northwestern region of Mexico. The creation of the Novillo dam brought one of the oldest colonial towns of the area underwater where it remains today. In recent years the dam and nearby rivers have become known for fishing and aquatic activities.
Guerrero Viejo, Tamaulipas
This border town between the US and Mexico has reemerged from the water time and time again. In the forties, a dam project for the use of the Rio Grande ended up flooding the town, so in the fifties the population was relocated to a new border town. In the nineties, a drought in the region brought back the few buildings left standing. Hurricanes and nearby floods caused Guerrero Viejo to disappear again; however, on dry seasons some of it is still visible.
Presa Taxhimay, Estado de Mexico
Originally an Otomí settlement, it was converted into a colonial plantation around the sixteenth century. In 1936, the creation of the Taxhimay dam meant the destruction of San Luis de las Peras. The townspeople were relocated to Villa del Carbón. Currently there are several sport activities in the dam such as kayaking, mountain biking, etc.
Santo Tomás de los Plátanos, State of Mexico
This town was intentionally flooded in 1956 by the government in order to build a dam and subsequent hydroelectric plant. Before it sunk beneath the water, it was full of orchards and coffee plantations.
Huasca de Ocampo, Hidalgo
San Antonio Regla was one of four mining haciendas from the eighteenth century belonging to Count Regla. The Count was a Spaniard believed to have arrived to the New World penniless only to then acquire a fortune through the processing of minerals found in the mines.
The other 3 haciendas remain as historical sites, but San Antonio was flooded by a dam and a nearby lake in 1915. The ancient edifices and buildings reach up to 40 feet below water level.
