Did you know that the world’s largest pyramid and temple is in Mexico?
Surprisingly, the largest pyramid in the world isn’t in Egypt, it’s the Great Pyramid of Cholula in Central Mexico.
While the Great Pyramid of Giza is the taller in height, Mexico’s Great Pyramid of Cholula is larger in terms of both size and volume, making it nearly twice the size.
It’s also just as mysterious as the Pyramid of Giza.
You will find the Great Pyramid of Cholula just outside of the town Puebla hidden beneath what looks like a hill and topped with the beautiful Nuestra Señora de los Remedios church and monastery.
Cholula was originally constructed as a holy city and it means “place of refuge” in the local Nahuatl language. Before the beginning of the Spanish conquest in February 1519, Cholula was one of the largest cities with 60,000 – 100,000 people and one of the most important religious centers in Mexico.
During the conquest, the Spanish conquistadors assembled over 3,000 of Cholula’s noblemen, rulers, captains, chiefs, and other townsmen in the courtyard of the gods below the Pyramid of Cholula where they maliciously attacked and murdered the unarmed crowd.
While the Aztecs were notorious for their practice of human sacrifice, they were shocked by the brutality and cruelty of Hernán Cortés and the Spanish Conquistadors who laid seige to the Aztec cities and gleefully starved and murdered women and children.
The Sacred Pyramid Temple of Tlachihualtepetl
The Great Pyramid of Cholula is also known as Tlachihualtepetl, which means “constructed mountain” in Nahuatl. It was built over 2,000 years ago by ancient Mesoamerican civilizations including the Olmecs, Toltecs and Cholutecs in different phases.
It is believed that construction of the pyramid of Cholula began as early as 300 B.C. and it was expanded in 6 major phases.
It was once a sacred site dedicated to the feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl who was the Aztec God of rain and wind. Different indigenous cultures from across Mexico and Central America came on a pilgrimage to visit the Great Pyramid of Cholula and attend sacred ceremonies.
According to legend, when news of the Spanish invaders arrived, the locals completely camouflaged the pyramid of Cholula in mud and greenery to save this sacred place from being completely destroyed.
Many historians claim that Hernán Cortés never knew this large hill on the plain was actually a sacred place but this seems unlikely as it was common practice for the Spanish to erase the indigenous cultures, Christianize them by threat of death and repurpose indigenous sacred places along Catholic mythological lines.
In 1574, long after the fall of the Aztec Empire, the Spanish built a church on top of the Great Pyramid of Cholula named Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios or Our Lady of the Remedies, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Similar to Quetzalcoatl, the Virgin Mary of Remedies is also addressed as The Little Lady of the Rain or the one who brings rain to arid lands, which is an odd coincidence that seems to fit in just right at this rather unusual site.
Today, you can visit the archeological site and explore 5 miles of tunnels running through the pyramid, which provide a glimpse into the construction layers and history. Standing on the top of the pyramid of Cholula offers breathtaking vistas of the surrounding Puebla valley including views of the massive Iztaccíhuatl and Popocatépetl volcanos.
The Pyramid of Cholula Vs The Great Pyramid of Giza
Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza, is the world’s tallest pyramid at 147 metres (481 feet) high.
By comparison, the Great Pyramid of Cholula is about 66 metres (217 feet) tall making it a little less than half the height of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
What’s most impressive about the pyramid of Cholula is it’s the largest monument ever constructed anywhere in this world to this day and it has a base four times larger than Giza’s with nearly twice the volume.
The Pyramid of Cholula base measures 450 by 450 meters (1,476 by 1,476 feet) and contains a total volume of 157 million cubic feet (4.45 million cubic meters). This is almost twice that of the Great Pyramid of Giza. To put it in perspective, the pyramid is as big as nine Olympic-sized swimming pools at its base.
The Central Valleys of Mexico have one of the highest concentrations of pyramids in the world. Just outside Mexico City, you will also find the ancient city and temples of Teotihuacán, which means “where people become Gods”.
The largest pyramid at Teotihuacán known as the Pyramid of the Sun is roughly the same height as the Pyramid of Cholula and was considered the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere until modern times.
Teotihuacán is the most visited archeological site in the Americas but Cholula is lesser known because it’s farther from Mexico City and it has no been able to be fully excavated because there is a protected UNESCO world heritage site called Nuestra Señora de los Remedios monastery at it’s summit.
Unlike the Pyramids of Giza, you can climb both the Pyramid of the Sun and the Great Pyramid of Cholula.
If you are interested in ancient civilizations and pyramids, I also recommend visiting the Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl at Tula (Hildago) just outside of Mexico City on your visit to the Central Valleys of Mexico.
His mission at Mindful Ecotourism is to share mindful awareness, experiential learning and community building practices that can reconnect people with nature.
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