Ah, to finally be able to visit the world’s largest pyramid … No, you’re not in Egypt.  The world’s largest pyramid - and for that matter, the world's largest monument ever constructed - is located high up on the Mexican altiplano, is mostly buried and overgrown, looks like a giant mount of dirt and to top it off: a catholic church stands right on top of it!

Plaza in Cholula (click pictures to increase size)
 

The cities of Puebla and Cholula sit nearby the monster that is Mexico City, with its 20 million residents (yes, 20, double the population of my home country of Belgium).  Puebla is one of Mexico’s largest cities: it’s a big industrial city known for its car factories.  The Puebla Volkswagen factory is the largest car factory in the Americas.  The view from both cities is dominated by the nearby Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl volcanoes.

Cholula sits at an elevation of 7,000 feet (2.100 meters) and is considered the oldest city in the Americas that has been permanently inhabited since its origin dating back to 1,000 BC.  When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the 16^th century; lead by Hernan Cortes; the city had a population of 100,000.  The conquistadors attacked and killed 6,000 residents in a battle known as the “Cholula massacre,” which also destroyed much of the city.  Unlike many other conquered cities, however, Cholula survived.  Charles V declared it a ‘city’ in 1535 and during the colonial period, 47 catholic churches were constructed.  Today, the city has a population of 118,000: not all that much larger since before the conquistadors came …

The city made it onto our itinerary thanks to what seems to be a well-kept secret: the largest pyramid in the world stands here; even larger than the pyramids in Egypt.

Yes, this is the pyramid hidden under the mount of dirt with the church on top!
 

The base of Cholula’s pyramid is four times the size of that of the Great Pyramid of Egypt’s Giza plateau.  Construction likely started around 200 BC and occurred in different stages: they kept building and adding layers onto the pyramid, pushing it higher into the sky.  Evidence was found that the builders were in contact with the nearby civilization of Teotihuacan; to the north of today’s Mexico City; who built the more well-known Pyramid of the Moon and the Pyramid of the Sun amongst others.  One of the stages of Cholula’s Great Pyramid was built in the same architecture style as Teotihuacan.

Unless you know what to look for, you probably won’t even notice it’s there.  The Great Pyramid was already overgrown by the time the Spanish arrived in the 16^th century. To make matters even worse, the Spanish conquistadores built a Catholic church right on top of the pyramid!  Nowadays, you can climb to the top of the hill and visit the Catholic Church; the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios; as well as explore the old pyramid underneath the church through a vast tunnel system that has been excavated by archeologists.

Church on top of the pyramid

View from the top

About 250 meters of the tunnels is accessible to tourists.  Be warned that the tunnels are very low and narrow; not an ideal place for someone with claustrophobia, like me.

Entrance to the tunnels

Excavated pyramid steps inside the tunnel system

Inside the tunnels
 

We enjoyed exploring the historical downtown of Cholula with its nicely restored colonial buildings, churches and large central plaza (zócalo).  It’s deservedly one of Mexico’s “magical towns”.

Food-wise, this area is famous for mole, a generic name for a number of sauces.  Mole is an ancient word meaning mix. The sauces are made with a mix of spices, chili peppers, nuts, even chocolate.  Interestingly enough, both the Puebla/Cholula region and the Oaxaca region claim to have invented mole. It doesn’t matter much to us who was the first, the sauces taste great.  Vendors in the local municipal market offer dishes containing one of the many mole varieties.

Cholula has the added benefit of having a good RV park: Trailer Park Las Americas.  It is located an easy 20-minute stroll from the Great Pyramid and the downtown area.