Visiting The Pueblo Magico town of Cholula (Mexico)

About half an hour from downtown Puebla, Cholula is one of Mexico’s 177 Pueblos Magicos.  

The most famous highlight here is the Great Pyramid of Cholula. Built starting around the 3^rd century BC and dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, the pyramid (also known as Tlachihualtepetl) is the largest pyramid ever built, even surpassing the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. It has a base of 450 by 450 meters (1,480 by 1,480 ft) and a height of 66 m (217 ft) and, according to the Guinness Book of Records, it is both the largest pyramid as well as the largest monument ever constructed anywhere in the world with a total volume estimated at over 4.45 million cubic meters.

Cholula actually consists of seven overlaid pyramids built over twelve centuries. The first stage was built at about the same time as the pyramids of Teotihuacan (just outside Mexico City) and has characteristics similar to Teotihuacan. However, unlike Teotihuacan which mysteriously collapsed in the 7^th century AD (its population disappearing), Cholula continued on. A 2^nd stage of building, under the Olmecs, was superimposed on the first and departed from Teotihuacan’s style, with stairs on all four sides.

There were many religious rituals during these early periods, including human sacrifice. Often sacrificed were children, who were decapitated in order to appeal to Tlaloc, the god of rain. Evidence of beheaded, deformed heads were found in front of what is now called the Altar con Ofrenda (the altar of offering).

By the time the Toltecs occupied Cholula, around 1100 or 1200 A.D, the great pyramid was abandoned and largely submerged by earth (naturally? Or on purpose? Having read a lot of material on the pyramid it’s still not clear). The Toltecs instead focused on building new temples around the original. They dedicated one (under today’s town square) to the feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl and the city became a Mecca for pilgrims from throughout Mesoamerica. Eventually, the Aztecs took over Cholula and were there when the Spanish arrived. The Great Pyramid was, by then, disguised as nothing more than a grassy hill.

Cholula was the location of a major battle between the Spanish and Aztecs. At that time, it was the 2nd largest city in Mexico with a population of about 100,000. In 1519 Hernán Cortés, who had befriended the neighboring Tlaxcalans, travelled to Cholula at the request of the Aztec ruler Moctezuma. But it was a trap as the Aztecs had set an ambush. The Tlaxcalans tipped off Cortés about the plot and the Spanish struck first. Within a day they had killed 6000 Cholulans and the city was looted by the Tlaxcalans. Cortés vowed to build a church here for every day of the year, or on top of every pagan temple, depending on which legend you prefer to believe. Today there are 39 churches here including Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios located on the top of the pyramid mound (it is unclear if the Spanish knew about the underlying pyramid or if they just built the church here because of its impressive geographical location). Although there is not a church for every day of the year, 39 is still plenty for such a small town.

The pyramid was hidden under dirt and trees until construction began in 1910 on an insane asylum at its base. Discovered, major exploratory work commenced in the 1930’s when tunnels were dug to discover the various levels of the pyramid.

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Highlights of Cholula Today

1. The Zona arqueológica de Cholula

You buy your ticket for the zona arqueológica at the wooden building on Avenue Morelos, just steps away from the “Museo de Sitio de Cholula“. Note that the museum in included in the ticket (90 pesos at the time of writing this). Most people visit the museum before visiting the archaeological zone (I recommend this).

The museum also covers life in Cholula, both before and after the Spanish conquest and describes in gory detail the 1519 “slaughter of Cholula”. 

From the ticket booth/museum, you follow the signs to the archaeological site: you’ll be walking towards the Regional Museum of Cholula (which you should see and I’ll cover it later) but you turn on a path just before the museum. Follow that path (about 10 minutes) until you get to the entrance of the archaeological zone. There you show your ticket and enter the grounds.

The zona arqueológica de Cholula comprises of a series of excavated areas around the pyramid which you can walk among. You’ll be entering  at the the Patio de las Altares (if you look at the model above, it’s on the right side of the photo). Here you get a good perspective of the ruins with a view of the church above it all. You’ll see the remains of altars, courtyards and buildings and they’ve done a good job with the signage (in both Spanish and English) to explain what your seeing. There are large stone slabs, an Aztec-style altar, and a reconstructed section of the pyramid (building #7) which you can climb.

2. Nuestra Señora de los Remedios

After exciting the archaeological grounds, you can make your way to the church at the top of the hill. Note that it’s free, whether you have a site ticket or not.

The trail up is close to the large “San Pedro Cholula” sign that I pointed out above. Walk up, you’ll eventually get to a series of steps (or a longer trail with no steps) taking you to the church.

Nuestra Señora de los Remedios is a beautiful church built in the latter half of the 16th century. As I mentioned up top, it’s unsure if the Spanish built the church here because of the significance of the pyramid (the Spanish always liked to build on top of the religious monuments of other cultures) or because of the impressive location of the hill. It seems that the 2nd option makes more sense because there appears to be no evidence that the Spanish knew of the existence of the pyramid at the time.

The views here are great and you get first hand views of Popocatépetl volcano which is currently very active. Just a few months prior to our visit it had been spewing ashes on nearby Atlixco.

4. Downtown Cholula

The downtown area has some impressive religious building, a vibrant market and some pretty (and colourful) streets.

At the center of it all is the main square, Plaza de la Concordia, which is honestly not the prettiest square I’ve ever seen: a mix of amusement park / parking lot / cemented square. But it is a pleasant spot to enjoy the tranquility of the town, have a drink (at one of the cafes or restaurants), and look across at some of the churches surrounding the square.

The Convento de San Gabriel Arcángel is a huge complex that was built on a temple dedicated to Quetzalcoatl in the mid-1500’s. Besides a church (very busy when we visited), it houses a Franciscan library, an atrium, and a Royal Chapel with courtyards and the convent.

Steps away, the Parroquia de San Pedro Cholula is another massive church worth visiting.

Walk from there down Avenida 4 Poniente, 2 blocks down and a left turn brings you to Cholula’s municipal market which is worth a visit. 

From the market, walk back to the main square along Av. Miguel Hidalgo.

It’s a early 18th century church famous for its Talavera facade. It might be one of the most colourful churches you ever see.

Templo de Santa María Tonantzintla

It’s interior is one of the strangest church interiors you’ll see anywhere with a mix of Christian and the Mesoamerican elements. Construction started in the 16th century but it was in the 18th century that much of the indigenous motifs that you see were added. It is incredible. You’re not allowed photos or video…luckily I found this:

 

Practical Information 

Getting there. A taxi from Cholula can get you here in about 20 minutes. Otherwise collectivos run between Cholula and Puebla, stopping either near Centro or at the CAPU bus station in town.

How much time to spend in Cholula: We spent 2 days on this visit and it was perfect. The 1st day we explored the archaeological zone, Nuestra Señora de los Remedios and the museums. The 2nd day was spent at the two out-of-town churches and Cholula’s downtown.

Organized Tours: From Puebla, this 5 hour tour explores Cholula in depth, including the churches of San Francisco Acatepec and Santa María Tonantzintla. From Mexico City you can take this full-day tour which covers Cholula as well as Puebla (one of my favorite cities in Mexico).

Accommodation in Cholula: It’s worth staying a night in Cholula, there’s a lot to see for one day. Recommended is Hotel Boutique Xelhua which is perfectly located close to the archaeological zone.

Related: Is Puebla Mexico’s most beautiful city?

Related: Divisadero – the highlight of the Copper Canyon

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