Quezi

Pyramid mound and church Cholula - courtesy RussBowling - CC-BY

It is in fact the largest pyramid as well as the largest monument ever constructed anywhere in the world. Each side of the structure’s base is over 1300 feet in length. It has a total volume almost one third larger than that of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. The temple-pyramid was built over many generations, from the 2nd century BC to the early 16th century, and was dedicated to Quetzalcoatl. In pre-Columbian times, Cholula was a large city and was the religious capital of highland Mexico. By the time the Spanish conquered Cholula, the Great Pyramid had been a ruin for so long that they thought it was just a natural hill.

The Cholula Pyramid is designed and oriented to the North North West and it aims at the setting sun during summer solstice. There is a natural spring located under the pyramid which is probably why it was built there is the first place. There is also a cave beneath the pyramid. In the center of the pyramid there is a chamber that may represent an artifical cave. The pyramid remains one of the most important religious sites in Mexico. The shrine of the Virgin of the Remedies attracts pilgrims to the church atop the pyramid mound during an annual festival. Because of the historic and religious significance of the church, (which is a designated colonial monument), the pyramid has not been completely excavated and restored, as have the smaller but better-known pyramids at Teotihuacan. Only a tiny part if it has been excavated, down to the fourth layer, with the rest of the pyramid remaining completely covered by soil and vegetation, which makes it look more like a mountain than it does a pyramid.

Inside the pyramid are some five miles of tunnels excavated by archaeologists and some of these tunnels are open to visitors.

For more information about Mesoamerica