PIRAMIDE DE CHOLULA (MONSTRUOSO SECRETO MASONICO STAR GATE) - DESENMASCARANDO LAS FALSAS DOCTRINAS

VISIT THE WORLD’S LARGEST PYRAMID (CHOLULA, MEXICO)

The world’s largest pyramid isn’t in Egypt. Who knew?

A visit to the pyramids sounds almost too exotic to squeeze into a weekend, right? And, for a lot of MadeByMark.com readers, airline tickets to Egypt (especially given the unrest there) or a weekend in Giza might be out of the question.

Did you know, though, that the largest pyramid in the world is practically in America’s back yard?

The Great Pyramid of Giza (constructed about 4500 years ago) is the tallest pyramid known, at 455 feet high. But the Great Pyramid of Cholula (built near Puebla, Mexico about 2300 years ago) has twice the volume of the largest of the Egyptian pyramids. Measuring just under 1500 feet (that’s two and a half football fields) on each side of the base and standing 217 feet high, the Great Pyramid of Cholula is also the largest monument ever constructed by anyone, anywhere on earth.

The reason you’ve probably never heard of this overlooked wonder of the ancient world? Well, today, it doesn’t look much like a pyramid at all:

(Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.org)

After the collapse of the pre-Hispanic culture that constructed the pyramid in a series of phases over hundreds of years, the sands of time literally buried this monument to the god Quetzacoatl. Over time, the pyramid began to look like a hill, and no external signs hinted at the elaborate structure beneath the surface:

And this remains true today — mostly because, during Colonial times, the Catholics built an elaborate church on top of the mound. (Interesting, isn’t it, how some places are always sacred spaces, hosting temples to a procession of various gods over the centuries?) Because uncovering the pyramid would destroy the church, the older sacred site will never be properly excavated.

But don’t worry: you can still visit the pyramid, despite its subterranean status. Archeologists have carved miles of tunnels into the structure, making it possible for visitors to move through long, narrow, corridors and actually pass through the heart of the temple:

At observation points along these trails, you can see the stepped terraces and rainwater gutters that defined the steep slopes of the building — all still deep underground, of course!

I wouldn’t be completely honest with you if I didn’t note that a visit to the Great Pyramid of Cholula might not be the best excursion for anyone who is anxious in tight spaces. I’m not terribly claustrophobic, but I confess I could actually feel the weight of the pyramid above me, and, at one point, the long and narrow tunnels were almost more than I could handle. I’m glad we were the only people there; had the tunnel been crowded, I probably would have freaked out a little.

Even if you don’t go into the pyramid itself, you’ll want to make the long, steep, winding climb up the hill — to visit the church, of course (which contains one of the “conquering virgins,” or statues of Mary left behind by the conquistadores), but also to gaze out at the amazing view, which includes neighboring pyramids and altars that have been excavated.

From Mexico City, you can make this visit to the world’s largest pyramid easily in just one day — and even combine it with a trip to Puebla to shop for pottery, visit the Golden Chapel, and immerse yourself in the local food scene. Book yourself into the Red Tree House, contact Journeys Beyond the Surface, and arrange an archeological expedition for yourself that would make Indiana Jones proud!

Cholula – The Great Pyramid

JANUARY 24, 2012

Cholula is a suburb of Puebla which is one of Mexico’s biggest cities but is still in the state of Mexico. What makes Cholula interesting is that it is the site of the biggest pyramid ever constructed – although it is mostly in ruins now.

With our visit here, to Teotihuacan and to Cairo we’ve now seen the biggest three pyramids in the world. Hurrah !

The thing that becomes clear very quickly at Cholula is that you can’t see much of it – the pyramid has not been excavated and now looks like a small hill. When the Spaniards invaded they showed their domination of many of the indigenous civilizations by building churches on top of their religious sites – and at Cholula there was no exception. So now the biggest pyramid in the world looks like a small hill with a big church on top !

The church is called Nuestra Senora de los Remedios and it is sitting on top of the Pyramid which is 66m high and 350m on each side. The pyramid was constructed between 200 BC and 800 AD.

There are a number of tunnels through the pyramid that have been excavated and that are open to the public. However we arrived to be told that there had been a tunnel collapse and that they were closed.

On climbing the pyramid to see the church we bought some fried grasshoppers (chapulines) from a local vendor. Can’t say I was too enamoured with them – they were a bit like salty, crunchy rice crackers. We did choose the non-spicy ones though.

There is a campground in Cholula which is only about 20 minutes walk from the pyramid which made a convenient place for us to spend the night.

https://fromatob.org/2012/01/24/cholula-the-great-pyramid/

THE GREAT PYRAMID OF CHOLULA

THE GREAT PYRAMID OF CHOLULA - INSIDE, OUTSIDE, AND ALL AROUND

Cholula is a Pueblo Mágico, a town with beauty, historical relevance, and an amazing archaeological zone. We spent an afternoon touring the Great Pyramid of Cholula, both the interior and outside. The Pyramid is located in the San Andrés Cholula, Puebla municipality, an important detail when trying to locate it the first time. From a distance it looks like a large natural hill with the Nuestra Señora de los Remedios sanctuary and its numerous churches perched on top. The history of the construction of the pyramid itself spans over a period of at least one thousand years prior to the Spanish Conquest. Consecutive construction phases gradually built up the bulk of the pyramid until it became the largest in Mexico by volume. The temple-pyramid complex was built in four stages, beginning around 200 BC. and was already covered by dirt by the time Cortez arrived in Cholula in 1519 AD, 1700 years later. This was one ancient temple he did not destroy in order to build his own monuments. In 1594, the Spanish simply built a church, La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, on top of what they thought was a natural hill. It has a base of

La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora Church

450 by 450 metres (1,480 by 1,480 ft) and a height of 66 m (217 ft). According to the Guinness Book of Records, the Great Pyramid of Cholula is 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 metres,

We climbed the many steps to the top of The Great Pyramid and really felt the effect of the 7000 foot altitude on our lungs and on our stamina. My "Fitbit" pedometer told me that we climbed the equivalent of 20 stories to get to the level where this beautiful Catholic Church was built!

We then purchased a ticket at the ticket booth at the base of the pyramid to take a self-guided tour through the tunnels and stairways within the ancient structure. It was fascinating, imagining people 2200 years ago, carving out the soil and rock to form miles and miles of walkways, stairways, and chambers under the ground. English-speaking guides were available to take us through for a fee, but we did not think it was necessary. We probably would have learned a lot more by hiring a guide and would recommend it to others.

Jon Climbing The Many Steps Up The Pyramid

Finally, Reaching The Top of the Pyramid!