.png)
When you think of pyramids, does your mind go to Egypt and the Great Pyramids of Giza? Up until recently, I believed Egypt held the largest pyramids in the world! It was when I traveled to see my family in Mexico that I learned that the largest pyramid on the planet was in our state of Puebla, Mexico.
I walked up to the pyramid site with my aunt Mirnis, the aunt I’m closest to on my dad’s side. She lives in Mexico with the rest of our extended family. As we walked around the site, she explained what the pyramid meant to her. “This was built by the Toltecas in the Puebla region, who are your ancestors too. It was dedicated to the Feathered Serpent. When the Spaniards arrived, they wanted to dominate the indigenous peoples, and so they covered the pyramid and built their church on the top, sort of to say ‘We’re here and this belongs to us.’ But none of that erases the fact that this is the largest in the world, and it’s still here.” She also told me stories of tunnels that reach from the pyramid into all corners of the city. She instilled in me a pride for the pyramid, and each time I think of it I think of her and her love for history and culture.
The Great Pyramid of Cholula, Mexico, also known as Tlachihualtepetl (“Constructed Mountain” in Nahuatl), may look like a natural hill at first glance. But underneath the grass and dirt, it is actually the largest pyramid by volume in existence.
Here are some quick facts:
Height above ground: 25 meters (82 feet)
Actual Height: 66 meters (217 feet)
Base: 300x315 meters (984x1033 feet)
Volume: 4.45 million cubic meters (157 million cubic feet)
For reference, the volume of the Great Pyramid of Giza is approximately 2.6 million cubic meters (92 million cubic feet).
The name Cholula, the city where it was built, is derived from the Nahuatl word cholollan, or “place of refuge”, referencing a myth describing the refugees who settled there after fleeing the fall of Tula. Cholula is located near the center of the state of Puebla, about a two-hour drive from Mexico City. It's a colorful and vibrant town, and there is a saying about the city that there is a church for every day of the year. Though it’s not quite accurate, it reflects the large amount of colorful chapels around the city!
Construction on the pyramid began in the 3rd century BCE and the final phase was complete by the 9th century CE, though slowly abandoned due to many factors such as famine and population decline.
Built in different phases by different civilizations, the pyramid was dedicated to the deity Quetzalcoatl, also known and depicted as the Feathered Serpent. Quetzalcoatl holds a major role in Aztec and Maya cultures. Today, the Quetzalcoatl ritual is still performed each year on the Spring Equinox at the pyramid site and draws crowds of thousands.
If you looked at the pyramid today, the first thing you might notice is the bright yellow church high above you on the hill. But looking more closely, you’ll see the uncovered stones of the pyramid and begin to gain more curiosity about its history and why it’s been covered. The church is a recognized UNESCO world heritage site, and so excavation on the pyramid has not been completed.
Over centuries, the pyramid became overgrown with foliage, and when Spanish conquistadors arrived in 1519, they asserted dominance over the indigenous populations by building a Catholic church at the top of the pyramid. The church is named the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, or Our Lady of Remedies Church.
The Cholula community embraces both sides of the history of the pyramid. Every day you can witness Los Voladores, or the “Dance of the Fliers”, a traditional ceremony-dance where dancers climb a tall pole and attach ropes around their waist and launch themselves off the pole, and the rope unwraps them as they slowly descend to the ground. They are accompanied by music from a flute and drum player.
Though today the tours are no longer available to the public, in the past I was able to go inside the pyramid and experience the tight enclosed hallways and small rooms. What you can still do, however, is hike up the steep but paved path up to the church and enjoy a wonderful view of the whole of Cholula. When I go with my brothers, we push each other to continue up the steep path and reach the top. It’s hard to believe that workers will climb the hill every day and that the parishioners will attend each week!
The older I get and the more I visit my family in Mexico, the more I love learning and sharing about the culture and history. The neighborhood around the pyramid is filled with fun museums, beautiful markets and vendors, and restaurants full of culture and great food. Cholula certainly deserves its official title of Pueblo Mágico, or magical town. Not everyone can say their town is home to a pyramid, let alone the underrated and largest pyramid in the world, but it’s thanks to my aunt that I feel so much love towards ours.
Emilia is a McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville in the class of 2027. She is studying political science on a global studies and international affairs track, Arabic, Latin America and Latino studies.