Great Pyramid of Cholula facts for kids
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 Location in Mexico
Location in Puebla (state)
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| Location | Cholula de Rivadabia, Puebla,  Mexico |
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| Region | Puebla |
| Coordinates | 19°03′27″N 98°18′07″W / 19.05750°N 98.30194°W |
| History | |
| Periods | Classic to Postclassic |
| Site notes | |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | Talud-tablero |
| Architectural details | Number of temples: 1 |
| Responsible body: Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia | |
The Great Pyramid of Cholula, also known as Tlachihualtepetl (meaning "constructed mountain" in Nahuatl), is a huge ancient structure in Cholula, Puebla, Mexico. It is the largest pyramid in the world by volume. Imagine a pyramid so big it could fill many football fields!
While it's not as tall as the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, it's much wider. The Cholula pyramid stands 25 meters (82 feet) tall. Its base measures about 300 by 315 meters (984 by 1,033 feet). This is much larger than the Great Pyramid of Giza's base, which is 230.3 by 230.3 meters (756 by 756 feet). This pyramid was a temple, likely built for the god Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent. Its building style is similar to that of Teotihuacán, another famous ancient city in Mexico.
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Discover the Great Pyramid of Cholula
Where is the Cholula Pyramid?
The Cholula archaeological site is located about 6 kilometers (4 miles) west of the city of Puebla. It sits right in the city of Cholula. The pyramid itself is in the San Andrés Cholula, Puebla area. The city of Cholula is split into two parts: San Andrés and San Pedro. This division happened in the 12th century after the Toltec-Chichimeca people conquered the city.
The original people, the Olmeca-Xicalanca, kept the pyramid as their main religious spot. But the new Toltec-Chichimecas built a new temple to Quetzalcoatl. The Toltec-Chichimec people called Cholula Tlachihualtepetl, which means "artificial hill." The name Cholula comes from an old Nahuatl word, cholollan, meaning "place of refuge."
A Long History of Building
The Great Pyramid was a very important religious place long before the Spanish arrived. Over a thousand years, different groups of people kept building on top of it. Each new layer made the pyramid bigger and bigger. This is how it became the largest pyramid in Mexico by volume.
The Classic Period: A Growing Mountain
The pyramid complex was built in four main stages. This happened from about 300 BC to 900 AD. It was dedicated to the god Quetzalcoatl. The pyramid's base is 300 by 315 meters (984 by 1,033 feet) and it stands 25 meters (82 feet) tall. The Guinness World Records says it's the largest pyramid and monument ever built. Its total volume is over 4.45 million cubic meters (157 million cubic feet). This is much larger than the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, which is about 2.5 million cubic meters (88 million cubic feet).
The pottery found at Cholula is very similar to that from Teotihuacan. Both sites seemed to decline around the same time. The later Nahua people called the pyramid Tlachihualtépetl, or "hand-made mountain." This shows they knew it was built by humans, not by gods.
At its busiest, Cholula was home to about 100,000 people. This made it the second-largest city in Mexico at the time. Even though people continued to live in Cholula, they stopped using the Great Pyramid in the 8th century. The city's population dropped a lot. But the pyramid still remained a sacred place.
The site was once called Cholollan, meaning "the place of those who fled." This name refers to a story where the Toltec-Chichimeca people conquered the city after leaving their old capital.
Postclassic and Colonial Times
An ancient book from the Cholula region tells us about an Olmec-Xicalanca lord who lived at the Great Pyramid. In the 12th century, after the Toltec-Chichimecas took over, people started focusing their worship on a new temple. Even long after the pyramid was abandoned, people continued to bury their dead around it. This shows it was still very important to them.
By the time the Spanish arrived, the pyramid was covered in plants and looked like a natural hill. In the 16th century, the Spanish built a church on top of it. This church was the only visible structure there until the 19th century.
Modern Discoveries
In 1931, architect Ignacio Marquina began digging tunnels inside the pyramid. By 1954, these tunnels stretched for about 5 kilometers (3 miles)!
Today, the pyramid still looks like a natural hill. This is because of the church on top, called the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios. The Spanish built this church in 1594 during colonial times. It's a popular place for pilgrimages. Many ancient sites in Latin America have Catholic churches built on top of them. This was a common practice by the Catholic Church to replace local religious sites.
Because the church is a protected historical monument, the entire pyramid hasn't been fully dug up and restored. Inside the pyramid, there are about 5 kilometers (3 miles) of tunnels dug by archaeologists.
Exploring the Pyramid's Layers
The Great Pyramid is made of six structures built one on top of the other. Each layer was built by a different group of people who ruled the area. Only three of these layers have been studied in detail. The pyramid is just a small part of the larger Cholula archaeological zone, which covers about 154 hectares (380 acres).
Building of the pyramid started in the Preclassic Period. Over time, it was built over six times. Its final size was 300 by 315 meters (984 by 1,033 feet) at the base and 25 meters (82 feet) tall. The base covers 94,500 square meters (1,016,669 square feet). This is almost twice the size of Pharaoh Khufu's Great Pyramid of Giza base. The Cholula pyramid has the largest pyramid base in the Americas.
The earliest parts of the pyramid show a building style called talud-tablero. This style is typical of the region and was strongly linked to the great city of Teotihuacán. Some parts of the pyramid contain burials. Skeletons were found in different positions, along with many offerings, especially pottery. The last version of the pyramid had stairs on its west side. These stairs led to a temple on top, which faced the Iztaccíhuatl volcano.
During the colonial period, the pyramid was damaged on its north side. This happened when the Camino Real road to Puebla was built. Later, a rail line damaged the west side.
Digging into the Past: Excavation History
The first study of the pyramid area was done by Adolph Francis Alphonse Bandelier. He was a Swiss-born American archaeologist who came to Cholula in 1881. He published his findings in 1884. Bandelier mainly dug up burials around the pyramid, collecting skulls. This was a common practice at that time.
Bandelier also took the first exact measurements of the structure. He started to understand how it was built. He also studied the homes that were near the pyramid. He made the first detailed field notes and the earliest map of the site.
The pyramid was dug up in two main phases. The first started in 1931 and ended in the 1950s. The second phase began in 1966 and officially ended in 1970.
Exploration inside the pyramid began in 1931. Architect Ignacio Marquina led the work, digging tunnels to find the older structures hidden inside. This was a time of political problems in Mexico. However, the success of excavations at Teotihuacán led to the decision to dig at Cholula. Marquina was chosen because he had worked at Teotihuacan.
While Marquina gets credit, most of the tunnel digging was done by Marino Gómez, the site guardian. These tunnels helped map and model the pyramid's many layers. The pyramid had no clear entrance because it was so old and damaged. Archaeologists decided to start tunneling on the north side, where colonial buildings had caused damage. Here, remains of walls could be seen.
The tunneling methods were based on mining techniques. They even used small tracks and miniature coal cars to remove dirt. You can see examples of these at the site museum. The pyramid's base was made of sun-dried adobe bricks. These bricks contained pottery, obsidian, and gravel to make them stronger. This strong base meant that excavators only needed to create "false arches" in the tunnels. They didn't need extra beams or supports.
The first two tunnels crossed the center of the pyramid, one north-south and one east-west. When the tunnels reached an older structure, they followed its shape. Eventually, the tunnels created an underground maze. By 1939, there were 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) of tunnels. Two more kilometers were added by 1951. These tunnels show the true size of the pyramid, which isn't visible from the outside.
During the first excavations, Eduardo Noguera dug sixteen holes to find pottery. This helped create a timeline for the site. The pottery ranged from clay figures from when the settlement was a small village to pieces from the Pre-classic period. Later figures were of gods and priests. Musical instruments like flutes were also found, along with tools for making textiles and paper. A special find was a ceremonial scepter carved from bone. It had images about life and death.
The first round of digging ended in the 1950s. The second round, called Proyecto Cholula, happened from 1966 to 1974. This project was partly inspired by other pyramids in Mexico that had been rebuilt and were attracting tourists. Both the government and the state wanted to make Cholula a tourist spot. Archaeology had changed since Marquina's time, focusing more on teamwork.
Miguel Messmacher was in charge of the site in 1966. After six months, he released a report in 1967. One major discovery was Building I. Messmacher and others also studied farming patterns, pottery, and water systems. However, this caused problems with the project sponsors and the INAH. They wanted to focus only on rebuilding the pyramid.
In 1967, INAH replaced Messmacher with Ignacio Marquina. This made most of the younger researchers leave the project. While the focus returned to the pyramid, the project still kept experts in geology, botany, and animal studies.
The project then focused on the south side of the pyramid. They dug up remains of plazas and buildings that formed a large complex. It was hard to connect these outside structures to those inside the pyramid. The courtyards were dug up layer by layer, going back to the Classic period (200 to 800 AD). These structures were later rebuilt. The most important finds were the Courtyard of the Altars and Building F. By 1974, interest in the pyramid decreased again. It couldn't be fully rebuilt like other pyramids in Mexico. The project was stopped, leaving only some knowledge about it.
Despite its importance, the Cholula pyramid is not as well known or studied as others like Teotihuacán, Chichen Itza, and Monte Albán. One reason is that the Mexican government didn't highlight it much in a 1928 publication. Also, it's hard to rebuild the pyramid's last stage because of its condition and many artifacts just under the surface.
What's Inside: Key Elements
Archaeologists have dug about 8 kilometers (5 miles) of tunnels inside the pyramid. They started with two tunnels in 1931 to prove the hill was an ancient site. Inside, they found altars with offerings, floors, walls, and human remains from around 900 AD. Today, only about 800 meters (0.5 miles) of these tunnels are open to visitors. They are well-lit, arched passages. Visitors enter on the north side, walk through the center, and exit on the south side. There are few signs explaining the structures. But in one section, you can see the main staircases of one of the pyramids. There are also two famous murals. One is called "Chapulines" (Grasshoppers). It shows grasshoppers with a black skull in the middle. The other is the "Bebedores" (Drinkers) mural. It shows people drinking from special cups, likely pulque.
Around the pyramid are other structures and courtyards that form a huge complex. The Patio of the Altars was the main entrance to the pyramid. It's named for the altars around its main courtyard.
Early digs showed that the main entrance to the pyramid was on the west side. Later digs confirmed this. They also showed smaller entrances on the northeast and southwest corners.
Building A: The Rabbit House
Building A, also called "La Conejera" (The Rabbit House), is the earliest version of the pyramid. It was found in the 1950s. This structure is older than the Teotihuacan influence. It's quite simple, with a core made of adobe bricks. It wasn't found directly under the other layers. Instead, it was under a structure called the Edificio Rojo (Red Building) in the northeast corner. This means the oldest pyramid is not exactly in the center of the later ones.
It was built with an adobe core and a base of about 10 meters (33 feet) square. It has a sloping wall (talud) topped with a 57-centimeter (22-inch) cornice. Above this, a two-story room faced south. On one side of La Conejera, eight rounded steps made of earth with a stone core lead to the west side, into a hallway. This looks a bit like the rounded pyramid of Cuicuilco. Pottery found here dates the structure to about 200 BC. This was around the same time as sites like Zacatenco in the Valley of Mexico. La Conejera's base, cornice, and room were all painted. Black paint remains on the base. The cornice had white squares painted over a black background. The inner and outer walls of the room were painted red many times, without any designs.
Building B: Pyramid of the Painted Skulls
Building B, or the Pyramid of the Painted Skulls, was built a few meters from La Conejera. Later parts of this pyramid eventually covered La Conejera and the Red Building. The Pyramid of the Painted Skulls was built between 200 and 350 AD. It has seven stepped levels with an adobe core. It was finished with adobe and rock, then smoothed with earth mixed with lime for painting.
Its architecture is important because of its talud-tablero style and its painted walls. This structure was built in two stages. The first created a rectangular platform 113 by 107 meters (371 by 351 feet). On top of this is a two-story structure, 18 meters (59 feet) high, with stairs on the west. This structure is made of adobe bricks, with stone and clay used for the stairs. This structure faced east-west, like the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan.
Only the murals of the top two stories have been studied. The sloping parts (taluds) have traces of black paint. The flat panels (tableros) are two meters (6.6 feet) tall. They have a frieze 46 centimeters (18 inches) wide with a double frame. This is typical of Cholula architecture. These panels usually have one base color with stripes of other colors like yellow, red, and blue. The highest story has nine painted skulls, and the lower one has seven. These skulls were first thought to be grasshopper heads. But later studies showed they are very stylized human skulls. They face forward and are painted yellow and red on a black background. Above the skulls are arrow-like decorations that show direction.
One important discovery was the Altar of the Sculpted Skulls. It was found between 1932 and 1936. This altar is in one of the lower levels of the northeast courtyard area. It is attached to the base of the Pyramid of the Painted Skulls. This altar faces east. It has a square base with sloping sides (taluds). The name comes from the three human skulls made of clay. They have bulging eyes and are covered in stucco. This altar is believed to be a mausoleum (a tomb). It holds the remains of a man and a woman. The woman's skeleton was found with items for daily life, like cooking griddles and needles. The man's skeleton likely belonged to a famous warrior. His grave goods were much richer, with ritual vessels, a fancy vase, obsidian arrowheads, and a musical instrument. A jawbone of a xoloitzcuintle dog was also found. Ancient people believed dogs guided souls to the underworld. This mausoleum likely honored the male warrior.
Building C: Pyramid of the Nine Stories
Building C, or the Pyramid of the Nine Stories, was built over Building B between 350 and 450 AD. It is larger by volume than the Pyramid of the Moon at Teotihuacan. This pyramid was built with stairs on all four sides. It used adobe bricks again to expand to a pyramid with a base of 190 meters (623 feet) square and a height of 34 meters (112 feet). Instead of earth and lime, this pyramid was finished with rock and stucco, which is stronger.
Its architectural style is different from the one before. It has nine stories with only sloping sides (taluds), covered in stucco. Each story is smaller than the one below it, leaving a 2-meter (6.6-foot) space. The entrance stairs were on the southeast corner. The walls were painted black, with the stucco serving as white. The Jaguar Altar is found near this pyramid, on the southeast corner. There is evidence that this altar was covered in decorations. On the west side, there are traces of black, red, green, and ochre paint. There are also profiles of a jaguar and two serpents.
The final phase of building covered Building C. It buried it within its adobe core. The outer layer of this phase has fallen apart. This is why the pyramid looks like a natural hill today.
The Courtyard of Altars
The Courtyard of Altars is a group of buildings next to the south side of the pyramid. It was one of the most important finds from the 1967-1970 excavations. It's called this because several altars were found there. This area is a very large open space, 70 by 54 meters (230 by 177 feet). It's bordered by the pyramid to the north. On the east and west sides are two complex raised platforms. These platforms are similar to those in the Northeast Plaza. They were built against the main pyramid to make the courtyard feel more important for ceremonies. This area was likely used for big, impressive ceremonies and rituals for new leaders.
The sloping walls (taluds) are wide, which is typical of Cholula. They are decorated with T-shaped designs. The flat panels (tableros) were painted with water symbols and bands of red, blue, yellow, and black. Wide stairs lead to the two main platforms and the side of the pyramid. The Gran Plaza Suroeste shows strong influence from Teotihuacan. It has four rooms over sloping walls that surround a courtyard. One of these rooms has a small model of a pyramid base. This might be a miniature of the Great Pyramid.
Digs have shown that these buildings were built in at least six stages. Each new stage was built over the old one, covering the lower part and adding a new front. This made the courtyard area smaller over time. These buildings have important murals, including patterns on the structures linked to Building 3. This area also has the only mural with human-like figures, called the Mural of the Drinkers.
Structure 4 is decorated with T-shaped patterns on its sloping walls. Some parts of this decoration still have their original colors: diagonal bands of red, blue, yellow, black, and turquoise. The decoration also includes symbols that might represent stars.
Ancient Altars
Four altars were found from the last building phase of the Courtyard of Altars. Three of them were decorated with carved designs. These designs have helped us learn about Cholula's history. The center of each altar was left blank. It might have been painted with religious designs.
Altar 1 is a large vertical stone, 3.85 meters (12.6 feet) tall and 2.12 meters (7 feet) wide. It was found in 22 pieces. It was found facing west. Its purpose isn't clear because it has few decorations. Some think it was painted. New studies show it's similar to decorations at El Tajín.
Altar 2 is a more typical ancient altar. It's a narrow, rectangular stone, placed horizontally and facing east. It was like a pedestal. Its sides are richly decorated. One side has two feathered serpents stretching along its length.
Altar 3 might have been the most important because it's next to the pyramid. It faces south and is a vertical stone, like Altar 1. Its shape is a rectangle topped by a triangle. Its decoration has a side band with carvings similar to Altar 1, in the El Tajín style.
Other large stone sculptures were found. One is a serpent's head with geometric designs. There is also a giant human head. Its eyes and mouth look like Xipe, a god.
Amazing Murals
Paintings and murals were found on different levels of the main pyramid. They were also on the Red Building, La Conejera, the Pyramid of the Painted Skulls, the Altar of the Painted Skulls, the Stepped Pyramid, the Jaguar Altar, Building D, and Building F. Studying these mural pieces has shown how Cholula changed over time. They also show how important Cholula was to other parts of Mesoamerica.
Archaeologists have found 21 painted areas. Eight are mostly gone, but 13 still exist in their original places. Most of the works are from the Classic period. The oldest ones, in the Red Building, are from the Pre-classic period. The way the sloping walls (taluds), flat panels (tableros), and other surfaces were painted changed over time. The oldest paintings only used red. But after 200 AD, new colors appeared, like different reds, green, ochre, blue, black, and brown. Human-like figures, animals, and geometric shapes also started to appear.
The Mural of the Drinkers is the only preserved mural that shows human figures. All discovered murals so far have been on outside walls, except for Building D, which has murals inside. This means most murals were made for the public. They probably taught and reinforced the religious and political ideas of the time. The best-preserved murals were found inside the main pyramid and in the Courtyard of the Altars. These are the two most important areas of the site.
The Mural of the Drinkers was found buried almost 25 feet (7.6 meters) deep. It's one of the longest ancient murals found in Mexico, measuring 187 feet (57 meters) long. The building with this mural was found by accident in 1969. One of its sloping walls collapsed, showing part of the mural behind it. The digging of this building continued until 1971. The mural is on the building's main front, which faces east towards the Courtyard of the Altars. This work also uncovered one of the first foundations of Building 3. The foundation has a frieze (a decorated band) that is 90 cm (35 inches) by 2.25 meters (7.4 feet) in the best-preserved parts. It was painted over a small sloping wall only 60 cm (24 inches) long. This building is from around 200 AD.
The mural shows a feast, with people drinking what is most likely pulque. Many figures wear cloth turbans and sashes. Most wear animal masks. The figures sit in pairs, facing each other, serving themselves from vessels between them. The mural shows a ceremony where people look relaxed as they do different things. The figures are in small scenes along the wall. Many items, like cups and jars, are linked to drinking pulque. Some say this mural is the oldest known painting of the ritual of the pulque gods.
Parts of the mural are missing, but you can still see three horizontal sections. The top and bottom sections are lines or borders framing the main middle section with the drinking figures. The mural is divided into six "walls," which show differences in style. This is likely because different artists worked on them. But all relate to the ritual drinking of pulque. These figures in the center are divided into two sections by a blue band. There's also proof that the mural was repainted several times. The mural has 110 figures arranged in pairs. The pairs are separated by images of jars. Four figures can be identified as seated women. Some figures appear to have wrinkles, showing age. Most of the men are shown seated, facing forward (but with faces in profile). They have bulging bellies, with arms and legs in different positions. Most hold cups or containers for serving or drinking. There are 168 jars, cups, and other containers of various sizes and colors. There is also a picture of an insect and two dogs. The people are outlined in black. Most have ochre skin, but some are brown, red, or black. Traces of liquid are in white. Some have red or blue earrings.
Other buildings in this area, like the later levels of Building 3 and Building 4, also have murals. But these mostly show geometric patterns, lines, or bands, and in some places, stars. Building 3-1-A was built over the Mural of the Drinkers, about 6 meters (20 feet) below the current level of the Courtyard of the Altars. The mural here is on a long sloping wall (talud) with a flat panel (tablero) that has double moldings. The mural covers the tablero, which is topped by a double cornice. The design has diagonal bands of various colors like red, green, yellow, and blue, outlined in black and white. Some sections have stars.
Building D
Building D is on the south side of the Pyramid of the Nine Stories. It has pyramid-like levels of sloping walls (talud-tablero). The levels are rectangles with rounded corners. They are painted black on three sides and orange on the east side. The murals on the flat panels (tableros) have no figures. The cornices are painted black. This building was constructed over an area filled with stone pieces painted red, ochre, and green over black. This area was filled in because later buildings were pressing on it, and it was in danger of collapsing.
Building I
Building I was found during a short six-month period at the start of the second round of digging. This building is on a platform attached to the southwest side of the pyramid. It has four entrances and contained three burials. The pottery found here is similar to that from the Altar of the Sculpted Skulls. This dates the structure to late in Cholula's ancient history. These two finds show that even as the pyramid was being abandoned, it still had a sacred purpose.
Building F
Building F is from the second-to-last building phase of the pyramid, between 500 and 700 AD. It's a stone stairway with three levels and large sloping walls (taluds) facing west. The flat panels (tableros) are decorated with a pattern that looks like a woven palm mat. This was made by carving stones and placing them like a mosaic. Because of this, it's also called the Piedra Laborada (Worked Stone) building. Archaeologists rebuilt this structure using stones found from the taluds and tableros. They used commercial cement, which led to it being called the Tolteca pyramid, after the cement brand. This pyramid has been criticized for being rebuilt too much. Many pottery figures and vessels were found here. Most of its color has been lost, with only fragments of red, ochre, white, and black remaining.
Ancient Burials at the Pyramid
Over 400 human burials have been found during the digs at the Great Pyramid. Most of these burials are from the Postclassic Period. This shows that the Great Pyramid was an important place of worship even after it stopped being used as a temple. These burials include some human sacrifices.
The remains of eight people were found under the floor of the Courtyard of Altars. These included the remains of several children placed in pottery pots. These children were thought to be messengers to Tlaloc (the god of rain). This was likely because of a drought happening at the site. The scattered remains of at least 46 people were found near an altar in the center of a plaza at the pyramid's southwest corner. These remains included people of all ages and both sexes.
The Pyramid Today
The pyramid is still important to modern Cholula. It's a religious site, an archaeological site, and a tourist attraction. About 220,000 people visit the site each year.
Just before the Spanish arrived, the pyramid was sacred to a rain goddess named Chiconauhquiauhitl (Goddess of the Nine Rains). The Spanish replaced her with an image of the Virgin of the Remedies. They kept the September 8th date for honoring the old rain goddess but transferred it to the Virgin Mary. The Spanish built a church for this image on top of the pyramid. This church was hit by lightning several times. In early colonial times, people thought this was caused by the old goddess. However, this change allowed the pyramid to remain sacred to this day.
The Virgin of the Remedies is the patron saint of Cholula. There are two big annual events related to her and the pyramid. The first is on September 8th, when thousands come to honor the image. People start gathering on the night of September 7th, carrying small lanterns. The other event is called the "Bajada." The image comes down from the pyramid to visit different neighborhoods for two weeks in May and June.
Closer to the pyramid's ancient roots is the Quetzalcoatl ritual. This is held every year on the spring equinox. Up to 20,000 visitors come for this event. Authorities sometimes limit access to the exposed ruins on the south side during this time. The ritual includes poetry, native dance, music, and fireworks.
The pyramid site covers only 6 hectares (15 acres) of an archaeological area believed to be over 154 hectares (380 acres). However, 90 hectares (222 acres) of this land are privately owned. This makes it hard to do major archaeological digs. Even though the ancient city and pyramid are very important to central Mexican history, the pyramid hasn't been studied much. It hasn't yet played a big role in understanding Mesoamerica.
The pyramid is the main tourist attraction in Cholula. In 2017, it had 496,518 visitors. Pictures of this church on top of the pyramid, with the Popocatepetl volcano in the background, are often used to promote tourism in Mexico. It's one of the most famous places for foreign travelers in central Mexico.
The attraction has three parts: the tunnels inside the pyramid, the complex on the south side, and the site museum. About 8 kilometers (5 miles) of tunnels were dug by archaeologists, but only 800 meters (0.5 miles) are open to the public. The tunnel entrance is on the north side and goes through the center of the structure. This tour passes by the Mural of the Drinkers, which is a famous part of the site. The structures on the south side are mostly the Courtyard of the Altars.
The site museum is separated from the pyramid by the Camino Real road. It has a model of the pyramid's layers, a room with pottery and other finds, and copies of two of the site's murals.
The pyramid's importance has led to efforts to protect it. A police horse unit from San Andrés patrols the archaeological zone. This stops vehicles from damaging the site. Access to parts of the site is limited during events like the Quetzalcoatl Ritual. Certain large fireworks have been banned by the city and the Catholic Church. This is because they cause strong vibrations in the pyramid's tunnels. Some land around the pyramid has been bought by authorities. It has been turned into soccer fields and planted with flowers. This creates a buffer zone between new homes and the pyramid.
See also
In Spanish: Gran Pirámide de Cholula para niños
- Cholula Mesoamerican site
- List of tallest structures built before the 20th century
Images for kids
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Comparison of pyramids by volume
