Puebla, México.
Travel & Tour
Pictures, Photos, Images, & Reviews.

George & Eve DeLange

Cholula means "Place Of Those Who Fled" or "Water That Falls In The Place Of Flight." Cholula: The Pyramid of Tipanipa, "The Worlds Largest Pyramid!" For years the "Pyramid of Tipanipa" at Cholula was said to be the worlds largest pyramid. Not even the Great Pyramid of Egypt, had a larger base! Now, there is another located in the ancient ruins of El Mirador in Guatemala. El Mirador covers 10 square mile and its largest pyramid is called The Danta Pyramid. Rising 230 feet, The Danta Pyramid is said to be the tallest structure the Maya ever built. Even so, that still does not take away from the fact that the archaeological site of Cholula's main pyramid is pretty big! It's base has been measured to be about 400 meters to a side It covers 25 acres and it is 181 feet high. That still makes it the largest base for any pyramid structure. The Cholula Pyramid is oriented to the North North West and it aims at the setting sun during summer solstice. There is a natural spring located beneath the pyramid which is probably why it was built in its original location. There is also a cave under the pyramid. In the center of the pyramid there is a chamber that may represent an artifical cave. Cholula was the most important center of the Mexican highlands after the fall of Teotihuacan. It is located near the twin volcanic peaks Iztaccihuatl and Popocatepetl and the city of Puebla. The Great Pyramid Of Tipanipa, dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, is the largest single structure in Mexico. Towering 181 feet high and covering an area of some 25 acres, the pyramid was begun in Pre-Classic times and enlarged at least four times. In 1982 Tipanipa really did look like a big hill, with a Spanish Colonial church on top. It was difficult from a distance to imagine anything else. Seen from a distance today, it appears as a large hill surrounded by a city, with a Colonial church resting at its summit. The interior of the pyramid has been extensively excavated, affording visitors an extraordinary opportunity to view the different phases of its construction. In 1910, the Cholula Pyramid was uncovered during the construction of an insane asylum. According to myth, the pyramid was built by a giant named Xelhua of adobe bricks, after he escaped a flood in the neighboring Valley of Mexico. Archaeologists say it was in use at the same time as the great Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon at Teotihuacan. If so, it would have been in use a thousand years before the time of these events, and could have been covered and forgotten. A common story that is told today is that when the conquistadors were invading the land, the great pyramid was so sacred that when the people realized the conquistadors were coming, they organized a work force to cover it with soil so that the Spaniards wouldn't destroy it We doubt if that story is true, but it would be interesting to learn how and why the Pyramid Of Tipanipa at Cholula was covered with a dirt hill. The Great Pyramid Of Tipanipa is located in the plains surrounding the city of Puebla (which was founded by the Spanish colonists). Building of the pyramid began in the pre Classic period and over time was built over six times to its final dimensions of 120 metres (390 ft) on each side at the base and eighteen meters tall. This base is four times the size of that of the Great Pyramid of Giza and is the largest pyramid base in the Americas. It is the largest single structure in pre-Columbian Mexico. Constructed from adobe in four stages of construction beginning around the second century B.C., the Pyramid of Cholula measured 1,083 by 1,034 feet at the base and was about 82 feet high. Then it was rebuilt again in about 1,200 AD by the warrier Toltecs as their ceremonial center, with the last two of its stages of construction using talud-tablero architecture which was also used in Teotihuacan Some of the pyramid constructions have had burials, with skeletons found in various positions, with many offerings, especially ceramics. The last state of construction has stairs on the west side leading to a temple on top, which faced Iztaccíhuatl. The Aztecs later claimed it as their own, dedicating it to the god Quetzalcoatl. We have been to Cholula on three different occasions. First in December of 1982, again on January 17, 2004, and again on November 17, 1011. It is amazing to see how the population of Mexico City has grown clear out to the edges of Puebla and how the City of Puebla has grown up around the Pyramid Of Cholula. Our pages will mostly show what Cholula was like in 1982 and we will show some of the changes that have taken place with photos of January of 2004. We also will include the Cholula Museum on our page, which we did not see in 1982. This first page is almost totally made up of photos taken on December of 1982. We wanted to show these pictures so that you can see what the area looked like before the surrounding cities grew up all around the area of the Pyramid.

The Mexico City International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México or AICM), also called Benito Juárez International Airport (IATA: MEX, ICAO: MMMX) is the major commercial airport that serves Mexico City, the capital of Mexico. It is also Mexico's and Latin America's busiest airport! The Hermanos Serdán International Airport (IATA: PBC, ICAO: MMPB) is the international airport located near Puebla, Puebla, Mexico. It handles national air traffic for the city of Puebla. It also serves as an alternate airport for Mexico City, being part of the metropolitan airport group for the Mexican capital, comprising the airports of Mexico City, Toluca, Cuernavaca and Querétaro. To visit this area we would suggest flying into either Mexico City or Puebla and then staying at a hotel of your choice. There are many very good hotels and motels in the area, and if you need a place to stay; Priceline.com can arrange that for you. In fact, we think they are the best way to do it! We have personally, booked flights, hotels, and vacations, through Priceline.com and we can highly recommend them. Their website is very easy to use! We have some links to Priceline.com on this page, since they can arrange all of your air flights, hotels and car. We of course, appreciate your use of the advertising on our pages, since it helps us to keep our pages active. We also have links on this page, that will connect you with several of the best hotels in Mexico City, & Puebla. Hotels that we have personally used! We could, also suggest getting a hotel, and then letting them arrange for either a car, or a tour of Mexico City. If you call their Concierge Services, ahead of your arrival, all of this can be pre-arranged for you. We have used this method, many times, when traveling in Mexico. We have found it to be safe and it works!!! We have never experienced a problem, doing it this way!