Cholula is a city in Mexico, where the massive Pyramid of the same name can be found. In the days before the Spanish conquests, Cholula was a sacred city and also an important commercial center. When Hernan Cortes saw it, he said that this was the most beautiful city outside Spain. The area is probably inhabited for over 3, 000 years and the original pyramid should be over 2000 years. The pyramid is one of the largest in the world.
The construction of the pyramid was undertaken in four stages, the first of which begun in the second century BC. It is dedicated to the god Quetzalcoatl. Initially, it was intended as a temple.
From the architecture and objects that are found in the place it is clear that the temple has strong links with nearby towns and the coast, we can tell this, because shells were found under one of the altars.
The pyramid in Cholula is a massive structure, greater even than the pyramids in Egypt, by volume. It had hosted religious rites of human sacrifice, even of children. Eventually, however, the pyramid was abandoned and forgotten and it disappears under a mound. Even now, the pyramid is under a hill top and a church was built on top.
Nowadays, the archaeological site of the Great Pyramid of Cholula is quite large. It covers 25 acres and is quite high. This makes it the largest base of any pyramid structure.
Is oriented north-northwest and is directed towards the setting sun on the summer solstice. There is a natural spring under the pyramid, which means that this is the place and the original construction. Under the pyramid, there is also a cave.
An interesting fact is that the pyramid was discovered only in 1910, during the construction of an asylum.
History tells us that when the conquistadors enter these lands, the Great Pyramid was so sacred to local people that they got organized and covered it with large quantities of earth, for foreigners not to find her. Before they unearthed the location in 1910, when viewed from afar, the place looked like a huge hill, surrounded by a city.
The inside of the pyramid was excavated, for visitors to see various stages of its construction.
