Archaeology

Puebla has a great pre-Hispani heritage. There are diverse archaeological zones such as: Cholula, as one of the most important ceremonial centers; Cantona, around the world as a splendour of Mesoamerican urbanization; and Yohualichan, that means “The house of the mysterious night” at the Northern Sierra.

Pyramid of Cholula

Address: 14 Oriente Avenue

Hours: 9:00 – 18:00

Open all year long – Admission fee

Approximate visiting hours: 1 hr 20 mins

The pyramid of Cholula, dedicated to the rain god Chiconahui Quiahuil has a base which measures 450 meters by side making it the world’s greatest dimension base pyramid. It consists on seven overlaid pyaramids built during the VI century. By the time Cortés arrived to Cholula, the pyramid was already covered by dirt. The Spaniards did not destroy this work of centuries but built a church upon it instead. There are eight kilometres of tunnels of which only part can be visited. The pyramid houses the Mural of Butterflies and nearby the Mural of Drinkers. When leaving the site one can visit the Museo de Sitio (Museum of the Site). This museum consists on two exhibit rooms. The first room hosts a scale model of the site representing the different stages of construction. The second rooms exhibit clay figurines, pots and vessels. Besides this, one can admire replicas of the murals on the pyramid and a scale model of the archaeological site including the patio with three marble altars.