The Pyramid of Cholula

From Nicoletta Maestri

The Great Pyramid of Cholula is the largest pyramid ever constructed in the Americas (and one of the largest in the world). It is located in the modern city of Cholula, in Central Mexico. One of the longest inhabited cities of Mesoamerica, Cholula began as a small village, and grew to be the most important religious center and one of the most flourishing trade centers in ancient Mesoamerica. The Tolteca-Chichimeca, who invaded and settled in Cholula in the 12th century AD, called the great pyramid "Tlachihualtépec" (pronounced Tla-chee-wal-TE-pek), which in Nahuatl means "hand-made mountain".

Mythical Origins

According to an Aztec myth, the pyramid of Cholula was built by the giant Xelhua, after having escaped a flood, in one of the ancient eras preceding the Aztec world. This mythical builder also shares his name with a cultural hero of the Tolteca-Chichimeca. In the Historia Tolteca-Chichimeca--an ethnohistoric document written in the 16th century--Xelhua guided his people to Tollan-Cholollan (Cholollan means "Place of the flight") in the 12th century. The area was already occupied by the Olmeca-Xicallanca who, according to the same source, constructed the pyramid and carried out sacrifices on top of the "Chalchiutépec" (Nahuatl word that means "mountain of jade")--a metaphor to indicate the sacredness of the great pyramid.

Previous

• The Great Pyramid of Cholula
• Historical Origins and Development
• History of the Archaeological Excavations
• Mural of the Drinkers
• Old Tunnels and New Discoveries
• Later Phases of the Cholula Pyramid
• Bibliographic Sources for Cholula's Pyramid

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