In recent research, computer technologies such as digital mapping and 3D modeling have allowed the identification of three previously unknown construction phases, adding up--so far--to a total of eight. These also allowed the creation of an accurate virtual reconstruction of the pyramid and its adjoined structures. These latest estimates propose that after the last phase of construction (AD 750-950), the pyramid's base ranged from 300-400 m (1000-1300 ft) per side, with a height of over 65 m (210 ft).
A team of archaeologists from the UDLAP (Universidad de las Americas Puebla),have begun to reexamine the eight construction phases using new mapping and archaeological technologies. The investigations have yielded radiocarbon dates for three of the earliest construction episodes.
- Phase 1 - La Olla: The oldest construction phase yet recorded is a low platform, only partially exposed in one of the pyramid innermost tunnels. This platform was constructed with adobe bricks around the 1st century A.D., when Cholula was still a small center. On its only visible side, it measures about 34 m (112 ft) and reaches a height of 6 m (20 ft).
- Phase 2 - Los Chapulines: The second phase of construction dates to AD 100. Its name comes from a famous mural located on its north side whose images were initially identified as grasshoppers (chapulines), but recently interpreted as human skulls. This building shows an architectural pattern different from other contemporaneous structures in Central Mexico (i.e. Teotihuacan). For example, it has a stairway on all four sides, instead of only on the façade. Furthermore, the pyramid in this phase appears to have functioned more like an acropolis, as it includes different open spaces, or plazas, at different levels, reachable by multiple accesses, implying that at least some parts of the building were accessible to the public and could have hosted many visitors at the same time for public rituals and gathering events.
