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Most people will immediately think of Egypt when they talk about the pyramids. It turns out, pyramid the largest man-made is not in Egypt, but in Mexico.
In Mexico is the Great Pyramid of Cholula, also known as the Great Pyramid of Tepanapa, a 2,000-year-old man-made structure that the Spanish army completely ignored when it invaded in 1519.
Even more impressive, it is said to be the largest pyramid on Earth. How could they be missing? The building is hidden in the hills.
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The Cholula massacre is one of the most famous tragedies of the conquest of Hernán Cortés who invaded the city of Cholula on 12 October 1519.
Cortés’s army arrives there and anticipates the battle. But they encountered the holy city which is believed to be the seat of this sacred pyramid. The structure was built as a symbol of God’s protection over the city.
When the lives of 3,000 people (10% of the city’s population) were lost, many of the pyramids were looted. After claiming many religious artifacts, the Spaniards settled in Cholula and began building their own church.
One of them, the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remediosa, was unknowingly placed on top of the Great Pyramid of Cholula. With a height of 66 meters and a width of 450 meters, Pyramid The Great Cholula is the largest pyramid in the world, with nearly double the volume of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Known as Tlachihualtepetl (man-made mountain), this pyramid actually has the longest history of human occupation of any structure. This is a no-nonsense claim for the largest monument ever built by man in Mesoamerica.
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At the time of the Spanish invasion, no one knew that the largest pyramid in the world was located under the hill where the church stood. Photo: Diego Delso via Wikimedia Commons— |
The pyramid was built in four main construction phases, each with a unique style but built without hiding the past construction. This is meant to be aimed at preserving its history. The Great Pyramid of Cholula was an important temple dedicated to the worship of the mountains and the god of rain until the era of the Spanish conquest.
“In Cholula there is an artificial hill called Tlachihualtepetl”, writes archaeologist and research author Geoffrey McCafferty, quoting Durán Diego in “The Book of the Gods and Rites and the Ancient Calendar (1576 – 1579).
“It is so named because the giants are said to have built it to ascend to heaven. Now the building is in ruins. This hill is very sacred, there is incessant worship, prayers, great sacrifices, offerings and there have been killings. human beings, “he wrote. as quoted by IFL Science.
There is still no precise information on how the great pyramid was buried. One theory is that the structure disappeared after a long period of inactivity, perhaps because it was abandoned due to volcanic activity or floods. Another reason is that it was deliberately buried by the Aztecs in preparation for the conqueror’s arrival.
By the time Cortés and his men arrived, the largest pyramid in the world had turned into a hill and was found suitable for building a church on it. The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios still sits atop Tlachihualtepetl to this day.
“This pyramid was discovered during excavations in 1535 by the Franciscan priest Toribio de Motolinia. He initially found an idol and a trumpet of shells atop the Great Pyramid while erecting a cross,” McCafferty wrote.
 There is now a tunnel that extends for 8 kilometers through the Great Pyramid of Cholula. Photo: Diego Delso via Wikimedia Commons— |
In the early 19th century, the German explorer Alexander von Humboldt began archaeological investigations of the site. He called the existence of the pyramids the largest, the oldest and the most famous of all the pyramidal monuments in Mexico. In the 1930s, further investigations began to reveal the exterior.
Then, in the 1970s, a series of 8-kilometer tunnels provided further access to the interior of the pyramid and its many layers. McCafferty estimates that it contains four construction phases.
“Its cosmological orientation at latitude 24-26 degrees northwest could also be intended to take advantage of the summer solstice,” McCafferty explains, explaining the pyramid’s western scale facing the setting sun.
Important features later discovered by pyramid and its many expansions including Patio Of The Carved Skulls. It is named after the plaster-covered human skull built into its altar.
There is still a lot to learn about the largest pyramid in the world. But the good news is that McCafferty has received funding to continue the exploration and investigation of the site.
Tourists can visit the Great Pyramid of Cholula which also houses a UNESCO-listed historic center. The site is open to tourists interested in exploring the Cholula ruins and their underground tunnels.
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