Origin First built c. 300 BCE, enlarged over roughly a millennium
The Great Pyramid of Cholula, known in Nahuatl as Tlachihualtepetl ("made by hand mountain"), was first built around 300 BCE in what is now Puebla, Mexico, and enlarged in stages over a thousand years until it became the largest pyramid by total volume known anywhere in the world, long mistaken by outsiders for a natural hill. In its final, post-Classic phase it was crowned with a temple dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, giving it the same central deity association already recorded for Teotihuacan, forty miles to the northwest.
Facts
Site
Type of SitePyramid or stepped platform 1 Type of Site DetailAfter the 1519 massacre Hernan Cortes and his forces carried out against Cholula's inhabitants, Spanish colonizers built the church of Nuestra Senora de los Remedios directly on the summit of the still largely overgrown mound, at the time widely mistaken by outsiders for a natural hill rather than a pyramid; the church still stands there today, so the pre Columbian temple platform now carries a Catholic sanctuary at its peak. 1 Geography
LatitudeApproximate reference point, rounded to one decimal place; this marks the site's general location for a map, not a survey-grade or precise boundary measurement. LongitudeApproximate reference point, rounded to one decimal place; this marks the site's general location for a map, not a survey-grade or precise boundary measurement. Attributions
TraditionMesoamerican religion (Aztec/Nahua, cult of Quetzalcoatl) 1 Origins
Origin PeriodFirst built c. 300 BCE, enlarged over roughly a millennium 1 Status
Status TodayIn active religious use 1 A colonial church atop the pyramid remains an active pilgrimage site today. UNESCO World HeritageOn a National Tentative List 2 On Mexico's Tentative List since 2010. Verified live 2026-08-08. Location
Connections
Associated With
Source Religions of Mesoamerica, 2nd editionDavid Carrasco
Belongs to Tradition
Source Religions of Mesoamerica, 2nd editionDavid Carrasco
Contained In
Source Religions of Mesoamerica, 2nd editionDavid Carrasco
Originated In
Source Religions of Mesoamerica, 2nd editionDavid Carrasco
Related To
In the Other Atlases
Located In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is located.
Sources
1. Religions of Mesoamerica, 2nd edition
David Carrasco, Waveland Press, 2013- on the Cholula pyramid and its Quetzalcoatl temple
- Originated In: Mexico, Stored country property on this entity, cited to this source: Mexico
2. UNESCO World Heritage List
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO World Heritage CentreView the Source 3. Encyclopaedia Britannica (online academic reference)
Encyclopaedia Britannica editors, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 2024View the Source An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya
Mary Miller and Karl Taube, Thames and Hudson, 1993s.v. Cholula, TlachihualtepetlView the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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