Cholula and the Great Pyramid

Cholula lies about 37 km south of Tlaxcala city, about an hour away by car or by bus with a transfer through Puebla's CAPU terminal. The Great Pyramid, or Tlachihualtepetl, is the largest pyramid by volume in the Americas, though centuries of erosion and vegetation have left it looking like a natural hill; the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios sits atop it, and tunnels excavated into the structure allow visitors to walk through part of the pyramid's interior before climbing to the church for views of Popocatépetl on clear days. A typical day begins with the tunnel entrance and the on-site museum in the morning, followed by the climb to the hilltop church, then continues into the afternoon with a walk through Cholula's compact historic center, including the Convento de San Gabriel and the Capilla Real with its distinctive multi-domed roofline. Food stalls and restaurants around Cholula's main plaza serve regional dishes and are a convenient lunch stop before heading back or on to Puebla. Clear mornings, especially in the dry winter months, offer the best chance of an unobstructed view of Popocatépetl from the church atop the pyramid.