Day 3

We embarked on a trip to Cholula. It is famous for its remains of` a prehispanic Indian civilization. Also it is claimed that the largest pyramid in the world is here. It’s base is 1500x1500 feet and height 217 feet. It was built starting 3rd century BC. However, it is covered with vegetation and now looks like a small mountain. At the top, the Spaniards built a large church of Nuestra Senora de Remedios. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the iconic picture of the church with the snow-capped volcano in the background because it was too hazy. We visited the archaeological site, which was a bit confusing initially. It had 3 parts – a little museum with some artifacts, a complex of tunnels and a large excavation field with parts of the pyramid uncovered. Once we entered the tunnels, it got a bit spooky because they were narrow and dark and we didn’t know if we were supposed to take the same route to get out or to keep going. We walked and walked ahead not sure what would happen, but finally we saw the light at the end and the exit. The excavation site was definitely the most interesting part and really gave us an idea how enormous this site/pyramid/city must have been. On the way back to the bus we saw women cooking on a portable grill and it looked good. So we had lunch cooked outside – quesadilla on a blue corn tortilla, cheese, meat, peppers, mushrooms, nasturtium flowers. It was great. On the way back we stopped in two amazing churches, both built in the 16th century in the style of indigenous Mexican baroque, which combines the European influences with the indigenous Indian cultures. The materials used on both churches include the local Talavera ceramics, both on their facades and the incredibly ornate interiors. The two churches were Santa Maria Tonantzintla and San Francisco Acatepec, both spectacularly beautiful and unusual. We also stopped at the Estrella, a huge ferris wheel 262 feet tall and is the largest in north America. It takes 20 minutes to go around and only costs $2. Our dinner was at a highly rated restaurant “Augurio”. The meal ended with a great Mexican digestive “Yolixpa”.