Is the Great Pyramid of Cholula the largest pyramid in the world?

By volume, Guinness lists it as the largest, at about 4.45 million cubic metres. It is not the tallest: the Great Pyramid of Giza is far higher.

Does Cholula have 365 churches?

No. That is a local saying about a church for every day of the year. We have not found an authoritative count; in 2017 NPR quoted the mayor as saying there are not quite that many, but a lot.

Can you go inside the pyramid?

INAH says archaeologists explored it by tunnels from 1931. Its pages do not say whether the tunnels are open to visitors, so check with the site before you go.

Why is there a church on top of the Great Pyramid of Cholula?

By Andrew McGilly, Founder of Bold Pilgrim · Updated 2026-10-08

The church is the sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios. Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) says it was begun in 1594 as a simple hermitage on the summit of the Tlachihualtépetl, the "man-made hill" better known as the Great Pyramid of Cholula, and that the present church is a rebuilding of the mid-nineteenth century. INAH says the pyramid had been abandoned for about eight centuries before the Spanish arrived in 1519, and Britannica notes that they took it for a natural hill.

INAH describes the pyramid as the biggest temple-pyramid of the pre-Hispanic world, about 400 metres on each side and some 65 metres high in its final form. Guinness lists it as the largest pyramid by volume, at about 4.45 million cubic metres, though the Great Pyramid of Giza is far taller. Published dimensions differ (Britannica gives a smaller base and a height of about 25 metres), so every figure should be read as an estimate.

INAH's account of Cholula also describes the massacre carried out in the city by Hernán Cortés in 1519, which it calls one of the cruelest slaughters recorded in human history. A visitor to the sanctuary is standing in that history as well as in a Marian shrine.

The archaeological zone and the sanctuary are separate visits; INAH lists the zone and its museum as open Wednesday to Sunday. NPR reported in September 2017 that two of the church's domes had collapsed in that month's earthquake. We have not found a report confirming that repairs are complete, so check the sanctuary's present state and access before travelling. Bold Pilgrim has no dated departure to Cholula at present.

Why is there a church on top of the Great Pyramid of Cholula?

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Is the Great Pyramid of Cholula the largest pyramid in the world?

Does Cholula have 365 churches?

Can you go inside the pyramid?

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