Cholula (original) (raw)

Cholula is a small city in the state of Puebla, Mexico. Legally the full name of the city is Cholula de Rivadabia, but this name is little used.

Cholula is located at 19.06�N, 98.31�W, about 15 km west of the city of Puebla. Cholula is at an elevation of about 2135 meters (about 7000 ft) above sea level. In 1995 the city had a population of some 89,800 people.

History

Cholula was an important city of Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, dating back to at least the 2nd century BC, with settlement as a village going back at least some thousand years earlier.

Only a fraction of a staircase on one side of the Great Pyramid of Cholula has been restored to its former glory.

The Great Pyramid of Cholula is a huge temple-pyramid complex built over many generations from the 2nd century BC to the early 16th century. It was dedicated to the deity Quetzalcoatl. It is the largest Pre-Columbian pyramid by volume, covering some 25 acres of ground, curently topped by a level platform at 180 feet. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, it is the largest pyramid as well as the largest monument ever constructed, with a total volume estimated at 4.3 million cubic yards.

Today the pyramid at first appears to be a natural hill, with a church on top built by the Spanish in colonial times to replace the pre-Hispanic temple. Inside the pyramid are some 5 miles of tunnels excavated by archeologists.

Cholula was a major center contemporary with Teotihuacan, but seems to have escaped that city's fate of destruction at the end of the Mesoamerican Classic period and remained a regional center of importance.

At the time of the arrival of Hern�n Cort�s Cholula was part of the Aztec empire and was second only to the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan (modern Mexico City) as the largest city in central Mexico, possibly with a population of up to 100,000 people. In addition to the great temple of Quetzalcoatl and various palaces, the city had 365 temples.

The 1519 Cholula Massacre.

In 1519 Cort�s, wishing to make an example when he feared native treachery, conducted an imfamous massacre here, killing thousands of the inhabitants and burning down the city.

A few years later Cortes vowed that the city would be rebuilt with a Christian church to replace each of the old pagan temples; less than 50 new churches were actually built, but the Spanish colonial churches are unusually numerous for a city of its size.

In the Spanish Colonial era Cholula was overtaken in importance by the nearby city of Puebla.

Cholula is also the name of a popular hot sauce. [1]