The World's Biggest Pyramid
It might look like it is, but that church - Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios (Our Lady of the Remedies) - is not on a hill.
It’s actually on top of the pyramid of Cholula, in Puebla México. It is also not a single pyramid, but seven consecutive constructions, one over the other, built over more than one thousand years - from around 200BC to 900AD.
Every new pyramid made it necessary to increase the size of the base, till it reached 450m on each side. It’s not very tall (66m) but its base, which is four times larger than the Great Pyramid of Giza, makes it the biggest pyramid in the world - around its base. It was originally dedicated to Chiconauquiahuitl, the goddess of the nine rains, then later to Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent.
Archaeologists have excavated tunnels along the site, discovering the previous pyramids and a huge 56 metre mural showing 110 people drinking pulque in a religious festivity (pulque is a Mesoamerican drink made from the fermented sap of agave). The mural is dedicated to Mayahuel, the goddess of pulque, and shows people clearly drunk, which was allowed during the festivities.
In 1594, the Spanish built a Catholic sanctuary, Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, or Our Lady of the Remedies, on top of the pyramid. A classic conquistador move. Today it is a declared heritage site, making further archeological digs impossible. Instead, we get one of the most striking architectural juxtapositions in the world - with Popocatépetl (smoking mountain) an active volcano, behind the church and pyramid.
The photo was taken by Richard Briggs in 2014 and submitted to the Smithsonian Magazine for its 12th Annual Travel Photo Contest.
