If you’re visiting the central Mexican city of Puebla for the first time, your trip won’t be complete without at least a day in Cholula, a historic small city just outside of the capital.
Cholula is most famous for its Great Pyramid, which is also called Tlachihualtepetl. With original construction dating to the third century BC, it is the largest pyramid known in the world today. Of course, you may not even realize it’s a pyramid at first: The Spanish conquistadores and Catholic colonizers, eager to assert their dominance over the already-existing cultures and religions, first topped the pyramid with a cross. That was struck by lightning. They put up another. That was struck by lightning, too. I believe there was one more cross erected after that. Also struck by lightning.
The Catholic settlers didn’t seem to get the message, so they built an entire church on top of it now, and let the pyramid become overgrown with vegetation so that today it appears from most sides to be a giant hill. But the part that has been restored is clearly visible, and you can go inside the tunnels of the pyramid, as well.
Cholula also has a lot more churches than just the cute little that one that was erected disrespectfully atop the pyramid. They say that Cholula has a a church for every day of the year — that’s 365 in all — and while it’s debatable whether that’s true (apparently no one has ever counted every single church in the city), there are certainly a lot. Cholula has some good shopping too, with souvenirs, home decor and handicrafts among the finds.
Getting to Cholula from the city of Puebla is relatively easy, and there are several ways to do it, each with their selling points. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of each option.
1. Take Uber
We paid less than $10 one way for an Uber ride from our hotel in the historic city center of Puebla.
Positives: It’s convenient, safe and efficient for going from point to point. And if you’re two or more people traveling, it’s just a tiny bit more expensive than using the train. (It’s also much more reliable than taking a taxi.)
Negatives: If you don’t speak much Spanish and your driver doesn’t speak much English, you may not be able to chat much (and then again, you may not be in the mood to chat even if you do).
2. Ride the Puebla-Cholula Train
Launched in 2017, this modern, tram-like train departs from a new station located adjacent to the city’s railroad museum, Puebla’s Tren Puebla-Cholula is a smoothly operated way to get to the main tourist area of Cholula, where you can walk to shops, restaurants, the pyramid and archeological site and the church.
Positives: At only about $3 per person, it’s an inexpensive and easy way to arrive at the heart of Cholula’s tourism zone, and the pyramid, shops and restaurants are near the Cholula station.
Negatives: The departure point in Puebla isn’t in the middle of the historic center, so it can be a slightly long walk (or Uber ride) from some hotels and tourist sites. You may need to take a taxi or Uber in order to get to and from the train.
3. Join a Cholula Tour
At the tourism information office on the Zocalo (main plaza) you can reserve a four-hour guided day tour to Cholula that includes visits to the church, pyramid and other sites in and around Cholula.
Positives: You get the expertise of a guide, who can explain the importance of the sites you visit, and set transportation on a fixed schedule that makes it easy to plan.
Negatives: You get a fixed schedule, which ties you into following their itinerary and perhaps not what interests you most; lack of flexibility.