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Cholula is considered a magical town and known as the city of churches because it has a large number of them

Cholula is a small city in the state of Puebla and is considered the oldest city in the world. Its foundation began in the year 500 a.C by the Toltec culture who were looking for a new settlement since the fall of Tula in the year 1000 b.C. Upon the arrival of the Spaniards Cholula was one of the largest religious and commercial centers. It is said that Hernan Cortez on his arrival estimated that the city had 430 religious temples, twenty thousand homes in the center of the city and another twenty thousand in the periphery.

Cholula is considered a Magical Town thanks to its history, traditions, art, legends and beauty. It is famous for its large pyramid whose summit is the Shrine of Our Lady of Remedies and its large number of churches. It has an impressive view against the contrast with the Popocatépetl volcano.

The great Pyramid of Cholula is only a small part of its archaeological zone

Cerro del Tepozteco
 

This impressive pyramid is one of the largest in the world, its base extends 400 square meters although its height only reaches 65 meters. Its Nahuatl name is Tlachihualtépetl, “handmade hill”. It was built to venerate the deity of the rain called Chiconahuiquiahuita (nine rains) and it was a sacred and pilgrimage place in the pre-Hispanic era.

The Shrine of Our Lady of Remedies

 

The Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Remedies on the great pyramid is an example of the mixture of two epochs and two cultures. It was built in 1594 dedicated to the veneration of the Virgen de los Remedios. Its decoration and ornamentation is based on a Neoclassical Baroque style. Every September is celebrated being the most important party of the town where thousands of pilgrims come to visit it.

Santuario de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios

Actually, there are not as many churches in Cholula as they say

Iglesias en Cholula Puebla

There are 37 churches, but if all the small chapels are counted, including the haciendas, the 159 are reached. In the colonization, the Spaniards built churches on top of all the pre-Hispanic sacred temples. Most of the churches were built between the 17th and 19th centuries, just to mention a few: the Parroquia de San Pedro Cholula, the Parroquia de San Miguel Tianguishhahuat, the Parroquia de San Andres, the Parroquia de San Francisco Acatepec, etc.

Cholula is known for its traditional and delicious brew the “Elixir of the Gods”

 

In Cholula you can still enjoy this traditional and ancestral prehispanic drink prepared with the traditional ingredients cocoa, water and ground corn and with a unique flavor that is difficult to find in other regions of Mexico.

Brebaje el Elixir de os Dioses

Las Cuetlas are a seasonal dish, exotic and delicious

Cuetlas un platillo exótico de Cholula
 

In the rainy season, the cuetlas are collected, some butterfly larvae that are eaten for their exquisite flavor when prepared, whether boiled and dried or toasted in the comal. The typical thing in Cholula is to eat them in corn tortillas with a sauce of chile pasilla, avocado and fresh cheese. Definitely a dish that should be tried!

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