For my last day in Puebla I wanted to stay relatively close to town so I picked two sites. First I took a drive up to get as close to the Popocatépetl Volcano as I could. Afterwards I went to the town of Cholula which is right next to Puebla to tour the Great Pyramid of Cholula.


Popocatépetl Volcano

We started early up the volcano because Patrick tells me the visibility is best early in the morning. It tends to get hazy as the day progresses. We drove through the town of Cholula to a narrow mountain road to the Paso de Cortés. The road was paved at first but once in the mountains quickly turns to a dirt road that could be rough at times. Do not attempt this road without a AWD with high ground clearance.

The destination is the Paso de Cortés which has a visitor center at the top of the saddle between the Popocatépetl and Ixtaccíhuatl Volcanos.
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Great Pyramid in Cholula

We then headed back to the town of Cholula which is adjacent to Puebla and part of the metro area. Cholula, unlike Puebla, has been continuously occupied well before the Spanish arrived. The history dates back between 500 and 200 BCE.

The main attraction here is the Great Pyramid. What's unique about this pyramid is that by some measurements is the largest pyramid by volume in the world, even greater than the Great Pyramid of Giza. That's because it has a larger base but not taller.

The other thing that's unique is the pyramid is actually a Russian Nesting Doll of pyramids, each built up on top of the previous smaller pyramid. That's why there are tunnels through which you can see the remains of the previous pyramids and the tons of clay blocks that fill the gaps.
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