Cholula was a major Mesoamerican cities, she lived in various cultures and lifestyles that converged on a common religion, this great metropolis was a place of excellence dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, it is said that people from distant lands, including Central America, came to worship the site so popular deity. Similarly, the complexity of its architecture, diversity in foreign features and long cultural development, undoubtedly made for the Classic period (100-900 AD) Tollan obtain the title was given to the major cities of the Central Highlands, Teotihuacan and also received the name Tula.

At the beginning of this period came the first urban features, as well as evidence of mural paintings and their relations with Teotihuacan, Monte Alban and the Gulf Coast pottery presents a variety of local and foreign rates and polychrome pottery, characteristic of this site presents a wide distribution. As such, we speak of full activity of the city, culminating with his very sudden and rapid drop, moving the principal place the current center of the town of Cholula, the end of that period. Around 100 A.C. the first village was established in the current St. Andrew, later relocated to the east of the lagoon (now the pyramid), in Santa Catarina. Cholula was a village populated secondary current Coapa, its economy is probably based on fishing and crop production natives of the village is somehow strengthened and grown to the point that by this time already had three pyramid structures, increasing slightly little importance and dimensions.


The city of Cholula was distributed in neighborhoods, their territorial division corresponded to the different ethnicities that lived in it. In La Historia Tolteca Chichimeca indicates that the Olmecs Xicalanca ran the city with ten lords, two of them with titles and Tlalchiac Aquiach and who continued to use until later periods. The first of these men had a gun and the second eagle and jaguar named among the religious of the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, Tiznquiznauac noble district. Insiders in this religion were a black cape for four years, then another black with a red border at the same time, a red with black past the next four, after which they were given a black for the rest of his vida.Los priests appointed with the title and Tlalchiach Aquiach governed and chose the kings who came to Cholula to bring offerings to Quetzalcoatl, is also pierced nose, ears or lips, according to rank.

Model of archaeological site

When Tula Toltec lineage reached its end, after a long journey, they conquered and defeated the Olmec Xicalanca of the region, these groups will relate later, with neighborhoods that were continued during the colonial period and even even today. Apparently they came to Tollan Chichimecs Chollolan one days after visiting 4 grass in their journey many places Marquina mentioned that the output of the Toltecs was conducted in a flint and when they arrived in Cholula, begged to live in region are authorized to establish and provided them with old weapons for their survival, if they were willing to go Tezcatlipoca ordered them to make war and defeat the Olmec Xicalanca to occupy the government. Perhaps this passage from the Historia Tolteca Chichimeca refers to the last occupation of Cholula and the foundation of the new city.


The form of government in Cholula was not always the same. Torquemada mentions that after its founding, after the destruction of Tula, was led by a man who depended on the old Chichimecas government then came a hard fact of war by people, whose leaders were chosen from time to time.


Later, he established a government made up of four men, when he went to Tlapala Quetzalcoatl took him four disciples of Cholula ordered to return to their city, Torquemada says of these four gentlemen of the city received later by gentlemen, dividing the estate of her four tetrarchs ... these men even recognize their children, particularly total head were in government, so that the republic was not to do anything that was not given to everyone.

Tunnels beneath the Great Pyramid of Cholula

Subsequent migrations were apparently divided over the territory continued on the structure of neighborhoods, according to Carrasco, the latter group is known in History as colomochcas Chichimeca Tolteca, although no clear identity, Colomochcatl mentioned as a character who had gone Quauhtinchan Mixtlan and reaches to settle later in Cholula. This new group of people identify with the district of San Andrés Colomochco. In a rabbit broke a drought and famine caused people to emigrate to Cuahtinchan Cholula, at least twelve groups, some recognized as neighborhoods, arriving here: ixmeciuhca, Tepetzinco, quauhteca, izcolloca, matlaltzinca, tochpaneca, couac, cuitlatepeuaque, tzocuillaca, tlaxichca, calmecauaque and xochicaltzinca.


No doubt the city of Cholula was influenced not only at the regional level, the best known item that was exported to Central America polychrome pottery with distinctive features in the decoration that spread quickly. Despite the abandonment of the big city (now archaeological site), the ceremonial center was moved to the current center of the city of Cholula, where the settlement continued until the arrival of the Spanish, making it one of the few cities that has with a long historical sequence.


Cholula is located in the municipality of San Andres and San Pedro Cholula, in the state of Puebla, 15 miles from the state capital. The site is located within the region of Puebla-Tlaxcala Valley, A Cholula is considered as a subarea bounded on the north by the hills Tecajete and Zapotec, east by the river Atoyac, in the southern basins and Valsequillo and Atlixco west by the Sierra Nevada. To reach the site from the city of Puebla, take the road straight Quetzalcoatl or Cholula.