We met Heather and Nadareh and went into Cholula today (UDLAP is on the outskirts of Cholula so it's a 15 minute walk or $20 pesos for a taxi). We climbed the great pyramid of Cholula, el pyramide Tlachihualtepetl, which is one of the largest in the world by mass and the hundreds of steps up were quite a workout. The pyramid was originally built by indigenous peoples (probably Aztecs) as a religious monument, where they sacrificed children. The children were sent as messengers to the Gods to ask for rain. Later when the Spanish conquered Mexico they destroyed the city and rebuilt it; evidently the pyramid was just too big to dismantle, so they covered it with soil and built a church at the top.
The church, El Santuario de la Virgen de los Remedios, is absolutely gorgeous, and this was my first time seeing a cathedral from the inside. I was impressed with the beauty of the building and the sacred, solemn atmosphere of a place where people come constantly to receive blessings and pray. It's crazy to think about how long that church has been there and how many people have come to pay homage since it was built in 1594.
At the bottom of the pyramid we walked around the ruins that have been uncovered by locals in the last hundred years. Parts are uncovered so you can see walls and stairs and rooms at the base of the pyramid. It looks like the rest of the pyramid is probably similar but because it's covered over it just looks like a big dirt hill now. These ruins are part of the base of the pyramid where the actual sacrifices took place.
After the ruins we headed into Cholula and wandered around the Zocalo where there was a carnival going on. We saw an old convent that was built by the Spanish when they conquered Mexico; we didn't see the inside though because they were having Sunday mass.
We also had dinner at an amazing open air cafe in Cholula where we tried our first mole poblano (amazing!) which is a local specialty in Puebla. It's basically a big piece of boiled chicken smothered in cocoa mole sauce.
The walk back from Cholula turned out to be longer than we thought and we all got a little sunburned except for me...I got absolutely roasted. The weather is tricky here...it doesn't feel as hot because it's not humid, but the sun is so strong here. We played fútbol for awhile with some of Matt's roommates and later we walked back to Cholula because nothing much is open here on sundays. Best meal so far....flautas (Spanish for flute), or rolled fried tacos with chicken inside and topped with cheese, green sauce, and salad. Desert was a cream cheese filled flauta with sweet cream and dulce de leche on top. Without a doubt the BEST thing I have ever eaten. Today was a great day...I learned this:
1. Everything is closed on Sunday except Subway.
2. Nobody ever has change.
3. Everyone here is good at fútbol...except for me.
4. SPF 80
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