Volcanoes & Pyramids
On the eastern outskirts of Puebla is the small town of Cholula, which offers a good vantage point for viewing the volcanoes, Popocatépetl and Ixaccihuatl. These volcanoes separate the Valley of Mexico from the Valley of Puebla. The best time for viewing them in on a clear morning in the winter or early spring when the snow caps would be at their largest.
In pre-Columbian times, Cholula was a large city -- the religious capital of highland Mexico. The Spanish razed the hundreds of temples that stood here, and we know little about them. But the Great Pyramid still exists, the largest pyramid in the New World. At first glimpse, it looks more like a hill crowned by a church (Nuestra Señora de los Remedios). All the surfacing of the pyramid was removed in earlier times, but you can readily make out the geometry of the stepped platform, which rises from the ground in four levels. One face of the pyramid has been partially reconstructed. Tunnels dug by archaeologists give you an idea of how the thing was built. From atop the neighboring platform (if the guards allow you to climb it), you can get a view of the volcano with the church in the foreground. The entrance fee for the Cholula pyramid is $3.70 (£1.85); the site is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9am to 5:45pm. Tour guides charge $10 (£5) per person and can be located at the entrance to the main tunnel.
While you're in Cholula, you might want to walk around the town's center. A restaurant under the stone archway bordering the zócalo offers a decent, inexpensive meal. It's called Los Tulipanes.
Tonantzintla & San Francisco Acatepec
A perfect complement to this trip is a visit to the church of Tonantzintla, just to the south. Leave the town on Bulevar Miguel Alemán, which becomes the road to Tonantzintla. Less than 1.5km (1 mile) ahead, the church is within plain sight of the road. It's justly famous for its jewel-box interior, executed in an endearing style that people have come to call Indian baroque. It has mesmerized many visitors, including R. Gordon Wasson, who saw in its manifold imagery allusions to a secret mushroom cult. If this visit hasn't quenched your appetite for visiting churches, proceed a bit farther down the road, and you will imperceptibly cross into the neighboring community of San Francisco Acatepec. Its church is also along the road and stands out for its stunning tile facade.
