Magical Town of San Pedro Cholula. - www.joshuaexposures.com

Cholula is one of the 121 ( and counting, new Pueblos Magicos are coming together) Pueblos Magicos that have been in Mexico Inhabited since 30 centuries ago. Cholula is one of the 217 towns with Puebla, two hours driving from Mexico City.

Cholula is divide into three Cholulas, San Andres Cholula, San Pedro Cholula, and Santa Isabel Cholula. San Andrés and San Pedro Cholula share a historic place, the church on top of the hill the church is dedicated to Nuestra Señora de la Virgen de Los Remedios the church the native name is Tlachihualtepet or hill made by man the main town that visited was San Pedro Cholula.

Church of the Virgin of Remedies and Pyramid.

When you arrive at Cholula, you will see the back of the temple of the Virgin of Remedies, which is famous because the photos taken are incredible.

The temple of Nuestra Señora de la Virgen de Los Remedios located at Avenida Morelos, and 14 pte street, the temple on top of the hill is considered one of the leading lights of Cholula.

Most celebrations take place near the temple; the festivities celebrated in September are to the virgin other festivals that take place near the temple and are a light that is always on. From the top can see almost the whole town and a few more on a clear day, and the sunsets are beautiful on the temple.

The pyramid is one of the most prominent monuments in America and more significant than the pyramid of Giza. This information was from the local museum that is near the pyramid. Start visiting the pyramid; I recommend starting from the tunnel; the entrance located on the left side of the church at the bottom of the door on street 14 west.

Pay for the ticket that allows you to visit the archeological site and the local museum in front of the tunnel entrance to the other side of the street and walk downstairs.

You have to pay $4 US dollars for your ticket, but if you want to record your visit inside the tunnel, you have to pay $7 US dollars. The price is for only video, and if you want to take photos use your smartphone without flash because it could disturb other tourists that visit the tunnel.

At the tunnel entrance, some help certified guides help you understand the excavations and extra information. Once the tour of the tunnel end, visit the archeological site. The tunnel length is 800 meters long, or half a mile. I have lived in this area for so long that I know my way around.

Archeological site.

With the ticket that you use for the tunnel, you can use it to enter the archeological buildings. Some of the original paintings now covered against the weather can be admired from a safe distance to preserve the images and give a little more mystery to the site.

Other buildings include a courtyard where people clap the sounds bounce, and the whole yard, like some other buildings in Mexico, is believed that is the sound of an animal. I am not sure, but it sounds nice.

There are different structures and altars, and at the end of the site, you will find a Tolteca Pyramid. They called it that way because the reconstruction used a local concrete brand called Tolteca, which is why it has the name.

365 Churches of Cholula.

There is a type of legend where people believe that Cholula has 365 churches. This legend is about when the Spaniards conquered Mexico. As they rebuilt some of the temples that used to be native when they see from the temple of Nuestra Señora de Los Remedies, they can see many domes and towers of the churches, but all Cholula only has 283 parish churches.

Abbey of San Gabriel is located at the street 2 Norte and is in front of the park. The abbey is still in use by friars, s beautifully decorated with lines of gold, and the decorations have beautiful expressions. On the Zocalo, you will find some of the most important Cholula.

The monastery is a big complex that includes a school and a library. The abbey and the school share the same space, and the library’s responsibility is to a local University to preserve the books and share the knowledge used to enter this space. Not long ago, the earthquake of September 2017 made it impossible to enter the library.

Also, near the Zocalo, the parish of San Pedro Cholula has located between the AV 4 Pte and Av 5 de mayo, a temple that decorates with ornaments; the tower is one of the tallest in Cholula.

Train of Cholula.

Cholula also has a train station that connects with Puebla; there are two main stops. The station has a local coffee shop and other shops where you can have ice cream or a Mezcal drink.

The Puebla stop has a story, and also you can visit the museum train of Puebla at the halt of Cholula near the pyramid. It shares the space with a Plaza will find stores to have something to drink or eat to see this at night is a beautiful postcard and having a drink at the beer shop or maybe some snacks from the restaurants from the plaza and admiring the illuminated church something that has to try.

Museums of Cholula.

Museums are part of the story of the Cholula, and there are three museums.

The Regional Museum locates at Calle 14 Pte. 307, San Juan Aquiahuac.

It has galleries that exhibit antique pieces from the region of Puebla. In other galleries, they show what local artists had created — in this museum, you are not allowed to take photos from the galleries, only to take pictures of the building.

Paying $2 US dollars for adults and $1 US for children on Tuesday is an accessible entrance.

The Museum Of the Caballero Aguila is situated in front of the park at street 5 de mayo and Av 4 Ote. It is close to the Parrish Church of San Pedro Cholula. A museum with temporal galleries can inform what else to explore in Cholula. The decorative elements of the museum use indigenous art, which is why it has the name, Caballero Aguila.

Museo de Sitio or Local Museum locates on the street 14 Pte San Juan Aquiahuac. It shows what archeologists had found in the excavations.

Something local to eat.

Visit Plaza of Concordia, or as the locals called Los Portales, it has 46 arches where you can find the local offices of the town of Cholula and restaurants with different types of food from a typical sandwich of Puebla, tacos, or some churros.

For me, the best restaurants are Churreria las Duyas is better if you want something light or churros; Don Pastor is where you will find different styles of tacos, big ones with cheese, the taco Arab, and taco al pastor. If you feel lucky, you could try the salsas but be aware they are spicy.

There are also some hotel restaurants and recommendations for Grupo Santa Rosa. There is a local and famous restaurant, La Enamorada, in this place the movie La Enamorada where filmed the leading actress was Maria Felix is a movie from the golden age of Mexican cinematography.

La Lunita is another crucial place to visit, located on Av Morelos six north street is famous among some locals.

The market at Av Miguel Hidalgo and 3 Nte street will find orejonas (type of taco but with salsa, and with the one you have a complete meal), a tortilla stuffed with beans and covered with salsa, or order one with cheese. Your daily place to have Fresh fruits and vegetables they sell from local farmers.

Festivals.

Cholula has different festivals. Cultural, music, and art festivals take place in Cholula. Most of the festivals and activities in Cholula are free for you to join; two have been part of Cholula for years and centuries; if you have the opportunity, save the dates and experience them firsthand.

The carnival of Cholula is one of the main festivals. It represents what happened in 1868 between the French and Mexican armies in the famous battle of Puebla, primarily celebrated in this state and the United States of America by Mexicans living abroad. It starts as the preparation for the holy week.
The carnival has three primary acts. In the first act, the participants of the festival presented as battalions. The battalions took possession of the plaza at the park Soria Xelhua as a representation of when the French army took possession of the territory.

The battalions form in different groups like the armies that fought that day. The French military is Zapadores, Turkish, and Zoaves, the uniforms distinguished, and the long beard on their masks, the Mexican side Zacoapaxtlas and Indios can recognize them from the hats and what they have on their backpacks. What they use is a mix of uniforms and Mexican culture.

The fire from the muskets is the first sound we will hear from the parade, music that the forces have from the bands that are playing when they are approaching the plaza.

The second act is when the battalions get together and start the parade the next day. During this act, there is a bandolier that steals the daughter of the mayor because he loves her.

The third act is when one of the members of the battalions sets fire to the house where the bandolier and the mayor’s daughter are, this carnival is more like a love story with a tragic ending.

The fair of Cholula starts in August but during September most important festivities begin for Cholula. The Procession of the lanterns is on August 31, at 9 pm. Ten neighborhoods participate in the Procession with their fundamental religious image. It ends when all the images arrive at the temple of Nuestra Senora de Los Remedios with music, singing, and prayers announced with fireworks.

During the fair of Cholula, there is one particular activity that only happens on September 8. Barter day is a practice that has carried out for many years. From Mexico, people bring their products to exchange for others set on the Plaza La Concordia or Zocalo to barter. If the other person needs what you want to exchange, it can be without a transaction involving money.

There are other activities during the year that you can see and experience. Cholula is open to tourists and those that want to know more about the history they hide between churches and pyramids.