A mad dash to catch the bus this morning was totally worth it when we made it to the rich historical site of Cholula, recommended to us by numerous locals from the day we set foot in Puebla. Cholula is home to the world’s largest pyramid by volume, but from the outside it looks simply like a large hill. To better appreciate its history, we began by wandering through the museum that features much of the pottery found during archeological excavations of the site, as well as a small restored portion of a 56-foot long mural. The history of this place is fascinating: a small, peaceful village that grew into a major religious center for the Aztecs, and stayed so until overtaken by the Spanish. If you’ve seen the film The Road to El Dorado, you will be interested to know that a surprising amount of this fictional film is historically accurate, including the tradition of playing a game whereby a ball must be hit using the hips and shoulders through a small ring high on a wall, as well as the practice of sacrificing the winners (yes, the winners) of this game to the Aztec gods.
Though the Great Pyramid of Cholula cannot be seen from the outside, visitors can explore this architectural wonder from the inside thanks to tunnels excavated by archaeologists. It kind of makes you feel like Indiana Jones.
After the coolness of the tunnels, the climb up the stairs outside in the hot sun is a little exhausting, but the view at the top of the pyramid is incredible. In addition, the church at the top, built there by the Spanish during colonization, is quite the sight itself.
The rest of Cholula is full of brightly coloured buildings, churches that look like 
castles, and restaurants blaring Spanish music that you can’t help but dance to. We strolled around awhile, then steered towards a hotel that Kristina had found online, with the express purpose of using their pool, which we were permitted to do provided we buy lunch and a drink there. We had the whole rooftop pool and sundeck to ourselves, with a stellar view, great service, and tasty food and beverages. I enjoyed a couple of chapters of The Great Gatsby as well as a good nap, and both of us were happy to have such a relaxing afternoon.
Feeling refreshed and re-energized, we continued our explorations of the town, and noticed a long line forming in the zocalo. Curious, we found the front of line and asked que pasa? It turns out that they were giving out free jerseys of the Mexican national football (soccer) team. Not wanting to pass up the great opportunity, we joined the line, and, after receiving our shirts, found ourselves participating in the filming of a commercial promoting the team. We babbled through the Spanish cheers, not having any idea what was being said, but jumped up and down with the rest and joined coherently in the chant of “Mexico! Mexico! Mexico!” It was hilarious being so out of place but exhilarating joining right in with the locals in the excitement of cheering on their team for the cameras. We even took a picture with someone famous afterward, not knowing at the time that he is a celebrity commentator in Mexico. It is certainly the surprises in our travels that are the greatest experiences!
