Things to do in Cholula
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Pirámide Tepanapa
The incredible Pirámide Tepanapa looks more like a hill than a pyramid, but it's still the town's big draw, and, with miles of tunnels veining the inside of the structure, it's no let-down. The Zona Arqueológica comprises the excavated areas around the pyramid and the tunnels underneath. You enter via the tunnel on the north side, which takes you on a spooky route through the center of the pyramid.
Several pyramids were built on top of each other during various reconstructions, and over 8km of tunnels have been dug beneath the pyramid by archaeologists to penetrate each stage. From the access tunnel, a few hundred meters long, you can see earlier layers of the building.…
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Zona Arqueológica
The Zona Arqueológica comprises the excavated areas around the incredible Pirámide Tepanapa and the tunnels underneath. You enter via the tunnel on the north side, which takes you on a spooky route through the center of the pyramid. Several pyramids were built on top of each other during various reconstructions, and over 8km of tunnels have been dug beneath the pyramid by archaeologists to penetrate each stage. From the access tunnel, a few hundred meters long, you can see earlier layers of the building. You don’t need a guide to follow the tunnel through to the structures on the pyramid’s south and west sides, but since nothing is labeled, they can be helpful in pointi…
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Museo de la Ciudad de Cholula
The excellent Museo de la Ciudad de Cholula is housed in a fantastically restored colonial building on the zócalo. The small but strong collection includes ceramics and jewelry from the Pirámide Tepanapa, as well as later colonial paintings and sculptures. Most interestingly, you can watch through a glass wall as museum employees painstakingly restore smashed ceramics and repair jewelry.
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La Lunita
In the shadow of the Pirámide Tepanapa, this raucous, family-run bar has been in business since 1939. Painted in bright colors and decorated with an assortment of old advertising posters and other knick-knacks, La Lunita looks a lot like the movie version of a Mexican cantina. But this isn’t a tourist spot. It’s popular with locals, who come for its broad-ranging menu, live music and plentiful drinks.
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Santuario de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios
The Pirámide Tepanapa is topped by the brightly decorated Santuario de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios. It's a classic symbol of conquest, but possibly an inadvertent one, as the church may have been built before the Spanish realized the mound contained a pagan temple. You can climb to the church for free via a path starting near the northwest corner of the pyramid.
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Mandrágora
East of the pyramid on Calle 14 Pte, around the Av 5 de Mayo intersection, bars and discos compete for the short attention span of the university students (many of whom live across the street in a gated complex) after 22:00 Thursday to Saturday. The most consistently popular club on this stretch is Mandrágora, a cavernous dance hall with different music each night.
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Discos
Much of Cholula's nightlife is now to be found in warehouse-like antros and discos a couple of kilometers east, near the university exit of the 'Recta,' as the Cholula-Puebla highway is known. Your best bet is to quiz students or ask a cab driver where the current hot spots are. Wherever you end up, dress to impress and come prepared to wait to get in.
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Ex-Convento de San Gabriel
The Ex-Convento de San Gabriel (also known as Plaza de la Concordia), facing the east side of Cholula's huge zócalo, includes a tiny but interesting Franciscan library, and three fine churches, all of which will appeal to travelers interested in antique books, and early religious and Franciscan history.
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Museo de Sitio de Cholula
The small Museo de Sitio de Cholula, across the road from the Pirámide Tepanapa ticket office and down some steps, provides the best introduction to the site: a cutaway model of the pyramid mound showing the various superimposed structures. Admission is included in the site ticket.
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Güero’s
Decorated with antique photos of Cholula, this lively, family-friendly hangout has been a Cholula institution since 1955. Besides pizza, pasta and burgers, hearty Mexican choices include pozole,cemitas and quesadillas, all served with a delicious salsa roja (red sauce).
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Bar Pro Boca
The former home of a popular Cholula jazz club, this small, two-story wine and tapas bar mixes modern furniture with vintage jukeboxes and transistor radios. The menu offers straightforward tapas and a huge selection of wine and beer, including many hard-to-find artisanal Mexican beers.
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Los Jarrones
Underneath the Zócalo’s attractive arcade, this casual indoor-outdoor eatery serves set breakfasts and a wide menu of good-value regional dishes. There’s a great terrace overlooking the plaza that is a favorite meeting point for young Cholulans.
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Comedor el Portón
The Portal is popular for its daily set menu, which includes a choice of three soups, a main course (chicken, beef or vegetables), coffee and dessert. It's set in a pleasant courtyard with a skylight and attracts locals as much as tourists.
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Café Enamorada
Facing the zócalo, this café is popular on weeknights and for its Sunday brunch buffet. There’s live music most nights and decent doses of the usual sandwiches, tacos and quesadillas.
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El Rincón de Rivadavia
This friendly, classy restaurant is set in a sweet courtyard near the Pyramid. The menu is classic poblano cuisine - try their mole, which they claim is the best in Cholula.
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Tacos Robert
Across the street, this place, where the beer is cold and fútbol is always on the tele, is also popular with the pre-clubbing university crowd.
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Capilla de la Tercera Orden
In the middle of Cholula's huge zócalo is the 19th-century Capilla de la Tercera Orden.
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Templo de San Gabriel
The Templo de San Gabriel was founded in 1530 on the site of a pyramid.
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Capilla Real
The Arabic-style Capilla Real has 49 domes, and dates from 1540.
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