Mystery of the world's largest pyramid

The world's largest pyramid

It's not the Giza pyramids (Egypt) but somewhere halfway around the world: the Cholula pyramids (Mexico).

In 2016, scientists conducted a study on the BBC website, claiming that the pyramid built in 300 BC had a base 4 times larger than the Giza pyramid (Egypt), about 450m wide and 66m high.

This size is equivalent to 9 Olympic standard swimming pools.

This structure is locally called Tlachihualtepetl, meaning "artificial mountain" because, in addition to its "huge" height, from around the 15th century, this place began to be abandoned and almost unknown.

Cholula now has only the foundations left, topped by a church built when the Spanish arrived in the area.

The special thing about the Cholula pyramid is that it is not a unified block like Giza but was built 6 floors in succession at different periods.

David Carballo, an archaeologist at the University of Massachusetts (USA), added that Cholula may have been built by many different peoples who worshiped different gods. This is a big difference from other cultural structures.

When the Spanish army came to explore Central and South America, this place became more and more deserted.

In 1519, General Hernan Cortes (Spain) led his army into the Cholula pyramid area and killed many people there (about 10% of the population) and then built churches in the places he passed through to mark his conquest.

On top of the Cholula pyramid today, a small church called Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios still stands there.

For a long time, overgrown vegetation covered the pyramid and many people thought it was just a hill and a pedestal for a church.

It was not until 1910 that archaeologists began excavating to find a "century" structure that was now only ruins.

Since 1930, many efforts have been made to excavate the entire pyramid.

In 2013, local authorities decided to dismantle part of the foundation to connect it to the city's drainage system. They discovered at least 63 skeletons, including the skulls of children.

Scientists say this is clear evidence that the Cholula pyramid was where ancient Central and South American natives practiced their sacrificial beliefs.

At the same time, more than 8km of tunnels were dug inside this structure for tourism development purposes.

Tunnel to "hell"

Teotihuacan temple complex in Mexico.

The Teotihuacan temple complex located in the Teotihuacan Valley, central Mexico includes two main pyramids, the Sun and the Moon, along with a sacrificial plaza called the Temple of the Serpent.

This is a sacred memorial site dedicated to the great gods of the Mayan civilization.

The Teotihuacan civilization - located about 40km north of present-day Mexico City - existed between the 1st and 8th centuries. At its peak, Teotihuacan had an estimated population of 200,000 people.

The Pyramid of the Sun is the third largest pyramid in the world, while the Pyramid of the Moon is smaller but holds a special secret.

PageScience Alertsaid experts have examined the structure and identified another secret passageway beneath the Pyramid of the Moon. The tunnel is 9m deep, extending from the base of the Pyramid in the center of the sacrificial plaza at Teotihuacan.

Pyramid of the Moon - where there is a secret tunnel that is considered to be the connection between the present and hell.

According to archaeologist Verónica Ortega, this tunnel is like an underground world, a "road to hell" for ancient Mesoamerican people.

Surrounding the Plaza of the Moon are 12 smaller pyramid platforms, believed to have been used for thousands of city dwellers to witness the sacrifices.

At the same time, the tombs in the pyramid contained both human and animal sacrifices, along with many objects made of jade and precious stones.