Cholula was one of the most important cities in the Puebla region of Mexico during the Early Classic Period. The city is located along intersecting trade routes from the Basin of Mexico, the Gulf Lowlands and Oaxaca, so was undoubtedly capable of sustaining a healthy population. However, the majority of its residents are thought to have been refugees who fled from the eruptions of the Popocatépetl volcano. This multiculturalism is exemplified in the diverse architectural and design styles that are utilized at Cholula, including traditional Talud-Tablero construction, Gulf Lowland scroll patterns and Mixtec codex motif in murals.

Cholula is best known for its Great Pyramid, which is the largest pyramid by volume in the world. Although parts of the pyramid's base have been uncovered and restored, the bulk of the structure remains unexcavated, and a Roman Catholic church has been built atop the pyramid. It is now surrounded by the modern city of Cholula.

The Great Pyramid was built in four stages, and during each phase of construction the new building covered and enlarged the previous one. After the first construction phase, the pyramid measured 120 m wide and 17 m high. After the fourth and final phase, the structure measured a massive 400 m wide and 66 m high.

Interestingly, the first phase pyramid is aligned 17 degrees off north, which is exactly the same orientation as the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacán, a contemporary influential power within Mesoamerica.

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