Trip to Puebla and Cholula, Part 2

On Thursday morning we left for the city of Cholula which is now pretty much a suburb of Puebla.  On the way we stopped at two churches, the most spectacular being the Templo de San Francisco Acatepec.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_San_Francisco_Acatepec  It was decorated between 1650 and 1750 by the Poblano pottery craftsmen who covered its entire façade with handmade ceramic pieces, primarily Poblano Talavera, and red brick.  (Click on photos for larger versions.)

The inside was another masterpiece of Mexican Baroque decoration.  The Golden Altarpiece is marvelous.

Part of the steps have
been excavated

Next we went on to the Great Pyramid of Cholula, also called Tiachihualtepetl.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pyramid_of_Cholula The complex is massive and the pyramid is the largest by volume in the world. Interestingly, most of it is below ground, and for a small fee, you can walk through the narrow, low tunnels, something that was hard on my tall husband's back. You can also climb up the pyramid to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Remedies.  

Because it was the Christmas season, there
was a creche set up inside.  The tradition is
that the Baby Jesus is not put into the cradle 
until Christmas eve.

After exploring the pyramid complex, we were hungry and stumbled upon a nice restaurant where we indulged in some alcoholic beverages, and I had a delicious Enchiladas Suizas.