Eva zu Beck Discovers Puebla and Cholula, the Biggest Pyramid on Earth – and the Smallest Volcano

Welcome to Cholula. In today's episode, I'll be taking you to a couple of beautiful magical towns right here in Mexico. But before we begin, I want you to pay really close attention to what's happening behind me. If you're wondering what on earth these people are doing atop a very tall pole, wonder no more. They're performing the Danza de las Voladoras, or the Dance of the Flyers. It's an updated version of an ancient ritual native to Mesoamerica, thought to be a way of appeasing the gods in various cultures indigenous to this region. It's so amazing. I'm sure it's really, really scary to do that in the moment and to learn how to do it, but when they're moving in the air like that, it just looks so serene and peaceful. I kind of wish I was there. Each flyer has to do 13 turns. 13 times 4 is 52. It's the 52 weeks of the year that symbolize it. This comes from generation to generation, which is the Totonaca culture. I started when I was 14 years old. Is it scary? Well, at first it is scary, because it's a very tall pole. It's 20 meters tall. And on that note, I welcome you to Cholula, one of the famous magical towns of Mexico. The title of a magical town is given to the most special, beautiful spots in Mexico, especially those with a huge historic and cultural significance. And given that Cholula is only a two hour drive from Mexico City, it's really worth checking out, especially given its heritage and its massive levels of charm. If you're watching this video, that means you're probably interested in travel, but here's a fact that may surprise you. This is not just any ordinary town square. Right now we are standing on the greatest pyramid on planet Earth. Let me explain. All around us and underneath this hill stands Tlachi Hualtepetl, or the Great Pyramid of Cholula. Yes, at around 450 meters in width, it's much bigger than the Pyramid of Giza, although not quite as tall. The construction of the pyramid started more than 2,000 years ago. Like many pyramids in the region, it was built to honor the gods. It's kind of amazing to think that this very spot has been a place of worship for thousands of years. Except, of course, it has changed hands in the meantime, and with the Spanish conquest of Mexico, the Spanish built a church on top of what used to be an indigenous pyramid. And this, as sad as it is, is kind of human history in a nutshell. You know, we conquer, we build afresh, and that's just a cycle that repeats itself over and over again into infinity. There's a really interesting anecdote here. All the Roman Catholic churches that were built on top of the original pyramid have been struck by lightning, one after the other. Maybe that's a sign. Maybe that's a message to the conquistadores. I guess we'll never know. Cholula is one of those towns that you just need to get lost in. You could spend a good few hours just wandering around its colorful streets, stopping by all the cute painted buildings. Yes, it does feel a little touristy, but it's a short two-hour drive from Mexico City and well worth checking out for its cutesy, super charming atmosphere. It's mango season in Mexico right now, and on the streets here you can get cups of mango, cups of fruit, and you can even spice them up with a bit of this. So this is chili powder. A little bit too much there. A lot of chili powder on top of this. Let's see if I survive. Yep, makes your tongue tingle. It's a very different kind of experience of eating fruit than what I'm used to. But, you know, when in Rome, or when in Cholula. Now that I've seen Cholula and the world's largest pyramid, it's time to travel to the nearby city of Puebla and move on to something really quite different in stature. We are in the land of volcanoes, aren't we? I mean, after all, some of Mexico's most famous, iconic volcanoes are located just here around the city of Puebla. But if you don't have the energy or the time to go and climb a really tall mountain, you can just come here to the world's smallest volcano. It's really small. It stands at 13 meters tall, which makes it about six times my size, and apparently it weighs about 400 tons, which makes it the weight of around, wait for it, 100 elephants. You can actually go inside as well, so let's go. It's been a long, long journey. A heroic journey, I might add. But we've just made it to the top of the smallest volcano in the world. Well, the locals affectionately call it a volcano. But in fact, it's a geyser. Cuexcomate is a really odd attraction. It was formed about 400 years ago when the nearby Popocatépetl, a large and active volcano, erupted. Since then, Cuexcomate has been sitting quiet and inactive in the middle of the city in Puebla. It's a bit of a curiosity and honestly, you don't often get a chance to climb inside a geyser down a metal staircase. Now that we've conquered the volcano, I think it's time to move on to other adventures. Let's go. I'm off to check out the city of Puebla, another magical town. It's known for its culture and colours, and I happened to visit on market day, which was an awesome opportunity to check out the flea markets in town, filled with all kinds of historical local knick-knacks. It's an awesome place to grab a few souvenirs, especially if you're looking for something a little bit more unique than just a fridge magnet. So the thing about Puebla is that a few years back, it actually received the title of the most beautiful city in all of Mexico, which, you know, if you spend a little bit of time walking around here, you completely understand right away. The charming architecture, the artistic vibe, the peace and quiet and beauty, this place just really sucks you in. You kind of just want to sit somewhere on the side of the street and just watch life and people go by. It's got so much character, so much simple beauty. I absolutely love it. If Cholula is the cutesy magical town, then Puebla is its more mature, artistic cousin. They're just a half hour drive from one another, and if you visit one, you really can't miss the other. All right, enough of the talking. I think it's time to grab some food. You know, when in Mexico, sometimes you just find yourself walking down the street and suddenly you spot something, and then you smell it, and then you're like, I got to have this. I got to have this thing. And I think I'm going to get a memela, which is a dish that comes from central Mexico. So let's see. Let's see what that looks like. Okay, check out this beautiful memela. Right here we've got amazing red salsa. Right here we've got green salsa. I mean, all the spicy goodness you can get in Mexico. Perfect. And right here we've got some nopales, which are basically cactus slices. That is a super, super Mexican thing. You don't experience this kind of flavor anywhere else, really. Of course, paired with delicious onions and a little bit of local cheese. I don't know if I can handle this entire thing all by myself, but you know what? I'm going to try. Grilled to perfection. Everything here is just that perfect combination of soft and crunchy, you know? Really quite spicy. So check these out. These tiny little creatures are called alebrijes, and they're a pretty important but recent part of Mexican folklore. So the gentleman here, he's an artist, he actually makes them by hand. So they're made from wood and then hand-painted. And what they kind of signify is just these abstract, surreal creatures, usually a mix of a couple of different animals, and then of course painted in these beautiful patterns. And each little creature represents something, an idea or a characteristic. For example, the coyote here represents luck, good luck. Something like a turtle may represent wisdom or old age. But each of these little animals is just absolutely gorgeous and completely individual. So if you want to give someone a really special, precious gift with a lot of meaning, then this could be it. What a day! Puebla and Cholula are such beautiful little towns. I really felt like I spent the entire day just walking in a fairy tale. There's so much art and vibrance and charm here. Honestly, it's hard to believe that these two towns are just a two-hour drive from Mexico City, which obviously makes them absolutely unmissable if you happen to be in the capital of Mexico. Well, I think I'm going to head out and explore the town in the evening all by myself. But I'll see you guys in the next adventure, right here on DW Channel. See you!