CHOLULA

in full Cholula de Rivadabia city, northwestern Puebla estado ("state"), central Mexico. It lies on the central plateau at 7,052 feet (2,149 m) above sea level, just northwest of Puebla city, the state capital. Cholula (Nahuatl: "Place of Springs"), an important pre-Spanish-conquest town dedicated to the god Quetzalcoatl, is known for its many domed churches, for the Spaniards built a church on top of each native temple. Cholula was a major centre of the preconquest Mesoamerican Indian culture as far back as the Early Classic period (AD 100-600) and reached its maximum growth in the Late Classic period (600-900). An imposing pyramid there of sun-dried bricks, the largest structure built by Mesoamerican Indians, dates from the Late Classic. The pyramid is 177 feet (54 m) high and covers nearly 45 acres (18 hectares). Any historical data in the temple of Quetzalcoatl that once crowned the pyramid (now topped by the Christian chapel Nuestra Seora de los Remedios) was doubtless destroyed in 1519 by Hernn Corts during his march inland to conquer Montezuma's capital, Tenochtitln. The Cholulans, who were makers and traders of textiles and pottery, were Nahuatl speakers and at the time of the conquest owed a nominal allegiance to Montezuma. In addition to its role as a pilgrimage and tourist centre, Cholula processes agricultural products-cereals, maguey (a Mexican agave), fruits, vegetables, and livestock. Wine and liquor are produced in the city, and there are flour and textile mills. It is the site of the University of the Americas (1940), which moved to Cholula from Mexico City in 1970. Cholula is accessible by railroad and highway. Pop. (1980) 26,748.