Chichen Itza vs Great Pyramid Of Cholula: Which Is Better To Visit?

Planning A Trip To Mexico And Looking For More Info On Chichen Itza vs The Great Pyramid Of Cholula To Decide Which Historical Site Is Better To Visit?

History is my favorite subject (it was my only interest in college), and traveling has made it even more exciting, getting to visit historical sites and bringing the past to life. Some of my favorite sites have been in Mexico, including Chichen Itza and the Great Pyramid of Cholula, but here’s a comparison between these two so you can decide if one vs the other, both, or neither is worth adding to your next Mexico trip.

🛕 Chichen Itza vs The Great Pyramid Of Cholula

It depends on your level of interest in historical/archaeological sites, as well as your other plans for Mexico.

⭐️ Overall:

➡️ Chichen Itza is quite a bit busier, more expensive, and harder to reach in comparison, but it is huge, more complete, and one of the coolest historical sites you can visit in the world, so I think it is definitely worth adding to any Yucatan trip

➡️ the Great Pyramid of Cholula is one of the least visited archeological sites in Mexico and part of it does still remain hidden, but it is a mysterious, interesting, and beautiful place to visit with great views of the city, great views of the nearby active volcanoes, and the most unique view of the inside of a pyramid

Continue reading for more details on both the Great Pyramid of Cholula and the Chichen Itza archaeological sites, so you can decide if one vs the other or both are worth adding to your next Mexico trip.

Which Did I Like Better?

I’ve visited the Yucatan Peninsula and the Central Mexico areas a couple of times and seen both Chichen Itza and the Great Pyramid of Cholula, and although there are a few downsides to each, I did enjoy seeing both historical sites.

If I had to pick a favorite, I would probably say I enjoyed the Great Pyramid of Cholula a little bit more because it was more of an unexpected adventure with the unique act of actually getting to go inside of the pyramid and the beautiful views of the nearby active volcanoes, but Chichen Itza is a Wonder of the World, so you really can’t go wrong with either.

🐍 Why Visit Chichen Itza

These are a few reasons why Chichen Itza is more worth visiting vs the Great Pyramid of Cholula.

No matter what part of the Yucatan Peninsula you plan on visiting, especially if it’s your first time here, you should definitely consider adding Chichen Itza to your itinerary for a couple of reasons:

✅ Chichen Itza is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, so it’s literally one of the most interesting historical sites you can visit, and definitely a place worth adding to your bucket list

✅ compared to many other ruins in this Yucatan area, Chichen Itza is one of the most complete Mayan ruin sites you can visit

✅ it’s not located super close to typical vacation towns like Cancun or Tulum (it’s at least two hours away), but it’s so popular that there are plenty of ways to get here (from either Cancun or Tulum) so it’s still fairly easy to reach

✅ also since it’s such a popular place to see, there are so many tours to choose from if you want the most stress-free way to get here and these are a couple of the highest rated options (plus here’s a review of a tour I took):
- 🛕 Chichen Itza from Cancun with a cenote, Valladolid city, and Mayan cuisine
- 🛕 Chichen Itza from Merida with Izamal, the Ik Kil cenote, and food
- 🛕 VIP Private Chichen Itza tour (a really nice way to visit this historical site)
- 🛕 Small Group Chichen Itza tour with Ek Balam and a cenote

✅ if you love history, there are even more historical sites you can visit in this area like the Coba Ruins, the Ek Balam site, and the Tulum Ruins (which is pretty easy to visit in just a day even if you’re staying in Cancun)

The Downsides Of Chichen Itza

One big downside is how touristy it is here.

Chichen Itza is a really great historical site to visit, but a couple of things that might make you want to check out the Great Pyramid of Cholula vs this site, include:

❌ how busy it always is here; that’s one reason why visiting early in the morning can be a little bit better

❌ how incredibly hot and humid it is here (the other reason why visiting early can help a little)

❌ how incredibly touristy it can be with lots of slimy vendors constantly trying to sell you something that they way overcharge for (if you speak Spanish you’ll get a much more discounted price compared to what they offer English speakers)

❌ how much time it takes to visit; even tours where you don’t have to do the driving yourself can be pretty exhausting because they’re usually a full day of around 10-13 hours

▵ Why Visit The Great Pyramid Of Cholula

I think Cholula is definitely a city worth visiting in Mexico for any history lovers.

While exploring Mexico, I’ve visited Chichen Itza, Teotihuacan, and the Great Pyramid of Cholula, and while all are incredible pieces of history, the Great Pyramid of Cholula was a favorite of mine for a few reasons:

✅ it allows for more unique views and experiences
- you can actually go inside of the pyramid here (pictured above), which I thought was a really cool experience
- you can also “climb” (just walk up) to what would be the top of the pyramid where the church now sits that was built by the Spanish
- at the top you can also get amazing views (depending on the weather) of the nearby active volcanoes

✅ it’s more mysterious
- it was thought to have initially been constructed around 300-200 BC, being modified over time by groups like the Toltecs and Aztecs
- but the initial constructors still remain a mystery (even the Aztecs thought one of their gods constructed it long ago)

✅ it’s the largest pyramid
- based on volume, it’s the largest pyramid in the world, measuring 3.3 million cubic meters compared to the 2.4 million cubic meters of the Pyramid of Khufu in Giza, Egypt
- it’s base covers an area of 16 hectares (or about 40 acres)

✅ it’s a newer discovery
- the pyramid was last used by the Aztecs and the story goes that they knew conquistadors were coming so they covered it in soil to hide it from them
- it remained completely hidden until the late 1800s when research began, but excavations weren’t carried out until the 1930s and again in the 1960s

✅ it’s highly underrated and under-visited
- it only receives about 200,000 visitors per year, compared to Chichen Itza’s 2 million+ and Teotihuacan’s 4 million+

✅ the weather is much nicer here at the Great Pyramid of Cholula vs the incredibly hot and humid weather at Chichen Itza

✅ although Puebla is not as popular of a city to visit, it’s located close to Mexico City so it’s actually pretty easy to get to, and there are a few guided tour options to choose from if you’re staying in CDMX and want to visit

➡️ Although there’s not a whole lot else to see or do in Puebla/Cholula, I think this pyramid makes it entirely worth visiting at least on a day trip

The Downsides Of The Great Pyramid

Since there is an active volcano near Puebla, Mexico, if it went off it could be very dangerous not only for Puebla but Mexico City too.

Although I loved my visit to the Great Pyramid of Cholula, a few reasons why you might want to check out Chichen Itza vs Cholula include:

❌ the Great Pyramid of Cholula is located in Cholula (which is right next to Puebla) and neither are huge tourist destinations so it might feel a bit out of the way for a typical Mexico trip

❌ the pyramid is not a typical pyramid like Chichen Itza, it is still mostly covered in earth so only parts of it are showing; most of it just looks like a hill (pictured above with the Spanish church on top)

❌ if you visit on your own (not on a guided tour), you might not find any English speaking guides to take you around the archaeological site, so although some info signs are in both Spanish and English, you might not get the full historical experience here

✌️ Chichen Itza vs The Great Pyramid Of Cholula: Should You Visit Both?

If you have enough time, a big enough interest in history, and a budget for it, I’d say definitely check out both Chichen Itza and the Great Pyramid of Cholula because they are different enough to enjoy seeing both sites.

But if you don’t have the time or the interest, I would say choose the Great Pyramid of Cholula vs Chichen Itza for a city trip to Mexico with a unique view inside of the pyramid, or choose Chichen Itza over the Great Pyramid for a Mexico beach trip with fascinating Mayan ruins and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

➡️ Trying To Decide What Historical Sites To Visit In Mexico? here are a few comparisons between Chichen Itza and the Tulum Ruins and between Chichen Itza and Teotihuacan to help you out

🔁 Sum Up: Chichen Itza vs The Great Pyramid Of Cholula

As a big history fan, I thought both of the archaeological sites of Chichen Itza and the Great Pyramid of Cholula were fascinating places to visit (my personal favorite being Cholula for the interesting view), but if you don’t have time or interest in seeing both, I’d say visit Cholula vs Chichen Itza for a more city centered Mexico trip with a unique view inside of the pyramid, a cool view of the active volcanoes, and a much less crowded visit, or check out Chichen Itza over Cholula for a beach trip with lots of Mayan ruins, one of the most complete ruin sites, and one of the New Seven Wonders of the Word.