Top Puebla Archaeology Tours

Take in rare panoramic views of Cholula from top of an open-air double-decker bus. An on-board guide provides commentary in real time to ensure you spot easy-to-miss landmarks and understand the context of the city’s ancient ruins. Unlike most bus tours, stop in the city center to enjoy lunch (own expense) or explore on your own before heading back to your accommodation in Puebla.

Visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Cholula for a historic and cultural look at the town. Best known for its massive Great Pyramid made from sun-dried bricks—the largest structure built by Mesoamerican Indians—the city also boasts a number of ornate churches, some adorned with the colorful Talavera pottery the region is known for.

If in Novohispano art is shown in all its splendor, in Cholula deep prehispanic airs are breathed. The city was built on the foundations of a large indigenous city. The pre-Hispanic Cholula was a large metropolis inhabited for thousands of years. Hernán Cortés thought, seeing the amount of teocalis he imagined that one could pray in a different temple every day of the year. Temples were built on these indigenous shrines; and today Cholula has 37 churches, something surprising for a city of its size. Because Cholula is art and the Tlacuilo - the scribe, the indigenous painter - is the author of masterpieces, such as the extraordinary Mural of the drinkers and the creative explosion of Santa María Tonantzintla Visit the majestic San Francisco Acatepec Temple and admire the incredible facade with Talavera pieces as well as the factories that continue to produce authentic works of art with the traditional process.

Visit the archeological site of Cacaxtla, a sprawling palace complex and cultural centerpiece of Tlaxcala. Known for its elaborate and brightly-colored frescoes painted by artists throughout what is now Mexico, the complex centers around two main plazas surrounded by a labyrinth of rooms and passageways. Then visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Ocotlan, where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared in 1541.

Cuetzalan is a charming indigenous gem, far from the noise and bustle of the city, in the northern mountains of Puebla. Upon arrival you are surrounded by its cobbled streets that lead to the colorful center of the town. All along the way you will see artisans, small restaurants and tenants dressed in their traditional clothing. White and red facades, tile roofs and aromas of coffee in a place where time seems to have stopped. Also, if you are lucky and the weather permits, you will be able to witness the flying show. Bartering is still practiced at your local food market on weekends. You will visit some of its natural wonders such as a waterfall and the Yohualichan archaeological zone.

Explore Cholula and Tonantzintla on a private tour. Check out the Convent of Our Lady of Remedies, which is built on a pyramid. View the breathtaking and majestic Popocatepetl volcano. Eat local foods and drink as you walk on the cobbled streets of Cholula and watch the beautiful architecture.

Visit one of Mexico’s most picturesque and culturally rich towns during this full-day, private day trip to Atlixco from Puebla, which includes a visit to the Nahuatl archaeological site of Tlachihualtepetl—known as the Great Pyramid of Cholula. Visit colonial-era landmarks like the Ex Convento del Carmen and the Church of La Merced and learn about the town’s vibrant festival, Huey Atlixcayotl.

Join a private tour to explore the Great Pyramid of Cholula, Templo San Francisco Ecatepec, Templo de Santa Maria Tonantzintla, and The International Baroque Museum. Check out the beautiful architectural structures, art, and culture of the people. See the beautiful mosaic in the church of San Francisco Ecatepec. The Baroque museum is perfect for people who love and appreciate art.

Between the mountains and the coffee plantations is a peculiar village with cobbled streets, surrounded by white buildings with stairs that in the morning are covered with fog that looks like a white carpet. While the sun illuminate its streets, the birds initiate their song, and the delicious smell of coffee. A town with unique tradition that is preserved today, this is Cuetzalan.

Its name means "house of the sun". It is located in the municipality of Tepeyahualco and is considered the most urbanized city of pre-Hispanic Mexico for the highly elaborated planning and symmetry in all its buildings. The city was built on a volcanic lava spill and was discovered in the mid-nineteenth century, but it is believed that it reached its cultural apogee between 150 and 200 AD, when it had approximately 867 hectares of land. Cantona distinguishes itself from other urban centers in Mesoamerica due to its complex and efficient network of roads; there are estimated to be around 4,000 streets built to connect the population to each other, as well as roads leading to fields, quarries, deposits and other towns. It also had 20 ball game courts.

Get to know the most representative sites around Puebla. You will learn about the emblematic Talavera Poblana.