Largest pyramid

The largest pyramid by volume has an estimated total volume of c. 4.45 million cubic metres (157.1 million cubic feet) and is the Great Pyramid of Cholula, aka Tlachihualtepetl (“man-made mountain”), located in Puebla, Mexico. It was constructed and in use through the Preclassic and Classic periods, between 3^rd century BCE and 9^th century CE, constructed and extended by several cultures including the Olmec and Toltec peoples.

It is 66 m (216 ft) tall, and its base covers an area of nearly 16 ha (39.5 acres). Today, because the pyramid is covered in soil and grass, it appears more like a natural hill. In colonial times during the 16th century, a church (Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios) was built on top of the mound containing the pyramid and stands there to this day.

It is among the largest monuments ever built by the human race. The total volume of 4.45 million m3 compares with a volume of c. 2.4 million m3 (84.7 million cu ft) for the Pyramid of Khufu (aka Cheops) in Giza, Egypt, which is by far the world's tallest pyramid, at approximately 137.5 m (451 ft 1 in) high today; when first built some 4,500 years ago, it stood up to 146.6 m (481 ft) but this has declined over time owing to erosion and vandalism.

Tlachihualtepetl means “man-made mountain” or “constructed mountain” in Nahuatl. The early excavation of the Cholula complex began in the 19^th century with the work of uncovering the pyramid itself beginning in 1931; the excavations ended around 1970.