Source: Photograph by WTL© (2009) on site in Cholula, Puebla, México.
Image: A truck garden in one of the fields that immediately surround Cholula's archeological site. The hill at the upper right is part of what once was the Great Temple of Cholula.
Comments: In addition to its own intrinsic value, the reason why this image is included in a series devoted to the pyramid and the city is because from time immemorial the region surrounding Puebla was known as a very rich and productive agricultural region. When the Spaniards first encountered this entire region they were amazed by how lush the agriculture was and how prosperous the people were and how magnificent the city of Cholollan was. In fact, in their early descriptions they said it was the grandest of all Mesoamerican cities.
Hard Humanities Topic and Question: Cortés gathered almost all of the non-Aztec peoples around him as his allies by winning armed skirmishes that ranged from one-on-one (mano a mano) duels much like those of the Medieval knights errant (actually and truly); however, when he came upon Cholollan he was amazed, first, and then he decided on an action that resulted in a horrific massacre of the priests and leaders of this great city. Then the original city was razed and a Spanish-style city was raised in its place—and the urban center was moved to a fresh city, Puebla. Research this topic and then proposed your own solution to this seeming contradition, which, regardless, was tragic.