Mexico: On the pyramid Photo

Photographer’s Note

"Copyright © – Attila Szili.
The reproduction, publication, modification, transmission or exploitation of any work contained herein for any use, personal or commercial, without my prior written permission is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved."

Cholula is a city in the Mexican state of Puebla. It is located about 15 km west of the city of Puebla, at an approximate elevation of 2135 meters above sea level. Cholula, was an important city of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, dating back to at least the 2nd century BC.
It was a major center contemporary with Teotihuacan and
at the time of the arrival of Hernán Cortés Cholula was second only to the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan (modern Mexico City) as the largest city in central Mexico, possibly with a population of up to 100,000 people. In addition to the great temple of Quetzalcoatl and various palaces, the city had 365 temples.

The temple-pyramid complex was built over many dozens of generations, from the 2nd century BC to the early 16th century, and was dedicated to the deity Quetzalcoatl. It has a base of 450 by 450 m (1476x1476 ft) and a height of 66 m (217 ft). According to the Guinness Book of Records, it is in fact the largest pyramid as well as the largest monument ever constructed anywhere in the world, with a total volume estimated at 4.45 million m³, almost one third larger than that of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. (The Giza pyramid is taller, however.) The Aztecs believed that Xelhua built the Great Pyramid of Cholula.

Today the pyramid at first appears to be a natural hill surmounted by a church. This is the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios (Church of Our Lady of the Remedies), also known as the Santuario de la Virgen de los Remedios (Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Remedies), which was built by the Spanish in colonial times (1594) on the site of a pre-Hispanic temple. The church is a major Catholic pilgrimage destination, and the site is also used for the celebration of indigenous rites. Many ancient sites in Latin America are found under modern Catholic holy sites, due to the practice of the Catholic Church repurposing local religious sites.

Because of the historic and religious significance of the church, which is a designated colonial monument, the pyramid as a whole has not been excavated and restored, as have the smaller but better-known pyramids at Teotihuacan. Inside the pyramid are some five miles (8 km) of tunnels excavated by archaeologists. One of such archaeological tunnels is accessible to visitors.

***scanned from print***

Jakab, Standa, abanibi, Buin, dip, Deepforest, parbo, daddo, Tue, mirarer, fijiphil, Paolo, vincz, pasternak, xavshot, stego, siolaw, gildasjan, delic, albertopiubello, AiresSantos, Bruno40, Cricri, paura, edytungkal, Emile, Wanda1, John_F_Kennedy, andante, paololg, Angshu, wishlist, ocskaymarci, leo61, jhm, Cretense, imrek, Henryk_Bilor, ChrisJ, Vato_Law, bizsu, jaywalker ha puntuado esta nota como útil.

Critiques | Translate

abanibi (747) 2008-02-02 3:50

Hello Attila! A very clean image which doesn't look scanned. I like the way you have chosen to present the temple. It would certainly be interesting to see it excavated, but I don't know if the Catholic church would allow it with their church on top... Colours and sharpness are ok, and I would only suggest take the photo from a few meters to the right to avoid the empty part that side.
Good work! TFS and best regards,
Inés

Buin (37952) 2008-02-02 3:56

Hallo Attila!
Another gem out of your obviously unlimited collection of intersting photos! In combination with your excellent note another valuable contribution to TE. And the photo ... well, perfect as usual. ;-)
Greetings from Germany with 15 cm melting snow - and have a nice weekend!
Frank

dip (12690) 2008-02-02 3:57

Hi Attila,
wonderful colors contrast and POV,very good framing and excellent quality for a scanned image,very well done!
Greetings,
Dimitris.

Deepforest (8813) 2008-02-02 4:03

Hi Attila,
interesting vertical composition, good POV. Nice contrast of colours. Perfect sharpness.
Well done as usual :o)
Best regards,
Andrzej

daddo (11381) 2008-02-02 4:06

Zdravo prijatelju. Fantastic clarity of colour.Beautiful blue sky, red dome and brilliant walls. The chosen PoV gives some indication of how grand this pyramid is and how magnificent it must have looked in its prime. Fascinating history. Pozdrav. Klaudio.

miumiu (3866) 2008-02-02 4:07

Szia Attila!
Ismét egy gyönyörű kép, külön érdekes kompozícióval! Nagyon tetszenek az élénk színű háztetők és a kék ég!
Kellemes hétvégét!
Ági

Tue (25608) 2008-02-02 4:11

Hi Attila,
A very good photo with a good vertical composition of this view up to the hill. The colours are most attractive, especially of the buildings with the blue sky as the background. Good placement of the wood in the foreground too. Great work, thanks for sharing!
Regards,
Lars

mirarer (4391) 2008-02-02 4:13

Hola Attila,
Increible calidad y nitidez para una imagen escaneada.
Excelente composición aprovechando los coloridos edificios en dos níveles diferentes. Muy buena luz y colores.
Saludos,
Mirari

parbo (11000) 2008-02-02 4:13

Hola Attila,

Interesting story cleverly merged with your wonderful capture. I know some stories from Italy that they cut some bell towers from top in Churc.

I like your lower look while adding two of beauty step full with history in color under blue sky. Una muy trabajo.

Friendly Regards,

Ertugrul

MarcT (21103) 2008-02-02 4:16

Hi Attila,
That's a beautiful place, well presented and with gorgeous colors.
Cheers
Marc

Gustaw (21670) 2008-02-02 4:31

Hi, my friend!
It is very beautiful photo with beautiful architecture and nature. Very good quality. I like your colours and light. Well done.
marek

fijiphil (1345) 2008-02-02 4:32

Foreground could be a little better used I think, there's relatively large amount of bare grass that could perhaps have been avoided. But I'm nitpicking. It's a great shot.

Paolo (40731) 2008-02-02 4:42

Ciao Attila...sembra pià Grecia che Messico!
molto belli i colori, la luce e ottimo il POV guardando verso la chiesa in cima alla collina!
ottima anche la qualità e la nota.
ciao

Che mi dice delle 2 pere di Mario Balotelli!!!!

Valerka (8159) 2008-02-02 5:19

Hi, Attila,
It's a very nice and interesting shot with a nice vertical composition.Very nice, indeed.I also like the natural colours.
TFS
Valerka:)

gilou530 (35422) 2008-02-02 5:33

salut attila
l'oeil est attiré par les troncs morts puis par le toit et le sommet, une belle luminosité et des couleurs superbes pour un scan
amitiés
gilbert

wolf38 (12929) 2008-02-02 7:41

Hello Attila. A photo worth seeing, outstanding composes. Wonderful colors and light. Very beautifully. Best regards, Wolfgang.

pasternak (13448) 2008-02-02 8:48

Excellent upwards progression and contrast of bright colours, nice to have these pieces of wood in the fg...

Cheers
Alexander

hatti52 (12654) 2008-02-02 9:56

Hi Attila,
wonderful shot with great perspective,colours and lighting
TFS and best regards

xavshot (62759) 2008-02-02 11:11

Bonsoir Attila
très bon choix de POV et de cadrage. j'aime beaucoup les couleurs de ces architectures. Belle photo.
Xavier

stego (22376) 2008-02-02 18:39

Hi Attila,
It's hard to believe that this is a scan, as it is so clear and its colours are so vivid. It's a very attractive view, with the colours of pretty churches making a beautiful contrast with the land and the amazing blue sky. The dead trunks on the FG enhance the depth nicely. I am surprised with the style of the architecture, as it looks much East European. And I am glad to know about this pyramid that I had never heard about.
TFS, Regards, José.

siolaw (25794) 2008-02-02 21:23

Hi Attila,
Learn about the world... that is what i just did... never heard of that temple complex! And you present it in an artistic compo with fine POV and framing. Colors and sharpness are of course flawless. That seems to be a MUST VISIT place on earth!!!
TFS!
Laurent

bostankorkulugu (33714) 2008-02-02 23:58

beautiful architecture in very attractive colours... and i like your compo with the dry trees on the front, attila... good job as always...

korkut

vincz (19043) 2008-02-03 1:02

Excellent composition with the different levels. Colours are amazing on these buildings with the deep blue sky above. Very interesting note.

:) tomorrow

gildasjan (23959) 2008-02-03 1:36

Bonjour Attila
Le cadrage vertical est bien choisi ici et le contraste de la composition est sublime.Une très bonne netteté pour cette image bien exposée.
Bravo et bonne journée.
Amicalement
Gildas

delic (6735) 2008-02-03 3:40

Hello Attila,
An attractive composition looking up. Alternating layers of color and shade is very nice. These print scans look excellent. Regards,
Hakan

GUYOFF (893) 2008-02-03 3:43

Hi there,

Nice shot, I like this blue sky...ans this vertical composition...

Really interesting shot !

Guy

albertopiubello (2591) 2008-02-03 3:47

Ciao Attila,
la foto è bella, nitida come sempre e presa da un ottimo angolo ma mi interessa molto la natura e la storia di questo posto che hai ben descritto nella nota: interessante questa mescolanza di epoche in uno stesso posto (un po' come nella chiesa-moschea di Porto Novo).
Alberto

pedru (1649) 2008-02-03 4:05

bonjour
j'aime bien ta compo avec un ciel splendide
bravo

Bluejeans (32633) 2008-02-03 4:26

Ola Attila ,
Bonita composiçao as cores estão magnificas para um scan , gostei muito do teu ponto de visão , estes troncos velhos em primeiro plano ficaram fantasticos , parabéns!!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

AiresSantos (42440) 2008-02-03 4:28

Hi Attila
Another great vertical picture with magnificent details and colours.
As usual an excellent note
TFS and have a nice Sunday
Aires

Bruno40 (6440) 2008-02-03 5:00

Hola Attila,
Nice vertical composition showing two domes of the church. The colours and sharpness are amazing, even for a digital photo. Never though it was a scan.
Excellent work
TFS
Jorge

Cricri (43304) 2008-02-03 7:37

Hi Attila,
Une image scanner de trés belle qualité, bon format pour présenter les trés beaux bâtiments, lumiére et couleurs magnifique,
belle image du Mexique
Good Week for you
cricri

paura (38742) 2008-02-03 10:16

Attila,
A very beautiful place in your well balanced exposition. The point of view is also very nice.

Regards.

Paulo

ahmetgedikli (21968) 2008-02-03 15:51

Hi Attila,
The POV, light and colurs are beautiful. I like your picture.
Have a nice week.
Ahmet

edytungkal (4519) 2008-02-03 18:09

Again perfect quality scanned from your great collection pictures. I like all of your pictures, they shown the different angle from this historic place. Colours amd sharpness are the best, thanks friend for the pictures and informative note..

daniel

Emile (20017) 2008-02-03 20:42

Hola Attila.
Nice view of the temple captured from a good upward POV, great colors and sharpness, very well framed in a vertical format. Very good composition.
Well done.
Best regards.

Wanda1 (11003) 2008-02-03 21:56

Hi Attila,
The colours of the buildings certainly stand out from the surrounding landscape and contrast well with the deep blue sky. A nice point of view looking up the hill, and the vertical format moves our eye from the first biulding up to the ones on the top. Nice work.
Regards
Wanda

John_F_Kennedy (31671) 2008-02-03 23:38

Superb shot, with strong saturated colours and an excellent composition.
Best wishes,
Achim

izmirli (3223) 2008-02-04 7:18

merhaba my friend attila
wonderful interesting architecture picture.excellent light and colours.well done.
best regards.
gürkan akçakır.

andante (7092) 2008-02-04 8:30

One of the facts about Mexico that most people don't know is that Mexico is one of the countries with more pyramids. The mayas, aztecs and other cultures left quite a big number of buildings. Great clarity!

pablominto (40958) 2008-02-04 12:49

Hello Attila,
Interesting contrast between the architecture and the dead trees in front!
I like the point of view looking up in a steep angle, adds dynamics to the capture...
Rich vivid colours and fine details, well balanced composition!
Greetings,
Pablo -

paololg (13895) 2008-02-04 16:41

Ciao Attila,
una composizione assolutamente geniale, accompagnata da una perfetta nitidezza e da colori piacevolmente forti. Complimenti, hai fatto veramente un bel lavoro.
Ciao
Paolo.

edal (6581) 2008-02-05 15:07

Hi Attila!
Now you bring us to Mexico - with the excellent deep dof on the slope of the pyramid. Good colors and pov.
Anton

Angshu (33877) 2008-02-05 19:57

Hello Attila
Scanned image! What a quality indeed! Only after reading your note I could understand the title of your picture. I've certainly learnt something new today. Beautifully composed with the cupola in the FG leading up the slope to the domes of the church...the architecture is quite similar to East European style in my limited knowledge. The picture of the tunnel is amazing. Excellent work my friend!
Best Regards
Angshu

wishlist (4133) 2008-02-06 3:52

Ciao Attila,
composizione che viene valorizzata dai forti contrasti tra i diversi colori ma soprattutto da una pulizia e nitidezza impeccabili. Alla prima occhiata anche io avrei detto che sembrava piu' grecia che altro. Bellissimo il tempio che va astagliarsi contro il blu intenso del cielo.
Gran bel lavoro anche stavolta!!
Ciao

Igor

ocskaymarci (2508) 2008-02-08 12:11

Szia Attila!
Fantasztikus kép, gyönyörű a színek kavalkádja.
Tetszik a prespektíva alulról fölfelé a kis kápolnával, a száraz fatörzsek is nagyon hatásosak az előtérben.
Ó és ismét a kedvenc keretem!!! Hát sikerült újra? :)
Üdv,
Marci

leo61 (43438) 2008-02-08 12:15

Hi Attila!
You found a great POV for this very good composition.It`s a nice view up and I like th repetition of the domes.Colors,contrast and sharpness are excellent as usual.
Regards,leo

jhm (82879) 2008-02-09 1:11

Hello Attila,

Your vertical frame care for a excellent image.
What a wonderful quality this for a scanned image, almost not to believe!
The colours are most attractive, especially of the buildings with the blue sky as the background and contrast against the green vegetation.
Thanks for sharing.

Have a nice weekend,
John.

Jakab (3472) 2008-02-10 8:20

Szia Attila!
Bőven van itt mit dícsérni! Ragyogó tiszta színek, jó kontrasztok, remek élesség - alig hinné az ember, hogy szkennelt képről van szó. Érdekes és hatásos az egymás fölötti szinteket kiemelő szerkesztés.
Élménnyé nekem a magyarázattal és a WS-képekkel együtt válik a dolog. Most is olyant mutattál, amiről volt már ugyan valami halvány ismeretem, de nem különösebben érdekelt, nem is tudtam igazán elhelyezni magamban. Most ébredtem rá, micsoda fantasztikus műről van itt szó.
Üdv
Laci

Standa (1861) 2008-02-12 3:33

Hi Attila,
nicely verticaly composed picture with good balanced levels.
You have a great light here (even I prefer cloudy sky).
Regards
Stanislav

Cretense (56520) 2008-02-14 8:46

Hi Attila!

Excellent quality, as usual, in your photo! This looks like a beautiful and very interesting place. Great framing and composition, brilliant, very vivid colours! Congratulations!

Hercules

imrek (4) 2008-02-14 13:24

Hi Attila,

good photojob and well handled colours palette and fine composition!!

regards,

imre

Henryk_Bilor (20367) 2008-02-15 2:26

Hi Attila
Beautiful composition. Great architecture and nice light.
Regards

ChrisJ (70351) 2008-02-18 5:59

Hi Attila

A marvellous blue sky with superb colour & sharpness. I like the warm vs cold colour contrasts between red & blue. Tfs!

Vato_Law (11682) 2008-02-18 10:49

Hello Attila,
Fascinating story to join with this photo, I was reading your note and imagining how exciting it must be to walk inside those tunnels under the pyramid.
About your photo, and even if it's a scan of a photo from 2003 the quality, as always, is present with a great contrast of colours and a nice counter plunging POV which allows us to observe many details on the hill but also on the constructions that appear in its middle and top.
Cheers,
Paulo

Scharan (13955) 2008-02-23 14:40

OLá Attila

Bela composição, ficou perfeita; gostei da inclusão dos galhos secos em primeiro plano, um detalhe bem diferente. O céu faz um calmo fundo com as cores que são ótimas, parabéns!
GA
Vera

bizsu (1011) 2008-03-05 3:56

Szia Attila !
Brilliáns kép. Nagyon jó szerkesztés. A száraz faágak és ez a csodálatos épület együttes egy nagy egység. Nagyon szépek a színek. Meleg árnyalatok. Gratulálok, és bocs , hogy lemaradtam.
Légy jó !
Zsú

jaywalker (12204) 2008-03-05 15:06

Hi Attila, What a splendid POV, the low projectorey allows the temple to have such a gorgeous backdrop as that wonderful blue sky, the architecture is out-standing, beautiful light, crisp colours &, the dead wood in the foreground is a great finishing touch, kind regards Wilson.