Where Is the Biggest Pyramid in the World?

History

• The largest pyramid in Egypt was built by Pharaoh Khufu in around 2550 B.C. It is the Great Pyramid of Giza.This structure was built from about 2 1/3 million stone blocks. Each stone weighed several tons. Inside the pyramid there are three burial chambers.

Geography

• The other contender for the label of the biggest pyramid is in Pueblo, Mexico. It was built by the Aztec ruler, Xelhua, out of adobe bricks to honor the god, Quetzalcoatl. While it was started in around 200 B.C., it took until the 1500s to finish.

Size

• The Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt, sits on a base of 392,040 square feet, approximately 9 acres. It stands 481 feet high. The Cholula Pyramid of Pueblo, Mexico has a much larger base. Each side of the base of this pyramid is 1,476 feet long so the square footage of the base is 2,178,576 square feet. It stands 217 feet high.

Significance

• So, the Egyptian Great Pyramid is taller, but the Mexican Cholula Pyramid has a larger total volume. Both of these structures are historic monuments to the ingenuity and engineering skill of the people who built them. Both contain a huge amount of archeological information that can inform you today about the life and times of the builders and both give a lot of clues from which you can derive conclusions about their religious beliefs and practices.

Expert Insight

• It is possible to argue about which pyramid is the biggest but there is no disputing which are the oldest. The oldest pyramids were built between 3500 and 2700 B.C. in South America. They are the six pyramids of Aspero, Peru.