You really ought to visit Puebla and Cholula. In the city of Puebla you will see a number of very old churches, many of whom have their domes covered with the very special Talavera style tile that is a major product of the area. This tile is made from clays that have a very high degree of silica within them and, when the tiles are baked, they harden with a remarkable gloss that resists weathering like almost no other tile on earth. There are numerous churches in Puebla built in the late 1600's and early to mid 1700's that have domes and interiors using this tile that are in remarkably good condition. The golden dome you see on the church below is made of this tile. It's really remarkable.
In Cholula there is the church of Santa Maria Tonantzintla, which was built on top of the famous Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl in Cholula after the Spanish had the pyramid buried by tens of thousands of Indian laborers carrying dirt. The actual dimensions of the pyramid are more voluminous than the Great Pyramid of Giza though it is not nearly so high. But the church is like no other I have ever seen.
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The Church of Santa Maria Tonantzintla in Cholula |
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I know I'm sounding like a travel guide, but I really found Puebla and Cholula to be fascinating. I spent almost two weeks there. And the food is awesome! This is where the famous Mole Poblano comes from. They have markets in Puebla where you can purchase chili peppers whose number and variety count somewhere in the neighborhood of 250 to 300 different kinds. No kidding!