The End! (Well…kinda)

My alarm rudely woke me up at 5:15 AM and I slid out of my warm bed wondering why I was up so early. Eventually, my senses came to me and I was glad to be awake at this time of the morning and soon got ready for a morning adventure with my friends Erin and Chris. I left my room putting no makeup on, bundled in layers of clothing, my notebook and camera in my trusty bag ready to document the moment.

The “moment” I’m referring to was watching the sunrise at the top of the San Remedios Church here in Cholula. This isn’t just any regular Catholic church here in Mexico. The church was built on top of the Aztec’s pyramid in 1594 with the length from the base of the pyramid to the top of the church being 853 feet. The church is a beautiful icon of Cholula and overlooks the city. Erin, Chris and I arrived at the base of the church and walked to the top where you could overlook the city with wind snapping in our faces and the cold penetrating our bones all in the morning darkness. We somehow managed to get inside the area of the church for onlookers, sat on top of the wall (it was amazing to look down and see the valley below) and proceeded to patiently wait for the sunrise.

The sunrise is just about to peak!

After a few minutes, the colors of the sunrise started to appear. The valley below was sprinkled with the orange lights of homes and stores. The mountains were a dark purple and made the perfect background. Although it is impossible to describe the beauty that was before us in words, there was nothing like this sunrise. Soon appeared were layers of color that included a golden orange and rich yellow all somehow blending in with the morning darkness.

As we sat upon the wall of the San Remedios Church, the day started to awaken and the colors became more vivid. It was the end of semester and exams were officially over to our delight. It was somewhat ironic to end the journey with a sunrise. Chris (who is Mexican) and I would stay here in Mexico and Erin would be on her way to the US the next day. However, I couldn’t help but think that it really wasn’t quite the end.