The Great Pyramid Mystery Cache

The Great Pyramid

Where is the largest pyramid in the world? Ask any ten people and most, if not all, will immediately answer “Egypt”. Although most of the large pyramids are found in Egypt along the Nile delta, the largest one of all is actually in Mexico. Cholula de Rivadabia, Mexico, to be exact. Built between the second and sixth centuries C.E., it was dedicated to the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, the “feathered serpent” of many legends. At 177 feet tall and an estimated 4.3 million cubic yards in volume, it covers an area of nearly 45 acres, making it not only the largest pyramid, but the largest monument of any kind ever constructed.

By comparison, the more well known Great Pyramid of Cheops, west of Cairo at Giza, covers only 13 acres. Its volume is nearly 3.4 million cubic yards. This pyramid is thought to have been built between 2589–2566 B.C.E.—the Fourth Dynasty by the Pharaoh Khufu. I've been to Egypt and seen the pyramids. I've been inside the Great Pyramid and I can tell you that it was the experience of a lifetime.

Some other interesting facts about the pyramid: Each side of the pyramid is 230 meters long at the base. The circumference of the base is about 3020 feet, or nearly 0.6 miles. In the 14^th century a series of earthquakes destroyed parts of northern Egypt. The Arabs decided to strip the pyramid of its casing stones to use in rebuilding bridges, mosques, palaces, etc. Eventually the pyramid was completely stripped of its beautiful casing stones and the core masonry was exposed to weathering. The core blocks proved to be of either pure limestone or nummulitic limestone containing large quantities of fossil shells resembling coins. The pyramid was originally 146 meters in height but due to the removal of the casing stones and weathering it now stands at “only” 137 meters. To give you a better idea of just how BIG the pyramid is, the photo to the right includes a person standing on the 4^th tier. The pyramid has 201 stepped tiers. Original estimates state that there are about 2.3 million blocks in the pyramid. Computer calculations place the number at about 550,000. The first step of the pyramid rests on a platform of finely finished limestone blocks. These blocks are approximately 2.5 ft x 10 ft x 10 ft. They project beyond the outer edges of the first step's casing stones an average of 2 feet on all sides. This platform is so flat that the official survey of the Egyptian Government found that it was less than ½ of an inch from being level. The removal of several platform stones showed that the bedrock had been cut and leveled to receive each individual stone, sometimes as deep as 1 to 2 inches. The sides of the pyramid at the base align almost perfectly with the cardinal points of the compass. The error of each side is about 3 minutes, or about 5/100°. There is enough stone to build 30 Empire State Buildings or a 10' high, 1' thick wall around France.

The Great Pyramid is arguably the most amazing structure ever built on Earth. If the opportunity should ever arise I would strongly encourage anyone to visit Egypt. The citizens of Cairo were some of the friendliest I've encountered anywhere. Be sure to accept that offer of a cup Egyptian tea.

I've enjoyed sharing this amazing place with you and I hope you've learned something. I also hope that you'll have the chance to see it for yourself one day. But for today your main interest is probably finding a cache. Oops! I forgot to mention at the beginning: “There will be a test!” Answer the following questions and do the quick calculations and you'll have the cache in no time. For all calculations you should round all results to the nearest integer.

A = What is the area of the base of the pyramid (acres)?
B = How many thousand feet (to the nearest thousand; e.g. 1,000=1) is it around the base of the pyramid?
C = How tall was the pyramid originally (to the nearest yard)?
D = How many acres does the world's largest pyramid cover?

To find the correct minutes of latitude make the following calculation and subtract the result from the posted value.

To find the correct minutes of longitude make the following calculation and add the result to the posted value. (Note: D should be divided by 5).