Puebla (pop. 1.3 million) was a great social experiment, in which Renaissance met ruffian, and Enlightenment met real world. Conceived in 1531 by a group of humanist Spaniards, the “City of Angels” was to be a crossroads of faith and education, with libraries, schools, and administrative buildings designed to civilize and Christianize. Surprisingly enough, Puebla was completed as planned and to this day is a mix of 17th- and 18th-century European ideals and colorful Mexican art. Built on solid, empty ground, Puebla’s streets are said to have been laid by angels who streaked ribbons across the land, forming the grid that makes the city so simple to navigate. Angels notwithstanding, the city has been shaped by pious visitors. Franciscans and Dominicans built orphanages for illegitimate children, hospitals, and libraries, while nuns from a variety of orders set up cloisters and kitchens, where they invented some of Mexico’s most famous dishes and the sugar-candy sweets for which the city is known.
Most sights and accommodations are within walking distance of the zócalo. When traveling by taxi, set a price before getting in and don’t be shy about haggling. Municipal buses and micros (combis)—white VW vans that operate like buses—cost 4 pesos. Anything labeled “Centro” will take you close to the zócalo.
Puebla, capital of the state of the same name, is connected through an extensive network of routes to Mexico City (120km northwest along Mex. 150), Oaxaca (Mex. 190, 125, 131), Tlaxcala (Mex. 119), Veracruz (Mex. 150), and countless other cities. Street names change as they pass the zócalo. Note that there are two major streets in Puebla celebrating the date of Mexico’s victory over the French: Avenida 5 de Mayo (which becomes Av. 16 de Septiembre in the centro) and Bulevar Héroes del 5 de Mayo. The main east-west drag, Avenida Reforma, becomes Palafox y Mendoza east of the zócalo.
Puebla is well stocked with hotels, most of which are within a five or six block radius of the zócalo, though real budget options are hard to find. Those willing to make the trek might want to stay 30min. away in Cholula, where you’ll hit the cheap hotel jackpot.
Puebla is the birthplace of the mole poblano (dark chocolate chile sauce), which can be found slathered on chicken, rice, or just about anything, and has been incorporated into other regional specialities, such as mole pipián (pumpkin seed and chile sauce) and mole adobo (a spicier blend with cumin powder). The patriotic green, white, and red chiles en nogada (green peppers stuffed with beef and fruit, smothered in white walnut sauce, and adorned with pomegranate seeds) was devised by the nuns of Santa Mónica as a birthday present for Mexican Emperor Agustín de Iturbide when he visited the city in 1821. Sample the other centuries-old recipes of Puebla’s cooking nuns in the dulcerías along Avenida 6 Ote., just east of 5 de Mayo.
A multitude of taquerías, can be found on Calle 5 Nte. between Av. 10 and 12 Pte., on Av. 5 de Mayo at Av. 14 Ote., and at the Mercado El Alto, on the far side of La Iglesia de San Francisco. In addition to the staples, these joints sell cemitas, sandwiches made with special long-lasting bread. Other markets include Mercado 5 de Mayo, on Av. 18 Ote. between Calles 3 and 5 Nte., which sells everything from fresh veggies to raw meat (open daily 8am-7pm) and Ultramarinos el Puerto de Veracruz, Av. 2 Ote. 402. (☎232 9052; open M-Sa 8am-9:30pm, Su 9am-3pm. Cash only.)
Historic Puebla is a sightseer’s paradise. Mexican students and North Americans from nearby language schools file into the zócalo every weekend. Most sights are clustered around the zócalo, but some are located a few minutes away in the Centro Cívico 5 de Mayo. The 1999 Puebla earthquake damaged several major sights near the zócalo, though extensive restoration has helped return most of Puebla’s sights to their former glory.
Catedral Basílica De Puebla. Visible from all directions, this massive cathedral is the obvious starting point for any tour of the city. Built between 1575 and 1649 by indigenous labor working under Spanish direction, the cathedral’s dark Baroque facade is enlivened by bright talavera domes. No less impressive is the interior, with ornate, inlaid choir stalls and a statue of the Virgin, known as La Conquistadora because of her arrival with the first Spaniards. The freestanding Altar Mayor was designed by Manuel Tolsá in 1797, using marble from all over Mexico, and a model of it sits in the Museo Amparo. Circle around the altar to the left to face the Capilla de la Virgen de Guadalupe, which houses the tomb of Puebla’s first archbishop, as well as one of three 18th-century Virgin paintings by the Zapotec master artist Miguel Cabrera (1695-1768). Guides loiter outside offering tours but the helpful explanatory signs in English and Spanish inside should suffice. (Open M-Sa 10:30am-12:30pm and 4-6pm.)
Museo Amparo. Three blocks south of the zócalo, the Museo Amparo traces the social history of Mesoamerica through art and architecture. Enter past the celestial mural by Pedro Diego Alvarado, Diego Rivera’s grandson, depicting Puebla’s mythical origin. Upstairs in the Conquest room, another Alvarado painting shows the horrifying Cholula Massacre. An impressive timeline shows artistic and architectural advancement on five continents, and the extensive pre-Hispanic art collection begins with small artifacts. The rooms also show stunningly restored religious art. You can probably skip the 10-peso audio presentations, as much more information is available in the written guides (in English, French, and Spanish) available for free in each room. (Calle 2 Sur 708. ☎229 3850; www.museoamparo.com. Camera use 50 pesos. Su noon guided tour in English 180 pesos, in Spanish 120 pesos. Headphones 10 pesos plus 10-peso deposit. Open M and W-Su 10am-6pm. 35 pesos, students 25 pesos; M free.)
Casa De Los Muñecos. Closed for seven years after suffering extensive damage in the 1999 earthquake, the Casa is worth a visit as one of Puebla’s most entertaining buildings. This “House of the Dolls” is decorated on the outside with talavera renditions of the labors of Hercules. Some say the sculptures on the outside are the architect’s rivals, while others say they are meant to be the city aldermen who protested when the Casa was built higher than the municipal palace. Inside, the University Museum displays exhibits on regional history and portraits of over 200 martyrs. (Calle 2 Nte. 4, at the zócalo’s northeastern corner. ☎229 5500. Free guided tours in Spanish by appointment. Open Tu-Th 10am-5pm, F-Su 10am-7:30pm. 30 pesos, students 10 pesos, children under 12 and seniors 5 pesos; W free.)
Iglesia De Santo Domingo. This extravagant, gilded church was Puebla’s first great religious structure and is now a stunning example of Spanish and international Baroque. The building was constructed between 1571 and 1611 by rural Dominican converts. Statues of saints and angels adorn the unrestored wooden altar, but the church’s real attraction is the resplendent Capilla del Rosario, a chapel to the left of the altar, laden with enough 22-karat gold to make the King of Spain jealous. Masks depicting an indígena, a conquistador in armor, and a mestizo hang above the three dazzling doors on the side of the chapel. On the ceiling, three statues represent Faith, Hope, and Charity. The altar’s 12 pillars correspond to the 12 apostles. The six on the upper level were each made from a single onyx stone. Because there was no room for a real choir, the designers painted a chorus of angels with guitars and woodwinds on the wall over the door. (On 16 de Septiembre, between Av. 4 and 6 Pte. ☎242 3643. Open daily 8am-2pm and 4-8:30pm. No visitors allowed during mass: 8:30am, 6:30, 8pm. Free.)
Museo Bello Y González. The Museo Bello, like the Casa de los Muñecos, was badly damaged in the 1999 earthquake, and only the first floor is currently open to the public. The museum displays the private art collection of late textile magnate José Luis Bello, including a diverse selection of earthenware, iron, ivory, and porcelain artifacts. Bello amassed an impressive array of talavera poblana from several centuries. Blue and white dominate the 16th- and 17th-century pieces, while the 18th-century pieces are more colorful. Blue made a comeback in the 19th century with azul punche ware, named for the candy of the same color eaten in Puebla for Día de los Muertos. Call ahead to arrange guided tours in English or Spanish. (Av. 3 Pte. 302 at Calle 3 Sur, 1 block west of the southwestern corner of the zócalo. ☎232 9475. Open Tu-Su 10am-5pm. 15 pesos, students 10 pesos; Tu free.)
Casa De Aquiles Serdán. Originally the home of Aquiles Serdán (1876-1910), printer, patriot, and martyr of the 1910 Revolution, the house is now the Museo Regional de la Revolución Mexicana. Hundreds of bullet holes, both inside and out, bear witness to Serdán’s assassination. The museum also includes photos of Serdán and other Revolutionaries, newspaper clippings, and correspondences that narrate the development of the Revolution. One room is dedicated entirely to his Serdán’s sister Carmen and other female Revolutionaries. Since the museum lacks thorough explanatory signs, ask at the entrance for a free guided tour in English, Spanish, or German. (Av. 6 Ote. 206. ☎242 1076. Open Tu-Su 10am-4:30pm. 15 pesos, children and students 10 pesos; Tu free.)
San Pedro Museo De Arte. At the time of its inauguration in 1544, this weighty stone building served as the male-only Real Hospital de San Pedro. It began to treat the public only in 1832 after converting into Puebla’s Academia Médico-Quirúrgica and later, the Hospital General del Estado (1867). It subsequently functioned as a sports complex, theater school, and public library, before being restored and re-opened as an art museum in 2001. The second-floor galleries display a permanent collection documenting the building’s hospital history, with interesting dioramas depicting colonial medicine, as well as several temporary exhibitions of modern art in diverse media. (Calle 4 Nte. 203. ☎246 6618 and 5858. Open Tu-Su 10am-5pm. 15 pesos; children, students, teachers, and seniors 10 pesos; Tu free.)
Ex-Convento De Santa Mónica. When Benito Juárez’s Reform Laws went into effect in 1857, they not only weakened the Church’s power, but forced the nuns at the convent into hiding. The convent operated in secrecy for 77 years before it was rediscovered. Today, it serves as the Museo de Arte Religiosa Santa Mónica with curious and sporadically labeled religious art, much of which was produced by the nuns themselves. Particularly eerie is a life-size recreation of the Last Supper, in which plaster apostles in real robes sit around a colonial dinner table. Even more unnerving is the nuns’ crypt, where those who died during the period of hiding were plastered into the walls and honored with scrawls that spoke of their lives. The beautiful kitchen (doubling as a laboratory) where the nuns first made chiles en nogada is also open to visitors. (Av. 18 Pte. 103. ☎232 0178. Open Tu-Su 9am-6pm. 27 pesos, under 13 free; Su free.)
Ex-Convento De Santa Rosa. This building—the birthplace of the original recipe for mole—housed the nuns of the order of Santa Rosa from 1683 to 1861. Today, the ex-convento is a museum of artesanía poblana, offering examples of arts and crafts from different areas of the state. The kitchen and a nun’s cell have been preserved in their original condition and provide a glimpse into the combination of piety and joyous cooking that was cloistered life. On Sunday afternoons, the courtyard doubles as a theater for free concerts. (Entrance on Calle 3 Nte, at Av. 14 Pte. ☎232 9240. Open Tu-Su 10am-4pm. 10 pesos, includes a guided tour.)
Iglesia De San Francisco. Across Blvr. Héroes de 5 de Mayo from El Parián, Puebla’s oldest neighborhood contains the city’s oldest church. Built by the Franciscans between 1535 and 1585, it features an incredible talavera and an orange-red tile facade that contrasts sharply with the ominous bell tower. Experience the legacy of the city’s nuns with the delectable dulces típicos (from 5 pesos), being sold in the surrounding plaza. (At Av. 14 Ote. and Blvr. Héroes del 5 de Mayo. Open 24hr. Mass: M-Sa 6:30, 7:30, 8:30am, 6, 7pm; Su every hour 6:30am-1:30pm, 6, 7pm.)
Casa De La Cultura. A base for exploring cultural events in the city, the Casa houses the Biblioteca Palafoxiana, an impressive 43,000-volume library that began with Juan de Palafox’s 6000-book collection, donated to the city in 1646. His original library includes an illuminated copy of the Nuremberg Chronicle from 1493. Although it sustained extensive damage in the 1999 earthquake, the library has been beautifully restored, with a display showing the damage. Ask for a monthly calendar of cultural events at the information desk in the front of the courtyard. (Av. 5 Ote. 5. Casa de la Cultura ☎246 6922. Open daily 10am-6pm. Library ☎242 8073. Open Tu-F 10am-5pm, Sa-Su 10am-4pm. 10 pesos, students 5 pesos; Tu free.)
Centro Cívico. A short trip from the centro, the Centro Cívico was the location of the May 5, 1862 Battle of Puebla, when general Ignacio Zaragoza defeated the French in their advance toward Mexico City. The former battleground is now a large, unkempt park, which contains several sights and austere patriotic signs that curiously omit the fact that, one year later, fortified French forces overpowered Zaragoza’s troops and occupied Puebla for five years. (Catch a #72 bus or #8 colectivo, each 4 pesos, on Blvr. Héroes de 5 de Mayo, 3 blocks east of the zócalo. Get off when you see a large, multi-armed cement fountain, a monument to Zaragoza, that sits on an empty square. Facing away from the monument, cross the street and walk uphill toward the park.) Located inside the Fuerte de Loreto, the oddly named Museo de la No Intervención (Museum of No Intervention) documents the Battle of Puebla and General Zaragoza, with artifacts and a panoramic recreation of the battlefield as it might have looked in 1862 and exhibits on the French rule in Mexico. (From the Zaragoza monument, follow the road as it curves past a defunct information center. A large concrete Mexican flag marks a fork in the road. The museum is on the right. ☎235 2661. Open Tu-Su 10am-5pm. 34 pesos, children under 13 free.) The one-room Museo Regional de Antropología narrates the social history of Puebla state. The museum’s highlight is the display of traditional folk costumes near the exit. (Retrace your steps from the Fuerte Loreto up the road. The yellow museum is on the right before the intersection. ☎235 9720, ext. 27. Call ahead for Spanish tours. Open Tu-Su 10am-5pm. 37 pesos.) The giant silver pyramid nearby is the park planetarium, now active after renovations following the 1999 earthquake. The planetarium’s Omnimax theater has showings every hr. 10am-6pm. (Next to the Museo Regional de Antropología. ☎235 2099 or 236 6998. Open daily 10am-6pm. IMAX 40 pesos, children and students 30 pesos.) The Recinto Ferial, an exposition center and fairground, is across from the planetarium, and next door is t he state-of-the-art Imagina Museo Interactivo, with over 150 hands-on exhibits targeted to youngsters. The best is the 15-peso Venture Simulator, a virtual roller coaster. (Next to the Planetarium. ☎236 7580 or 213 0289; www.imagina.pue.gob.mx. Open M-F 9am-1pm and 2-6pm, Sa-Su 10am-2pm and 3-7pm. 40 pesos, children 35 pesos.) The semi-ruined Fuerte de Guadalupe honoring the Cinco de Mayo victory would offer stunning views of Puebla and the surrounding mountains, if it weren’t for the many trees that block the view. The steep entrance fee makes the long walk to the ruins even less attractive. (Follow the road to the left of the Museo de la No Intervención and take a right at the 2nd intersection. The fort is all the way at the end of the road. Open Tu-Su 9am-5:30pm. 34 pesos; under 13 free; Su free. )
Africam Safari. A longer trip takes you to this zoo, which holds over 3000 free-roaming animals, representing approximately 250 species and the Americas, Antarctica, and Asia. Visitors can drive through the park, stopping at designated locations to take photos and mingle with the animals. (16km southeast of Puebla, the Safari is best reached by bus. Estrella Roja offers packages that include round-trip fare from CAPU or the zócalo and park admission. From CAPU: M-F 11am, Sa-Su 10am. From the zócalo: daily 11am, 2pm. 190 pesos, children 160 pesos. By car, head to the south of the city and then east, following the signs to Valsequillo on Blvr. Cap. Carlos Camacho. ☎281 7000; www.africamsafari.com.mx. Open daily 10am-5pm. 125 pesos, children 120 pesos. Tip Tours organizes tours that depart from the zócalo. ☎248 5580; www.tiptours.com.mx. Daily 11am, 2pm.)
The Casa de la Cultura, Av. 5 Ote. 5, is the place to go for information about Puebla’s cultural events. Pick up a monthly calendar and check the board at the rear of the courtyard for the latest schedules. (☎246 6922. Films Th-Su. Folk dances Sa and Su. Open daily 8am-8pm.) Also be sure to check the schedule posted inside the Teatro Principal, which lists weekly performances. (Av. 4 Nte. 203. ☎232 6085. Open daily 10am-5pm for visits.) A new program at the Centro Cultural Santa Rosa (☎232 9240), in the Ex-Convento de Santa Rosa, includes performances of popular and traditional music and experimental theater. On Sunday afternoons, the courtyard hosts free concerts and dance performances.
Bars and theaters pile up in the zócalo, while a younger local crowd heads for the bars in the Plazuela de los Sapos, creating a loud and social weekend scene. Farther from the zócalo, on Juárez between Calles 21 and 29 Sur, is the Zona Esmeralda, lined with even more bars and discos. If you’re prepared to spring for a taxi, you may as well continue on to the clubs and bars on the Recta Cholula, the highway connecting Puebla and Cholula. The true center of the area’s thriving nightlife, the Recta is jam-packed with college and language-school students on weekends. Buses stop running around midnight, so take a taxi (60 pesos). Ask to be let off by the clubs near UDLA (Universidad de las Américas).
Home to embroidered textiles, clay ornaments, woven palms, and a 450-year tradition of talavera, Puebla offers diverse shopping opportunities. At the Mercado el Parián, with entrances on both Av. 2 Ote. and 4 Ote. at Calle 6 Nte., tourists gather to buy hand-painted talavera ceramics and tiles, as well as leather purses, beads, and other trinkets. (Open daily 10am-8pm.) For less expensive talavera purchases, head to Avenida 18 Pte., west of Av. 5 de Mayo. North of El Parián, at Calle 8 Nte. 410, is the Barrio del Artista, where poblano artists paint and hawk their works on the street. Sundays 10am-6pm, the Plazuela de los Sapos, south of the zócalo on Calle del Sapo, fills with antique bazaars selling bronze figures, old coins, and talavera.
In addition to June’s mole cook-off and August’s Festival de Chiles en Nogada, the city of Puebla celebrates several secular events throughout the year. The end of April kicks off the month-long Feria de Puebla (Apr. 27-May 27), which includes the city’s Cinco de Mayo celebration. Each day, the streets fill with various types of artisan expositions. Special events include corridas de toros (runnings of the bulls) and cock fights. Juan de Palafox (1600-1659), who served as bishop of Puebla from 1640-1655, is remembered in the Festival Palafoxiana for his religious influence and the generous donation of his namesake library to the city. The celebration runs from the last Friday in September until November 19 and features dances, concerts, theatre performances, and art. Additionally, Puebla’s various municipalities each host exuberant ferias in the centro to honor their patron saints, including San Jose (March 19), San Francisco (October 4), and Guadalupe (December 12).
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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