PUEBLA
Among Colonial buildings, boutique hotels and churches (so many that they have lost count), Puebla vibrates thanks to its cultural, artistic and commercial life. The birthplace of mole (or at least one of them) offers the traveler a large number of restaurants where to taste it; and also, the incomparable chiles en nogada (a stuffed chili covered in cashew sauce, another dish that is registered by the city). Before you leave, you must visit the Barrio del Artista, the workshops, shops and restaurants at Container City, in Cholula, and naturally, the former Santa Rosa convent.
Activities
Archaeology
The largest pyramidal structure in the world – on account of its volume – is not in Egypt, but in Cholula; and its god is not Osiris, it is Chiconquiahuitl, also known as Tlaloc. It had a twin temple, smaller, devoted to Quetzalcoatl, which was destroyed by the Spanish to build Colonial edifices. Today, the massive temple to Tlaloc is confused, because of its sheer size, with a mountain or hill. On it peak rests the church of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, upon a foundation of 20 centuries of history that no Conqueror could ever take apart.
Popular Art
Puebla’s handcrafts come from a multiethnic and multicultural lineage.Papel amate and quexquemitl wool brocade demonstrate their Pre-Hispanic roots. There is complicated carving in onyx and marble. Mixteca basketry is made in braided palm. There is festive mestizotrimming for paper figures. And, naturally, Andalusian and therefore Arabic traces in the very famous ceramics and Talavera. The latter, because of the intricate designs in intense blue and white, and the exquisite craftsmanship, make Puebla an undeniable cusp of Mexican popular art.
Bicentenary
When the lifeless body of Aquiles was publicly exhibited, under orders of the general Mucio P. Martinez, very few knew that destiny was already in motion. A few days earlier, the brave Serdan family had faced, in Puebla and with arms, a repressor and fearful State. A whole battalion against an idealist clan, with exalted hearts; the first would win the skirmish with bullets, but the dreams of the second would vindicate the avenging war. To the heat of that battle, Doña Carmen Serdan called from a balcony: ¡Viva la Republica! (Long Live the Republic!), and on November 18th, the Revolution had begun..
Cuisine
The very complexity of chiles en nogada is evidence that in Puebla, capital of the New Spain Baroque, gastronomy is passionate for the elaborate. The synthesis of the best indigenous and criollo palate, here, chicken is eaten with rose petals, escamol follows green or redpipian, and sweet potatoes or mueganos are only the beginning of an unending sweet parade. The delicious mole poblano is a theme of its own; it was discovered one morning in 1680 by Dominican nuns. Logically this city, Puebla de los Angeles (Angel’s Puebla), the most famous dish had to be of divine inspiration.
World Heritage Site
The truly beautiful architectural heritage in Puebla was bequeathed, in 1987 by UNESCO, to the World Heritage; and we are talking about a substantial Baroque fortune. From its foundation ex nihilo, in 1531, the city was dedicated to amassing the almost five thousand Colonial jewels exhibited on its streets. Among this profusion of churches, convents and plazas, the following stand out: the cathedral, of breathtaking ornate, the delicate composition of the Patio de los Azulejos (Mosaic Patio), and the sobriety of the old archiepiscopal palace. Puebla no longer belongs only to Mexico, but such is its wealth, that sharing it does not impoverish us in any way.