Puebla and Cholula

Puebla is a city that has been known by many names. i.e. City of Los Angeles, City of Zaragoza or just simply Puebla. A city of 2million and about 5k colonial buildings, it is on the historial registry. My colleagues Nancy and Brend and I spent 3 days exploring, eating and shopping our way through this marvelous area.

This area is known for the the delicacies of mole, created in a convent here by a nun....dulces, using all kinds of fruits in incredibly creative ways. We also were impressed with a special kind of sandwiches called cemitas...very reasonably priced and quite a substantial meal. On the artist end, this is the home of Talavera, a beautiful style of tile and pottery initially brought from Iran and Iraq to Spain and then over to Mexico. It is displayed on almost every building in some way, inside and out. Even the Burger King bathroom had an impressive display! We all bought registered pieces of Talavera .... my favorite being the blue, white and yellow patterns. The majority of buildings in Puebla also have a baroque, iron and Talvera exterior which lends it to a European feel mixed with the Indigeous mood. With 5k colonial buildings, the turibus was a good way to get around and see the majority of sites at a distance.

We also toured Cholula, about 20 minutes from Puebla. It is known for its churches and pyramid called Tipanica or Chiconahui Quiahuitl...depending on who you're talking to....It holds the distinction of largest foundation in the world 500 meters wide, covering 25 acres and 181 ft. high. We entered it through the underground cave system....wow! Quite impressive but beware if you are claustrophobic. It is now as impressive above ground, given that the Spanish conquistadores made it a habit of covering pre-hispanic sites and building their own Catholic churches. Above the pyramid is the Church of the Virgen of Eternal Redemption.

We were able to see a couple of more churches in Cholula, one being 'baroque-indigenous' style...where there is a unique facade of Indigenous faces and the holy cross and saints, in one of the most opulent displays I've seen here in Mexico. Needless to say I could go on endlessly about these two areas of Mexico. It's one worth spending some time exploring.

Finally, the twin volcanoes of Popcatepetl and Iztaccihuatl are also visible from both Puebla and Cholula on a clear day...which we unfortunately didn't have this visit.