So very different from Oaxaca… at first I felt a bit off center. Then bit by bit we began to enjoy the food, and the architecture most of all.
It’s a big city so we only explored the historic zone.
We began with a terrific tour of Cholula . Nope, not a hot sauce tour but with a guide from “tours by locals”. (They tend to have great guides.)
Cholula has the largest pyramid by base size in the world but it’s still half buried and they topped it with a pretty church. (It’s not the tallest).
We lucked into a guide from tours by locals . Our guide had a PhD in ethnomedicine . Her depth of knowledge was remarkable but her passion for the history of Mexico was truly amazing. She really made the history come alive. During our long bus ride the day before I had read about the history of Mexico. The facts were interesting but she was able to take what I had read and make it come alive. I asked her when she was going to write a book and she looked shocked. She is writing a book and promises to let me know when it’s done!
There are 365 churches in the city. They come in all shapes, sizes and color. our guide talked a lot about how the craftsmen/artists of the churches were indigenous not Spanish . They cleverly made the angels to actually be the wingless floating children of their own belief systems and included their pagan symbols throughout the churches. While the visiting dignitaries just thought the artists were not skilled in their representations of angels and other secular art, we feel sure the monks living amongst them were well aware of their clever rejection of Catholicism or perhaps their fusion of Christianity with Mexica belief systems ? Our guide feels strongly that the Catholicism of Mexico today continues to be Catholicism that has fused with the original belief systems of the indigenous.
Cholula is thought to be the longest continuously occupied city in Mexico. There continues to be many who speak Nauhtual. Cortez did eventually come and wipe out most of the community (many thousands of citizens who stayed behind were killed but another 30-40000 fled the city).
The spanish chose to build their own new city on the other side of the river. It became the first city fully built by the Spanish (well … ordered by the Spanish). It also became the center of Atlantic Pacific coast commerce… sort of the Silk Road of the west. So when Spain was loosing the Spanish French war in the 1600s, France thought it was a perfect time to easily take over Mexico starting in Puebla. They grossly underestimated the strength of the Mexican army (Benito Juarez was commander in chief at the time). It was about 4000 Mexicans to 8000 French but the Mexicans won…on CINCO DE MAYO! They continue to celebrate every year… along with lots of North Americans. The rest of Mexico however is more realistic about the holiday and don’t really recognize it because France came back hot and heavy taking over Mexico for a few years. Though the French were not in Puebla for long, they did leave behind beautiful street lamps, ornate balconies and I suspect many of the breads here.
The food was different here as well. Lots of beautiful breads which of course leads to great sandwiches. This is home of chile nogada and pasitas (a raisin liqueur).
We had an interesting hotel right on the edge of the historic center. They took an old water purification factory and transformed it into a hotel.
We walked and walked. Most amazing was a coffee shop at the top of a museum. I would say this is a do not miss stop in the city.
First the museum:
From our hotel we ubered to the bus station where we jumped on our bus to Taxco just a couple hours away. Bus stations are big and for us a bit confusing (which is a little understatement). There are lots of people… calm and chaotic applies again! The use of Spanish is very helpful… in fact, a bit necessary…. Especially if you want to buy any food from the dozens of eateries at the station. Delicious and cheap. Bus travel in Mexico is so different from the US with comfortable clean buses. Some even played movies…a fun way to work on the Spanish!
Life's Been Good To Us So Far! 