Puebla
Puebla was one of the first Spanish colonial cities, built by the Spanish for the Spanish. The central area is a grid of streets with a central plaza next to the Cathedral. Around the plaza are colonnades with store fronts and dining areas.
Street Scenes
The buildings date from the 16th century. Markets and street food are everywhere. The streets are cobblestone and narrow. Here are some examples.
Churches
Puebla is reported to have 365 churches. We believe it. The most famous (in town) is probably Santo Domingo with its gold, baroque Rosary Chapel. Quite amazing! The pictures don't capture how much the gold shines.
Museums
We visited several museums, including the house where the 1910 Revolution started. You can see the bullet holes in the front of the house.
The Tunnel
Guarding the central area are two forts on a hill. To get there, you can go through a tunnel that was used to supply the forts. Very cool! This was the site of the Cinco de Mayo battle, when the Mexicans defeated the French.
Dancers
At a couple of places, we saw native dancers.
International Baroque Museum
After two days in central Puebla, we got brave. Three bus rides, a couple decent walks, and a train ride later, we had visited a fabulous museum dedicated to the baroque style, an incredible baroque church, and a church built on top of an ancient pyramid in the town of Cholula. I couldn't take pictures in the churches, but here are some links, if you are interested.
Baroque Museum designed by Toyo Ito
Iglesia de Santa María Tonantzintla - https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/church-of-santa-maria-tonantzintla
Puebla was one of the first Spanish colonial cities, built by the Spanish for the Spanish. The central area is a grid of streets with a central plaza next to the Cathedral. Around the plaza are colonnades with store fronts and dining areas.
The buildings date from the 16th century. Markets and street food are everywhere. The streets are cobblestone and narrow. Here are some examples.
Churches
Puebla is reported to have 365 churches. We believe it. The most famous (in town) is probably Santo Domingo with its gold, baroque Rosary Chapel. Quite amazing! The pictures don't capture how much the gold shines.
Museums
We visited several museums, including the house where the 1910 Revolution started. You can see the bullet holes in the front of the house.
The Tunnel
Guarding the central area are two forts on a hill. To get there, you can go through a tunnel that was used to supply the forts. Very cool! This was the site of the Cinco de Mayo battle, when the Mexicans defeated the French.
Dancers
At a couple of places, we saw native dancers.
International Baroque Museum
After two days in central Puebla, we got brave. Three bus rides, a couple decent walks, and a train ride later, we had visited a fabulous museum dedicated to the baroque style, an incredible baroque church, and a church built on top of an ancient pyramid in the town of Cholula. I couldn't take pictures in the churches, but here are some links, if you are interested.
Baroque Museum designed by Toyo Ito
This is a model of Puebla.
Iglesia de Santa María Tonantzintla - https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/church-of-santa-maria-tonantzintla
Shrine of Our Lady of Remedies - https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-great-pyramid-of-cholula
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