Have you ever wondered why Puebla is called the “city of angels”? Here is the answer: legend tells that a heavenly court was in charge of tracing its streets and place the biggest and heaviest bell of the cathedral. However, we believe there is other reasons to say angels shelter it: its almost 365 Baroque domes outlining the horizon; the delirious tastes of its gastronomy, such as mole, and chiles en nogada; the bright blue of its Talavera; its colonial houses turned into museums and hotels, and on top of that, the hospitality of its people.
For these reasons and so many others, Puebla de Zaragoza is a worthy World Cultural Heritage city, which deserves to be on your Mexico touristic destinations to visit list. This city is situated about two hours away from Mexico City.
Religious tourism is one of the main attractions of the city of Puebla. As you walk through the Historical Center, you will find two exceptional examples of Spanish Baroque: the cathedral, which took two centuries to build and has the highest towers of Latin America, and Rosario’s chapel, in which eyes are not enough to tell the amount of altars covered in gold and talavera tiles put up on its walls.
Museums are essential in the cultural life of Puebla; a clear example is the Museum of Amparo, near the cathedral. It has a vast collection of pre-Hispanic, colonial and modern art, and a terrace to take the best pictures of the city. On weekends, the entrance tickets include workshops such as clay molding.
Few steps away from the museum is the 5 Oriente Street, the Mecca of Puebla’s talavera, recognized as World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO. In addition, of being the best place to purchase a craft made with this artistic technique, some galleries and workshops offer tours to learn about minerals used to work the pottery and the way it is hand-painted.
For gluttony, there is nothing like the typical candy shops from 6 Oriente Street. You have to go back home with the classic borrachitos, dedos de novia and camotes de guayaba. On your way, you can visit la Casa del Alfeñique, located a few steps away. Its façade is richly decorated with mortar which looks like alfeñique candy, made with sugar, egg white and almonds.
On weekends, the city of Puebla is a showcase of artistic activities, just take a walk through the Barrio del Artista, where real talents of the plastic arts meet, some of them working live in front of the public, whether is painting, drawing or molding some metal. There is also the picturesque Barrio de los Sapos that is almost a museum of antiquities and strange outdoors objects. Another must-see in this neighborhood is the famous La Pasita canteen and its 22 liquors served on shot glasses.
Outside of Puebla’s Historical Center, the southern area has become trendy among locals and tourists over the past years. We’re talking about Angelópolis, where la Estrella de Puebla, considered the world’s biggest wheel of fortune, is located, as well as el Museo International del Barroco y los Fuertes, the zone where the Battle of Puebla was fought.
The forts area was rehabilitated to install a cableway, a planetary and a park to make picnics and rent bikes. There’s also a cycle route leading to the Magical Town of Cholula.