A collection of beautifully tiled and colourfully painted heritage buildings adorn the streets in Puebla’s historic centre. Ornate colonial churches fill its squares. These buildings along with its unique beginning makes Puebla a great city to spend at least a day exploring.
There are two very different historical events related to the city of Puebla. Its location, 130 km away from the capital, is key to these stories.
In 1531, the Spanish Crown decided to test a ‘trial republic’ where the local Spanish population would no longer be able to depend on taxes from the indigenous population. The Spanish called it City of Angels (Puebla de las Angeles). The decision to build this new city in the Cuetlaxcoapan Valley was ideal to both, protect Mexico City as well as the trade route between CDMX and the port in Veracruz. This trial republic turned out to be very successful and as a result, citizens in Puebla became very wealthy. At the time it was considered the second most important city in New Spain.
Today, Puebla’s Old Town is overflowing with examples of the prosperity that this city enjoyed. With over 2,600 historic buildings it’s easy to see how it achieved UNESCO World Heritage Site designation.
Zócalo
The main square, referred to a Zócalo, is wrapped in heritage buildings whose patios spill out onto the square. Many of these wonderful old buildings are ornamented with Talavera tiles and bricks in unique designs. Talavera tiles are made by a technique specific to Puebla and can be seen on many of the buildings in Old Town.
Adding the finishing touches to these buildings are wrought iron balconies and antique street lights. Some of these buildings are former homes, many are government buildings and others belong to the church.
Basilica Cathedral of Puebla
Taking most of the attention in the square is the large Basilica Cathedral of Puebla. The uncommon colours and features on the roof make it even more spectacular. These unique designs are likely partly due to the many restorations done on the building since the 16th century.
Inside, the layout reminded us of the cathedral in Mexico City. In fact this cathedral, as well as the one in Mexico City, were designed based on a fabulous cathedral we saw in Jaén, Spain. You can read about Jaén Cathedral here.
From the main door your view of the sanctuary is blocked by the back of a large organ. In fact, there are three organs in this space, but only one is still in use.
The organs hide the main feature, a very ornate high altar called Atar de Reyes (Altar of the Kings). Elaborate marble columns showcase a golden tabernacle in the centre. You can actually walk around the altar to find equally golden altars on the surrounding walls.
In addition to the organ and the altars, there are many golden accents in the church. It is one of the most ornate churches we’ve ever been in.
Colourful streets span out from Zócalo in a typical Spanish colonial grid. The most colourful one is said to be Callejón de los Sapos (Alley of Frogs), but we can’t say it was any more colourful than its neighbouring streets. Many buildings have been nicely restored and the streets and sidewalks are very clean.
Some of the streets are now pedestrian-only and have become popular shopping and eating spots for locals. Even though it a large city with a population over 3 million in the metropolitan area, Puebla’s historic centre feels more quaint; like a small town.
We felt perfectly safe walking around the city, but there must be some thieves or at least pranksters because we saw a Jesus statue locked up to a gate.
The second event in Puebla’s history occurred in the 1800s. Having gained independence from Spain in 1821, the Mexican government was struggling and carried a lot of foreign debt by the1850s. In 1862 Napoleon III saw this as a perfect opportunity to take over the country. His goal was to conquer Mexico City and create a huge empire by taking over all the Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America. Luckily for Mexico, when the French army arrived in Puebla on May 5, it came across a well-organised army, formed mostly by Indigenous people.
The battle saw 4,000 Mexicans go up against a French army of 8,000 experienced soldiers. The French were attempting to bring down the forts of Loreto and Guadalupe on Acueyametepec Hill. Until this day, the French had not been defeated in 50 years. Their luck ended that day however as the determined Mexicans prevented the French army from destroying the forts. Although this didn’t end the French attacks, it did bolster the Mexican spirit and they were able to gain support from the US to eventually turn the French away for good.
Acueyametepec Hill
The main battle occurred on Acueyametepec Hill, above the city of Puebla. We walked through the neighbourhoods on our way to the famous hill. On the way we passed by a few interesting buildings including two beautiful colonial churches. The first was Convent Church of Santo Domingo which has a fantastic roof. The second was the multicoloured Convent Church of San Francisco. Originally built in the 1500s, a single tower was added in the 1700s. The bright yellow sides of the church stand out beside the glazed brick front that is embedded with flowery tile designs.
On top of Acueyametepec Hill you can still visit the historic Loreto and Guadalupe Forts. They were closed on the day we visited, but we could peak through the main gates.
This is the main location for Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) celebrations in Mexico. Cinco de Mayo, is only celebrated in Puebla. It is not, as many foreigners believe, Mexican Independence Day, that is Sept 16. Cinco de Mayo is not a large event for the country and in fact, it is celebrated more in the US than in Mexico. We visited Puebla a few days after May 5, not realizing that this was the only city that celebrated the day.
We only visited Puebla on a day trip from Mexico City but we wish we had spent at least one night so we had more time to explore. It is a very nice city that is worth a visit.
Getting to Puebla
You may be able to find flights to Puebla International Airport, but the most common way for tourists to reach the city is by road. If you have a car it is an easy 2 hour drive from the capital. It’s also easy to reach by bus from Mexico City’s Oriente Terminal.
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