Puebla

Puebla was laid out on a grid in the sixteenth century as a Spanish city built from scratch rather than on top of a conquered one, and its historic centre carries a World Heritage listing for the density of what followed: some two thousand colonial buildings, many faced in the blue-and-white talavera tiles the city still makes, and a run of extravagantly decorated churches. The Rosary Chapel at Santo Domingo is covered in gilded plasterwork of such density that contemporaries called it the eighth wonder of the world. The city gave its name to mole poblano, the long-cooked sauce of chillies and chocolate, and to chiles en nogada. Behind it rise Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, one of them an active volcano that steams on clear days.

History

The valley of Cuetlaxcoapan was largely uninhabited before the Spanish, used in the 15th century for the flower wars between neighbouring peoples, and in 1530 Julián Garcés, bishop of Tlaxcala, wrote to the queen of Spain urging a Spanish town between Mexico City and Veracruz; legend says he dreamed of angels tracing out the city, hence its first name, Puebla de los Ángeles. The city was founded on 16 April 1531 as a new Spanish town rather than on an indigenous one, though the first site by the river flooded so often that most settlers moved to higher ground, and it became a key city of New Spain, midway between the capital and the port, supplying farm produce and textiles. On 5 May 1862 Mexican forces under Ignacio Zaragoza defeated the French army of the Count de Lorencez at the Battle of Puebla, Benito Juárez renamed the city Puebla de Zaragoza that year, and in 1987 its historic centre became a World Heritage Site (Wikipedia, Puebla (city)).

What to look for

• The Rosary Chapel - the gilded baroque chapel at Santo Domingo.
• Talavera facades - blue-and-white tiled buildings across the centre.
• Mole poblano and chiles en nogada - the city's two famous dishes.
• The volcano view - Popocatépetl steaming behind the city on a clear day.

When to go

October to May is drier; the city sits high so evenings are cool year-round. Chiles en nogada are seasonal, made when the walnuts and pomegranates are in, roughly August and September. Volcano views are clearest in the winter mornings.

Before you go

It sits at over two thousand metres, so visitors arriving from the coast feel it. The centre is compact but the wider city is large and traffic-heavy. Talavera is protected by denomination of origin, and much of what is sold cheaply is not the real thing, so buy from certified workshops. Popocatépetl is active and access to the mountain itself is restricted.

Nearby

Cholula and its great pyramid are 20 minutes away; Mexico City is two hours northwest.

Key facts