Anecdotes of a Globetrotter: Day 35

I had spent the last 3 days in Puebla. Located about 110km away from Mexico city, Puebla is the 4th largest town in Mexico city, with 2.1 million inhabitants.

I didn’t know what to expect at first, but was very pleasantly surprised by Puebla. The city is laid out in an orderly fashioned, with low rise multi-coloured colonial houses, many in Baroque style and with beautiful balconies, and covered in the colourful, patterned Talavera tiles for which the city is famous, that it had been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

It was very noticeable that effort had been taken to preserve the buildings in pristine conditions, with some of these houses being converted into quaint cafes, restaurants and boutique hotels. The city is laid back, a huge contrast from the hustle and bustle of Mexico City, and more pleasant.

As it is approaching the Day of the Dead, many of the shops and streets had decorations laid out in preparation for the festive season.

The city also has a street lined with shops dedicated to candies alone, with many of these stores carrying chocolate shaped skulls or skeletons in preparation for the upcoming festival.

There was also a parade on the night before I left, especially since it was approaching the weekend and the festive season.

At almost every 50 – 100 metres, a church can be seen, each uniquely designed and displaying its own character and charm. Not surprising, considering that it is said there are over 70 churches in the historic centre alone.

The most prominent being the Cathedral, located at the Zocalo (main square). Built between 1575 and 1690, it is un-missable with its 2 towers and contrasting purple walls and domes.

The other more famous churches are Templo de San Francisco and Templo de Santo Domingo, with excellent examples of 16th and 17th century architecture respectively.

For a great view of the city, I also headed over to Los Fuertes, which houses 2 forts and sit atop the Cerro de Guadalupe, where the Battle of Puebla took place on May 5, 1862. The area is well landscaped and designed, with many open spaces and small parks and even a lake. Being at Los Fuertes, it absolutely did not feel I was in Mexico or in a developing country at all.

And of course, the nearby famous Cholula for it’s Great Pyramid.

Puebla also seemed to be more non-Spanish friendly than Mexico City, with numerous write-ups of different buildings and visitor information available in both Spanish and English.

Puebla is said to have the best street food in Mexico. Prior to coming to Puebla, I had found a list of food which is said to be a must try.

Ordering the food was more challenging with my limited Spanish, as firstly I didn’t know what some of these food were, and / or where to find them. Nevertheless I still managed to eat some of the must try’s, sometimes by looking at where the queue are, or where my nose brings me.

Mole Poblano : Chilli, nuts and chocolate sauce poured over chicken meat. Doesn’t look very appealing with the dark coloured sauce, but it was tasty. Could be rather heavy on it’s own as the sauce was really thick.
Cemitas : A kind of bread with sesame that can be stuffed with many combination of ingredients. I had one with Milanese for breakfast one morning, and one combined with tacos for dinner one night.

Memelas : Tortillas made with mixed masa and beans red or green salsa on top, then topped with onions and cheese. I had mushrooms added in mine.
Pipian verde : Thick gravy made out of pumpkin seeds, chillies and some herbs, poured over chicken meat
Quesadillas : Tortilla filled with cheese and mushrooms and grilled.
Tamale : Made of masa or corn-based dough and steamed in corn husk or banana leaf.