Puebla was a bit of quick stop with just a couple nights there, but it was enough time to get a flavour of the place. As one of the largest cities in Mexico it is sprawling, so we just focussed on its colonial downtown area which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As with most large Mexican cities, everything seems to orientate around the Zocalo (main square) at the heart of the city, with the action tailing off the further away you walk. Having heard of Puebla’s signature dish, the Cemita, we headed off in search of the best joint to sample it. Cemitas La Poblanita did not disappoint! They are ridiculously well stuffed sandwiches. You can choose from a number of fillings but the classic has a pork milanese at its centre with a bird’s nest of stringy cheese piled up on top. They were almost as big as our heads but super delicious! No dinner required after that beast! The obvious thing to mention about Puebla is that it’s famous for its fine ceramics, most specifically talavera pottery. We wiled away hours wandering the streets, marvelling at the beautiful tile work seen mostly on the colonial style buildings, but also in the street paving. Sometimes it would be just a couple of tiles for detail while others were completely covered, but either way they lifted the building and were a delight to see. Historically the abundance of high quality clay in the area attracted artisans from all over the country to the region. The Spanish potters taught the locals the European techniques of glazing, and these combined with the local designs became known as Poblano Talavera. I don’t think there is a single street that doesn't show off this proud heritage and there was a tiled surprise around every corner. Talavera Uriarte is a wonderful shop that provides a visual history as well as exhibiting and selling some of the finest examples of talavera tiles and ceramics. If I owned a french barn, I’d fill it with these! The Biblioteca Palafoxiana, and the rest of the Casa de le Cultura in general, is well worth a visit. Full of lovely little spaces dedicated to local arts and printmaking, it also houses the first public library in the Americas and is regarded so highly that UNESCO made it part of its ‘Memory of the World’ programme. Its serious #librarygoals and like something out of Harry Potter. Iglesia de Santo Domingo is fairly uninteresting as church interiors go (although we have been pretty spoilt!) but the real game-changer is the Capilla del Rosario inside, a masterpiece of Mexican Baroque with more 3D gilded gold relief than we have ever had the pleasure of seeing! It was a real sensory overload. Of all the many high quality museums that Puebla has to offer, the newly renovated Museo Amparo is an absolute must. We were so impressed we put it to the top of our list of Favourite Museums on our trip so far. It’s a big call. As the most important historical museums in Puebla, if not Mexico, it traces Mexico’s development over its history and features pre-hispanic, colonial, and modern art. It is light and airy, its old spaces beautifully interlaced with its more contemporary facade and its avant garde approach to the use of technology makes it very easy to connect with parts of the collection we would usually walk past. It’s a labour of collecting love dedicated to the owner’s wife, and it shows. Not to mention that the views of the church domes from the roof are spectacular!
Las Ranas Taqueria is a must stop for Puebla’s classic ‘tacos pastor arabe' which are essentially spiced kebab meat wrapped in pitta bread-like tacos with lashings of fresh coriander, tomato salsa, and chile sauce. Delicious! Comments are closed.
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AuthorsRob & Charlie's travelling adventures on their long journey back to London after living in Hong Kong. Four continents, twelve countries, lots of experiences. Archives
July 2017
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Robert Ware & Charlotte Nunn |