Everyone calls it Puebla, but like many cities and towns in Mexico its name has some more syllables. Puebla de los Ángeles is the biggest city of the state of the same name and the fact it lies just two hours by ADO Bus south of Mexico City makes it a convenient destination for perhaps a day trip or a couple of days spent roaming its streets and, trying some delicious cuisine, taking in all the breathtaking colonial architecture or maybe visiting one of the still-active volcanoes that surround this 'pueblo magico' (magical town).
1 - The Magnificent Templo De Santo Domingo
From the outside, you'd not make much of it, but once you step inside the Templo de Santo Domingo and make your way to the 'Capilla del Rosario' (the Rosary Chapel) your reaction will be of pure awe! This chapel is dedicated to the Lady of the Rosary and its interior is covered with paintings, sculptures, and gold, lost of gold. There are usually impromptu tour guides on-site which will giver you a brief tour of the church and ask for a small donation in the end.
2 - Eating Until You Have To Undo Your Belt At Mercado De Los Sabores Poblanos
The Mercado de Sabores Poblanos is a new space in Puebla which aims to promote, the poblano gastronomy. Even though the decoration of the space is not something to write home about, you'll find many different food vendors selling over 130 dishes of typical food, as well as some sweets and crafts. There's also some food from other parts of Mexico other than Puebla available here. If you've been dreaming of eating some delicious molotes (filled, corn-based pastry usually served as an appetizer or snack in Mexican cuisine), cemitas (cemita is a massive sandwich originally from Puebla), quesadillas, tamales or the famous mole poblano (a sort of Mexican chocolate curry) this is the place.
3 - Shopping At Calle De Los Dulces
Another of the many things that distinguish Puebla from other Mexican cities is the sweet tooth the Poblanos have. There's an actual avenue packed with sweets called Calle de los Dulces. Here you'll find a myriad of typical sweets. The typical sweets of Puebla are considered a delight since the Colonial era.
The story has it that one of the most famous typical sweets in Puebla, the Camotero, was invented in a nunnery when one of the children decided to play a joke on a nun. The child picked up a sweet potato, threw it into a pot the nun had been using to cook supper, stirred it with sugar and beat it so that it formed a dough that was difficult to remove even after when washing the pot. After a while, the nun arrived, tasted the newly created recipe, and SHAZAM!!! She liked it so much that the humble Camotero was born. Over the years, the street where the nunnery was located became filled with more shops selling sweets each one creating new recipes or improving old ones.
4 - Visiting The Biblioteca Palafoxiana
The Biblioteca Palafoxiana is a UNESCO site. This magnificent library was founded in the remote year of1646. This library is special as it was the first public library in Latin America and the only one that currently reflects the cultural and intellectual heritage from Europe through a selection of over 41,000 volumes of antique books that were collected throughout various stages. There's a small entrance fee you must pay to visit this magnificent place and tickets can be purchased on the spot.
5 - Taking A Side Trip To Cholula
Cholula is a kaleidoscope of colours where there's plenty to do and see, were we not talking about the oldest city in the American continent that has been populated continuously since its creation. One of the main attractions you'll see if you decide to take the free tourist train from Puebla to Cholula (it connects central Puebla with the pyramid in Cholula on a 17.4 km, 40-minute route) is the Shrine of Our Lady of Remedies, the church of domes covered with tiles that the Spaniards built in the 16th century. They placed it just above the Great Pyramid, or shall I say the biggest Great Pyramid in the world since the base of this pyramid is actually the biggest ever built on planet earth (bigger than the one in Egypt). Another main attraction is the former Franciscan convent of San Gabriel which sits just beside the town's beautifully preserved main square.
6 - Taking In The Beauty Of Mexico's Only Twin Volcanoes
My last recommendation of the top things to do in Puebla is something that even if you tried really hard, you wouldn't be able to ignore. I'm talking about the two huge mountains that you can see from virtually everywhere in Puebla and especially when you get to Cholula. But there's a catch, technically these are not mountains but huge twin volcanoes, their names are Iztaccihuatl which remains dormant and Popocatépetl which spews molten lava and ash from time to time as it is still active to this day. Excursions and activities are available if you plan to visit these two wonders of nature.
If you are visiting Mexico check out my Mexico Curiosities Series 1, 2 and 3 or Which Bus Company To Use When In Mexico.