Its history, rich culture, fantastic food, and amazing views of the Popocatépetl make this a top destination. Read my list of things to do in Puebla.
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About Puebla
The state of Puebla is undoubtedly a wonderful place to visit. The culture, architecture, and food you find in Puebla is among the best in Mexico. Also, it’s proximity to Mexico City makes it an easy, short road trip, complete with some beautiful views of the Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl volcanoes.
In this post I describe how we spent the 2 days exploring this great city and its surroundings.
The city of Puebla has a history dating back to the colonization of Mexico by the Spaniards. The city was founded by the Spanish in 1531, mainly to support the trade route between Mexico City and the port of Veracruz.
One word of advise when traveling to Puebla. Similar to other states in Mexico, the state and city of Puebla share the same name as it’s capital. However, when asking for directions to Puebla most people assume you are going to the capital.
Visiting the Historic City of Puebla
The city of Puebla is well worth a visit for multiple reasons. First, the historic center is incredibly well-preserved. You can spend days exploring the multiple churches (there are over 70 of them) and colonial-era buildings in the historic center. Second, you can try some of Mexico’s most iconic dishes. These includes culinary delights like mole poblano, chiles en nogada, cemitas, and chalupas to name a few. Lastly, the relaxing atmosphere. You can walk around town at your leisure, with none of the gridlock and traffic you’ll get at other cities of similar size.
Fun fact: In the United States, the Cinco de Mayo holiday has evolved into a commemoration of Mexican culture and heritage. Many confuse it with Mexico’s Independence Day. However, this is a minor holiday is Mexico commemorating the Mexican’s army victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla on May 5th, 1862.
Enjoying a traditional mole poblano 
Crickets sold at street corners as snacks 
Mole poblano is traditional from this region of the country
Catching a Glimpse of the Popocatépetl From Cholula
The pueblo mágico of San Andrés Cholula offers some stunning views of the Popocatépetl volcano. Here you will also find buildings adorned with talavera (painted ceramic tiles) for which the region is known, sacred pyramids, and beautifully colored church domes.
The Spaniards built a church on top of what they believed was a large hill as part of their colonization. Little did they know, they actually built that church beneath a majestic pyramid—the largest in the world by volume. Today you can still visit his amazing place and get a fantastic view of the volcano.
Visiting the Pueblo Mágico of Atlixco
We were told by locals that we would get another great view of the Popocatépetl volcano from here. They also highly recommended that we had to eat at the market, which we did, and it was delicious.
Atlixco is another pueblo mágico in the region. It is a very small, peaceful town. It has a church at the top where you can get a very great view of the volcano. The road is very steep, but you can drive all the way to the top to get to this church.
Puebla is truly a special place to visit. I hope you make the time to visit its beautiful sites and try its delicious food one day.
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Hi, I’m Iván García—I love to travel and photography. I’m big on road trips, just about anywhere in the world. I share information for people to reach truly great places. My goal is to inspire you to visit these places for yourself.
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Love all your photos and descriptions. Were you able to visit the pyramid in Cholula? Any recommendations?
Hi Diane! Thank you for stopping by my page!
We visited the pyramid, but climbing to the top of it. This is where we found some great views of the Popocatépetl at sunrise. However, what we missed out on was visiting some of the existing tunnels. That is next on our list in order to have a more complete visit!