UNESCO heritage site PUEBLA
On the 3rd day of the Latin American backpacking trip, we took a two-hour bus from CDMX to Puebla, one of the most representative Spanish colonial cities in Mexico, with a profound and well-preserved colonial history.
She was officially established by the Spanish in 1531, formerly known as the "City of Angels" (Puebla de los Ángeles). It is one of the few new cities in the Americas that was fully planned and built by the Spanish, rather than expanded on the basis of the indigenous city.
The city streets are in a regular checkerboard pattern, like Barcelona without diagonal streets. The moist and imposing marble on the sidewalks is very similar to Malaga, a resort on the southern coast of Spain. There is a different world inside the gate of every household, with exquisite courtyard fountains⛲️ and gardens, typical of the Moorish architectural style of Andalusia. This architectural language, which combines the indigenous people, Spanish colonists and Arab Moors, is unexpectedly harmonious.
Because Mexico is in an earthquake-prone zone, the buildings are built short and solid. The only exception is religious buildings. There are a large number of churches, monasteries and schools built by Spanish monks in the city. They are tall and luxurious, showing a strong Baroque and neoclassical style.
- Iglesia de Santo Domingo
- Puebla Cathedral
- Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mercy
⚠️Note that many museums in Mexico are free on Sundays and closed on Mondays. I missed the National Train Museum of Mexico and Museo Casa de Alfeñique that I had been thinking about.
As a tourist city, Puebla is more for local Mexican tourists. Foreigners are not common, and I haven't seen any Chinese. There are not many restaurants. Walking in the wide streets of Puebla and looking at the bustling crowds, it seems to have come to Macondo in my dreams.