It’s as if it had been calling out to us. In 24 little hours, the name Puebla had come
up three times.
A chance encounter with an amazing gallery of huge photos
displayed along the gates of Chapultepec Park (everyone’s favourite), all with
the name “Puebla” emblazed at the bottom of each made us, oh, so curious. Where was this place???
The next day, while in class, another student waxed on about
her incredible week-end in this wonderful place called…you got it….Puebla.
Then finally came the email from Jennifer saying that she and
two friends, Daniel and Isaac, were going to, yes, Puebla to visit Daniel’s
family and that we should all meet.
O.K. You have to agree…we had to put this one under “meant to
be”.
Buses in Mexico are an incredible means of transportation!
They come in infinite levels of comfort, all the way from basic to real luxury.
Even our bus, called "de Lujo", with its:
- leather reclining seats,
- massive leg room,
- snack package,
- internet,
- plugs, and
- television,
all for only $30.00, return from this fabulous station.
Amazing!
So amazing was it
that Linda had to go over, and in Spanish, check that the prices were right.
What became very
interesting as we made our way outside the city, was that the highway lead us
through some of the poorest neighborhoods (barrios) of this, the tenth-largest agglomeration and largest Spanish-speaking city in the world.
At one point, far
on the outskirts, just before making our way up towards into the mountains, the view that scrolled by our windows was that of the third world. In fact,
from inside our bus-sized bubble of luxury, we could see that outside, life's options
were very limited.
And so our trip to Puebla, Mexico began:
Surrounded by three volcanoes, lovingly called: “Pico”, “Popo”,
and “Izta”, Puebla, now a city of 3 million, was founded in 1531 as an exclusive villa to the conquering Spaniards...
...
and a stopping place between the country’s two most important cities, Mexico City,
and Veracruz, its’ most important port.
Today, Puebla’s beautiful churches...
....and colonial brick and tile
houses frame the narrow cobbled streets...
...that drain into busy large plazas filled
with bubbling fountains and of course, at least one church.
It’s then that your realize that the detail and beauty invested in the construction of the city reflected the importance the Spanish gave it.
Even today, Puebla, Mexico’s
fourth largest and most affluent city, maintains its economic and intellectual importance with its Volkswagen plant(second largest in the world) and brand new Audi
plant (Watch out Canada!). As well, Puebla has status as a university town, being second only to Mexico City in the number of universities and, of course, remains home, all the while to a listing of 5,000 UNESCO
World Heritage sites.
As for us, Expedia.ca had
us staying in one of those UNESCO colonial Spanish buildings, ....
......since transformed into a hotel, all just a short walk from the cathedral and most of the city's 70 historical churches.
Our room was right over there at the back of the fountain to the right (by the bench).
Saturday morning, Daniel and Isaac, our hosts, arrived at a civilized
hour to start us on their “insiders’” tour.
Our first stop was a piece of
perfection that was soon to become our own secret hide-away…the Amparo
Museum.
The name “Amparo” means “Refuge”, and ....
....although today, a beautiful museum, its history dates back to 1534 when....
.....you'll remember, Jacques Cartier had just discovered Canada. :)
Serving along the way as a hospital, a college and
a “refuge” for “lost” women....
....today, the newly repurposed building (1991) is not only a sanctuary to one of the most important collections of pre-Hispanic, colonial and modern art in Mexico......
.........but also home to the most fantastic roof-top café...
....that I have ever seen in my entire life.
In fact, the Amparo’s roof-top soon
became "our" spot to both start and end our day.
Sure, the coffee
was wonderful but day or night,...
...just sitting there made us feel like we could almost
reach out and touch history.
Next, Daniel and Isaac brought us
to the Biblioteca Palafoxiana ....
... Mexico’s, and quite possibly the Americas, very first library.
Established in 1646, this magnificent place still holds 41,000 historical books and manuscripts...
....and simply leaves you in awe.
Even though the city has more than
70 historical churches,....
........ Puebla’s unequivocal religious center is "El Zócalo",
the city's huge bustling main plaza and park....
.....dominated by its magnificent cathedral.
Undoubtedly the most emblematic building of the city, “La Catedral” took 300 years to complete.
Interestingly, the north tower is 100 years older than its younger brother, but both stand over 70 meters high…the tallest in Mexico.
Inside the cathedral, my
somewhat overt but innocent interest in the altar (reportedly a masterpiece
covered in gems).....
.......led me to some slightly perilous dealings with a determined
little cleaning lady, who
...armed with a mop, was ready at all costs to protect her “magnum
opus” from the nosey “gringo”.
As exiting as that encounter, was,.....another, this time with a somewhat shy but delightful bright-eyed group of school children ......
....had us answering their happy questions about Canada, its climate, geography, and people for about 20 minutes.
It was fantastic to feel like I was back in class....
but then I remembered, I'm free and there's no snow. :)!
Still, what a hoot!
From left to right, Isaac, Jennifer, Daniel (our wonderful guide), then me, then Linda.
Oh, the cutie on the far right is "Linda" too.
Next came the “Capilla del Rosario”. Yes, I did check and there were no cleaning ladies…but oh, there was a story!
It appears that in 1650,
Dominican monks devised a strategy to win over and convert the
masses to Catholicism . The game plan was to use what today's American military would call “Shock and
Awe”.
The idea was to build a chapel
that would outshine anything before imagined. And they did !!! Covered in gold leaf and onyx stone, the chapel leaves you suddenly very quiet.
 |
The edible grasshoppers are at the
bottom of the picture. Bon appetite!
|
Every step we took seemed to lead to a new architectural jewel but at some point, we had parched throats and.... well other biological needs.
Soon, Daniel and Isaac had us trying out some local food delicacies…all delicious. However, the candied grasshoppers did not make it passed my lips, at least not that day.
You just don’t surprise a guy with grasshoppers as your entrée. I did, however, make a Mexican resolution though!
This lobster-eating-Maritimer wasn’t always going to be afraid of an itsy-bitsy grasshopper. Noooo, sireee!
In fact, he promised himself that he would sample the crispy delicacy later in Oaxaca, the Mecca for
refined tastes in all things “grasshopper”….and a place we’d be visiting soon. Stay tuned!
What did make it past my lips though, was Pasita....a chocolate liquor severed with a cube of fresh goat’s cheese and a raisin on a toothpick, and a specialty of Puebla. .
By the way, when you ask for your drink, it’s customary to shout out:
“Para una calle!”
Which kind of means: "Just enough that I can make it home before I feel the effects."
Our last stop was to a small bar
in one of Puebla’s many plazas for a Michelada: Mexican “cerveza preparada”
made with beer, lime juice, and assorted sauces, spices, and peppers. It is
served in a chilled, salt-rimmed glass.... basically a cool beer with a
bite.
What a day! Jennifer, Daniel, and Isaac were off to a
party that evening. Where do they find the energy?!!!
Linda and I made it back to our hotel to freshen up and then....
....you guessed it......
were off to the Amparo for
another rendez-vous with history and some great coffee...
...and still, hopefully a good night's sleep.
Day II - Great Pyramid of Cholula
 |
That whole mountain is, in fact, a pyramid.
The Spaniards tore down the temple and put a church in its place. |
It was Sunday. Daniel and Jennifer picked us up in his father’s lovely made-in-Puebla VW for a little journey to Cholula, home of the Great
Pyramid.
In fact, the whole mountain that you see here, is a pyramid, that time had covered over with vegetation.
Our
entry point into the site was unexpectedly, through a tunnel leading us
right through and up the pyramid.
Amazing!!
The Great Pyramid of Cholula is the largest in volume, in the world. In Cholula, they proudly point out that it is much larger than the great pyramids of Egypt.
With a base of 450x450m and a height of 66m, its total volume is estimated to be 4.45 million m³.
It appears that the pyramid will remain for the most part, covered in vegetation,.
To date, archaeologists have only uncovered and reconstructed
one side of the base of one of the lower segments of the pyramid.
They have also dug out some five
miles of the original tunnels into the pyramid, which visitors are free to
explore....and so...
...in we went!
We emerged after some 30
minutes, surprised to see that there were still hundreds of
steps to ascend on the outside of the pyramid to reach pinacle where the church stands.
After all the exitement, there was just enough time for a wonderful meal at one of Daniel’s favorite
restaurants before everyone headed back home to Querétaro.
We tried another specialty of the area:
“Mole”, pronounced Molay, a powerful sauce containing about 20 ingredients, including chili peppers and chocolate, and served
over meat, often chicken.
Today, many say that Mole is Mexico’s national dish.
We all ordered the house specialty "Mole Poblano”, a chocolate mole that was spicy and yes... Really!! Really delish!!
Now, if I only had some grasshoppers!!!!
Soon Jennifer, Daniel, and Isaac would be heading home to
Querétaro ...in what else, a VW....
...and in a day, we too, would be heading out, back to Mexico City....
.....but not before a couple of more visits to Amparo for coffee.
The Mounties, Mexican style, did offer us a ride back but...
....umm, I had some questions about four on a horse.
Thankfully, we were still in possession of our return tickets to D.F. with good ol' Estrella Roja Bus Lines. :)
Best to you all! Until next time,
The ritual begins
with four (or 5) men circling a 100-foot tall pole, while one of them, the
caporal, plays eerie and mystical piece with a flute and a small drum. All four climb the
pole, and position themselves on a small wooden rotating platform at the top. 
