Continuing my attempt at a running theme, I hit the back roads as soon as I extricated myself from Mexico City, no easy feat given the constant, heavy traffic at nearly all times of the day; it took me nearly an hour and a half just to leave Mexico City proper, by which time I had sweated through everything I was wearing and my left wrist was aching from working the clutch. I was rewarded with a genuinely incredible view for my troubles, however; as I ascended from Mexico City and crossed the border between the states of Mexico and Puebla, I looked to my right and was greeted by a spectacular unfolding landscape with the peak of a snow-capped volcano breaking through the clouds.
I was fairly sure this was Iztaccihuatl, one of the two volcanoes overlooking Puebla, and that I'd be making a half-circuit around in order to get there. I continued through the mountains, with my view soon swallowed by thick forest, and without much to see outside the trees, few other vehicles on the road, and miles of curves ahead of me, I allowed myself a bit of fun through the curves. As I approached Puebla, Iztaccuitl's twin volcano, Popocatepetl, came into view alongside it; still very much active, I could see wisps of steam rising from the caldera at the top, mixing with the clouds gathering over the twin peaks.
Worryingly, more ominous clouds were building up to my other side, columns of rain visible to my west and south, and with the sun sinking, I was worried I was going to end up caught in both a storm and the nighttime, neither of which particularly appealed to me. I twisted the throttle a little further, and with the rain thankfully holding off, was soon in Puebla. After some confusion with the one-way streets, I found my lodging for the next two nights. I would be staying in the studios of Pequeno Axolote, a sort of design studio/collective run by a group of architects and designers in their spare time. Nearly everything in the studio, including the low beds, was handmade from recycled materials, and I very much enjoyed getting to know the five and helping out in a small way with a few of the things they were working on. Their work can be found on Instagram @pequeno_axolote.
The next morning, I got up early and set off to the historic center of Puebla. Puebla is known worldwide for three major things: architecture, tile, and food. The city's historic center contains some of the best examples of colonial architecture in Mexico, and many of the buildings are accented by elaborate and intricate tilework.
From the many enormous churches with colorful tile patterns covering their roofs and facades, to some of the smallest buildings, Puebla offered bright colors and artistic flair at nearly every turn. Even the sinks in the restaurant I had lunch at looked like explosions of color:
I was also on a mission to sample two of Puebla's signature dishes, mole poblano and chiles en nogada. The first restaurant I stopped at served up an amazing plate of mole and chalupas, and for the equivalent of only a few dollars, presented the best meal I'd had since leaving Nashville three weeks prior.
Full of tasty things, I continued to take in the colorful buildings and tile as I made my way back to the studio. My plan for the afternoon was to visit Cholula, an adjacent town containing a large Zapoteca-era city and partially buried pyramid. First settled between 500-200 B.C., Cholula contains extensive ruins, capped off by the largest pyramid by length/width in the Americas, though it was entirely overgrown by the time the Spanish arrived in the late 1500's. The Cholula-Mixteca style of pre-Colombian art originated in Cholula, and prior to the arrival of the Spanish, it was one of the largest trading centers in Mexico. Much of the indigenous population was slaughtered by the Spanish upon their settlement of the area, but fortunately the ruins survive to this day. I was even able to walk through some of the tunnels dug underneath the pyramid when it was first excavated and explored, an entirely fascinating experience.
After settling the area and killing most of the native population, the Spanish built an enormous cathedral dedicated to the Virgin Mary on top of what was once the great pyramid of Cholula, and it has become a center of religious festivals throughout the year; the bells were ringing and people around the church were shooting off fireworks for most of the time I spent in the city, adding to the atmosphere. The cathedral itself was a beautiful construction in classic old Spanish style, and though photographs aren't allowed inside, I can say that the iconography inside was similarly beautiful.
After walking all over the ruins and then up the hill to the cathedral, I was feeling spent. After a short ride out from Cholula for some better views of the volcanoes, I turned back to Puebla in search of the other food I needed to try; an hour or so later, I was enjoying excellent chiles en nogada back in the Centro Historico. Ngaire and I had attempted to make our own for Christmas dinner years ago, but that paled in comparison to the real thing:
In the space of a day, I'd explored most of the historic part of Puebla, toured the first of what I'm sure will be many pre-Colombian ruins, had the best food by far of the trip, and seen some amazing views all throughout, plus one of the more interesting homestays I'd experienced thus far. It's difficult to pick out any single day of the trip as the "best", but if I had to, my time in Puebla would be a strong contender. Onward to Oaxaca!
Probably one of my favorite places in the world for tasty food
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