Pretty Puebla

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If we didn’t know we were in Mexico we’d think we’d been magically transported to Portugal or Spain.

That’s because Puebla was founded by the Spanish in 1531.

Puebla was built to secure the trade route between Mexico City and the port city of Veracruz on the Caribbean coast.
One of the pedestrian streets.

Puebla’s layout is classic Spanish design centered on a main plaza, called the Zócalo. The city was laid out in a grid pattern of rectangular blocks.

Generally the government building was on one side of the Zocalo facing the church.
A fountain in the center if the Zócalo and the church behind it. Puebla’s church is unusual because it doesn’t face the Zocalo.
The Zócalo.

Due to its history and architectural styles ranging from Renaissance to Mexican Baroque, Puebla was named a World Heritage Site in 1987.

The first portals were constructed in 1553 to provide shelter and to keep the marketplace clean during the rainy season.
Portals around the Zocalo now house restaurants and sidewalk cafes.
A glass fronted covered arcade.
Inside the arcade.
These buildings were originally homes.

Under orders of Phillip II of Spain construction on Puebla Cathedral began in 1575 (44 years after Puebla’s founding) and took 300 years to complete.

Its bell towers are 200-feet high, the tallest in Mexico and is home to the “María” bell, the largest bell in Latin America.
Inside the Puebla Cathedral.
The pipe organ.
The Main Altar.
One of the large doors.
It can be overwhelming to “see” everything in these churches so sometimes I just sit and look and am surprised at what I see, like these ladders.
Close up of one of the wooden doors.
I found the old tile floor interesting. How many people have walked over these tiles through the centuries?
Next to the cathedral is The Bishop’s Palace. It is in a Moorish design and faced with talavera tile.
The church towers above the historic center.

Our first walk through Puebla we were pleasantly surprised by its beauty right around the Zócalo! Meet You in the Morning on a walking tour to explore beyond the Zócalo of Pretty Puebla.

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