Puebla Facts and Info
Scott Thompson, of the Livit Immersion Center, in Puebla, Puebla has generously contributed the following photos and information about the capital of the eponymous state.
Population: 1,400,000
Time zone: -6 hours GMT/UTC (same as Mexico City)
Climate/weather: Puebla boasts a very mild spring-like climate year round. Rain is prevalent from May to October.
Airport: Puebla is served by Hermanos Serdán International Airport, an alternate to the one in Mexico City.
Location: In Mexico's central highland valley, about 130 kilometers (78 miles, 2 hours by car/bus) to the southeast part of Mexico City.
Founded in 1531, Puebla is one of the oldest colonial cities in Mexico. Originally known as Puebla de Los Angeles (Puebla of the Angels), it started out as a trading post between the port of Veracruz and the interior. Now one of Mexico’s largest and most important cities, Puebla was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 and offers a wonderful mix of modern comforts and colonial-era architecture and style.
Puebla is famous for its distinctive colonial architecture, culinary specialties, Talavera ceramics, onyx/marble products, and many other handcrafts as well as modern industries.
Puebla is not a small city; there are plenty of things to do, and nightlife. Within the historic center, visit the food (and sweets) markets, handcraft markets, and many interesting museums. Walk the streets to admire the city’s unique and effusive architecture. Both poblanos (people from Puebla) and visitors enjoy routing for several national sports teams and attending theatrical and concert performances.
About 30 minutes from Puebla, Cholula is of Mexico’s oldest indigenous settlements. The Great Pyramid still stands in the center of town; it is by volume the biggest man-made structure in the world. Construction continued during a period of over 2,000 years under the direction of different indigenous societies, including the Chichimecs, the Toltecs, and the Aztecs.
There are many other places of interest to explore within an hour of Puebla:
- Tlaxcala, capital city of the smallest Mexican state of the same name;
- Atlixco, where cold-water springs from Mexico's second-largest volcano feed many thriving industries, such as trout farms and acres of plant nurseries operating year-round;
- Grown out of 16th-century Franciscan monasteries, Tecali and Cuautinchán offer tours of semi-restored edifices and a look inside marble and onyx workshops.
- African Safari zoo, where you can drive in your own car or climb aboard the zoo bus to see African animals their natural habitats. A truly well-managed zoo.
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