Puebla

PREPARE TO BE AMAZED BY THE SPLENDOUR OF THIS TOWN’S ELEGANT COLONIAL BUILDINGS, ITS VIBRANT STREETS AND TRADITIONAL FLAVOURS THAT HONOUR ITS NICKNAME ‘THE CITY OF THE ANGELS’.

The city of Puebla, around 120 kilometres southeast of Mexico City, is one of the most cosmopolitan destinations in the country, combining immense historical grandeur with a particular modern vibrancy.

The Historic Centre of Puebla, founded in 1531, was recognised by UNESCO on its World Heritage List of 1987, and as you walk through the streets, stopping at its numerous attractions, you quickly come to appreciate its unique mix of history, gastronomy, culture, architecture and modernity.

The city is alive with its traditions. There are numerous ancient archaeological sites and religious buildings, plus museums and libraries to reveal and explain the significance of all around.

Chief among them is the Amparo Museum, which opened in 1991 in two linked buildings dating from the 16 th and 17 th centuries. The buildings had previously been used as a hospital, a school and a colonial mansion, but now play perfect host to a phenomenal collection of artefacts from thousands of years of Mexican history and art.

The permanent collection is divided into two main galleries, one featuring exhibits from ancient Mexico and the pre-Columbian era; the second a collection of Viceregal and 19th-century art. Additionally, the museum organises and hosts a continuous stream of temporary exhibitions on themes related to Mexican art, history, architecture and design.

It’s only a short stroll from the museum to the enchanting Palafoxiana Library, the oldest public library in the Americas, whose origins date from the mid-17th century. The library owes its existence to two bishops: Bishop Juan de Palafox y Mendoza, who donated his personal collection of 5,000 books in 1646, and Bishop Don Francisco Fabián y Fuerobegan, who in 1773 ordered the construction of a building to house them.

The stunning, 14 foot (43 metre) long main room exists almost as it was when it was first built, lined by three tiers of shelves hewn from ayacahuite pine and cedar. It has offered sanctuary to scholars through nearly 250 years, and rivals the finest libraries in Europe.

Although damaged in the earthquakes of 1999, the World Monuments Fund assisted in its restoration and to this day more than 45,000 volumes are still held on the original 18th-century bookcases. It was included on UNESCO’s official “Memory of the World” list, and still captivates any visitor lucky enough to tour.

Another of Puebla’s cultural delights, with a more modern twist, is the International Baroque Museum (MIB), designed by the renowned Japanese architect Toyo Ito. The museum’s 18,000 square metres of exhibition space house exquisite examples of Baroque art of all disciplines, with the building itself a spectacular modern representation of the Baroque movement.

Drawing inspiration from a period during which established and restrictive rules were cast aside, the museum is an imposing structure of curved white walls and illuminated walkways, bathed in natural light and surrounded by a crescent-shaped pond. “Conceptually we want the building to sprout from the earth like spring water and grow,” Ito’s studio explained on unveiling the design. It has been declared the most important new art museum in North America.

Also dramatically sprouting from the earth is Estrella de Puebla, the “Star of Puebla”, aka the largest ferris wheel in north America. Opened in 2013, the 210 feet (64 metre) high wheel takes up to 432 passengers on a 30-minute ride, peering over the city from eight-seater capsules. If that’s not enough, Puebla’s new cable car system also gives visitors the chance to view the city from on high. The route flies over the historic battlegrounds where the Mexican army defeated the French in May 1862.

Countless further adventures are to be found across the whole state of Puebla, which includes nine of Mexico’s “Magical Towns”.

Nestled among the green vegetation on the mountainsides of the Sierra Puebla, each of Pahuatlán, Zacatlán, Chignahuapan, Cuetzalan, Huauchinango, Xicotepec and Tlatlauquitepec are charming rural villages and great places to discover local handicrafts, traditions and the warmth of the local people.

Similarly, the towns of Atlixco and Cholula in the central “Valley of Mexico” throw their arms open to welcome visitors – and also offer a glimpse of the pre-Columbian history of the region’s inhabitants and their remarkable feats of engineering.

Specifically, the Great Pyramid of Cholula, the largest pyramid yet discovered in the world, is one of Mexico’s most visited attractions. From a distance, the site looks unimportant: a church sitting on top of an overgrown natural hillock. But it is actually, an enormous man-made construction, four times as big as Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza, measuring 390 feet (120 metres) on each side. It’s estimated to have a volume of more than 4.45 million cubic metres.

The earliest parts of the pyramid are believed to date from the 3 rd century BC and although much is still unknown about such an extraordinary structure, evidence of more than 400 human burials have been uncovered. Excavators have dug tunnels measuring at least 8 kilometres into the pyramid.

Finally, Puebla is home to some typically mouth-watering Mexican cuisine. In addition to the traditional mole, the region is known as the origin of the distinctive chiles en nogada, a dish whose colours reflect the red, green and white of the Mexican flag.

A poblano chilli pepper is stuffed with meat and then covered in a walnut cream sauce. Pomegranate seeds and parsley add the final flourishes to a dish that has become well-known across the country and beyond.