Forget Mexico’s beach resorts – try Puebla for an unusual, architecturally enriching getaway
Surrounded by volcanoes, including the active Popocatépetl, Puebla is famous for its baroque buildings, ornate 16th-century churches and spice-rich cuisine
I love Mexico, but get bored at the beach resorts. Rather than lounging by a pool, I want to taste authentic food and walk in the shadows of historical architecture. Where should I go? You’re in luck. Puebla, Mexico’s fourth largest city, a fusion of Spanish colonial and pre-Hispanic culture, awaits. A two-hour drive from Mexico City, the town, with cobbled streets and centuries-old, brightly painted buildings, lies in a verdant valley surrounded by four volcanoes. One of them, Popocatépetl, still huffs and puffs, casting clouds of ash into the sky.
Puebla is best known for its baroque architecture, 16th-century churches (complete with folkloric detail and ornate, gold-leaf interiors) and distinctive, spice-rich cuisine. It also boasts the tallest cathedral in Latin America. Puebla Cathedral soars over the five-centuries-old zócalo (central square) in the historic district, which was listed as a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1987 and is packed with pavement cafes, art galleries, nunneries, monasteries and boutiques. In need of a sugar rush? There’s even a road called Candy Street, a dentist’s dream of a thoroughfare lined with sweet shops.
Is there anywhere decent to stay? Absolutely. For years, the “City of Angels” was a favourite weekend destination for Mexico City’s elite, though its paucity of luxury hotel options meant small, family-owned B&B-type lodgings were the only option. Last year, two five-star hotels opened on the fringes of the historic district, raising the city’s game.
