Sights in Puebla
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Museo de la Revolución
This pockmarked 19th-century house, which was closed at the time of research, was the scene of the first battle of the 1910 Revolution. Betrayed only two days before a planned uprising against the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz, the Serdán family (Aquiles, Máximo, Carmen and Natalia) and 17 others fought 500 soldiers until only Aquiles, their leader, and Carmen were left alive. Aquiles, hidden under the floorboards, might have survived if the damp hadn’t provoked a cough that gave him away. Both were subsequently killed. The house retains its bullet holes and some revolutionary memorabilia, including a room dedicated to female insurgents.
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Iglesia de la Compañía
This Jesuit church with a 1767 Churrigueresque facade is also called Espíritu Santo. Beneath the altar is a tomb said to be that of a 17th-century Asian princess, who was sold into slavery in Mexico and later freed. She was supposedly responsible for the colorful china poblana costume – a shawl, frilled blouse, embroidered skirt, and gold and silver adornments. This costume became a kind of ‘peasant chic’ in the 19th century. But china ( chee -nah) also meant ‘maidservant, ’ and the style may have evolved from Spanish peasant costumes.
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Puebla Cathedral
Puebla’s superbly impressive cathedral, whose image appears on Mexico’s 500-peso bill, occupies the entire block south of the zócalo. It blends early baroque and severe Herreresque-renaissance styles. Construction began in 1550 but most of it took place under Bishop Juan de Palafox in the 1640s. At 69m the towers are Mexico’s highest. Inside, the dazzling interior, the frescoes and elaborately decorated side chapels are all awesome and most have bilingual signs explaining their history and significance.
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Museo Casa del Alfeñique
Undergoing renovation at the time of research, this colonial house is an outstanding example of the over-the-top 18th-century decorative style alfeñique, characterized by elaborate stucco ornamentation and named after a candy made from sugar and egg whites. The 1st floor details the Spanish conquest, including indigenous accounts in the form of drawings and murals. The 2nd floor houses a large collection of historic and religious paintings, local furniture and household paraphernalia, although all labeling is in Spanish only.
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Catedral
Puebla’s superbly impressive catedral, which appears on Mexico’s M$500 bill, occupies the entire block south of the zócalo. Its architecture is a blend of severe Herreresque-renaissance and early baroque styles. Construction began in 1550, but most of it took place under Bishop Juan de Palafox in the 1640s. At 69m, the towers are Mexico’s highest. The dazzling interior, the frescoes and the elaborately decorated side chapels are all awesome, and most have bilingual signs explaining their history and significance.
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Zócalo
Puebla's central plaza, which was being renovated at the time of writing, was originally a marketplace where bullfights, theater and hangings transpired, before it assumed its current arboretum-like appearance in 1854. The surrounding arcades date from the 16th century.
The plaza fills with an entertaining mix of clowns, balloon hawkers and ambulatory snack vendors on Sunday evenings. If you're in town on Thursday around 18:00, don't miss the patriotic changing of the flag ceremony, accompanied by the city's marching band.
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Museo del Ferrocarril
This excellent railway museum is housed in what was once Puebla’s train station and the spacious grounds surrounding it. While the station building itself was being refurbished at the time of writing, the grounds are crammed full of defunct Mexican rolling stock, from ancient steam-powered monsters to relatively recent passenger carriages. You can go inside many of them, and one carriage contains an excellent collection of photos of various derailments and other disasters that occurred during the 1920s and ’30s.
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Museo Poblano de Arte Virreinal
Inaugurated in 1999, the Museo Poblano de Arte Virreinal is housed in the 16th-century Hospital de San Pedro. One gallery displays temporary exhibits on the art of the viceregal period (16th to 19th centuries); another has temporary exhibits of contemporary Mexican art; and the last houses a fascinating permanent exhibit on the hospital’s history, including a fine model of the building. The excellent library and bookstore have many art and architecture books in English.
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Templo de San Francisco
The north doorway of this church is a good example of 16th-century plateresque; the tower and fine brick-and-tile facade were added in the 18th century. In the north chapel is the mummified body of San Sebastián de Aparicio, a Spaniard who migrated to Mexico in 1533, and planned many of the country’s roads before becoming a monk. Since he’s now the patron saint of drivers, merchants and farm workers, his canonized corpse attracts a dutiful stream of thankful worshipers.
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Museo de Arte Popular Poblano
Housed in the 17th-century Ex-Convento de Santa Rosa, this musuem is home to an extensive collection of Puebla state handicrafts. You must join one of the hourly guided tours (last one at 16:00) to see the fine displays of traditional indigenous costumes, pottery, onyx, glass and metal work. Tours are in Spanish, but there are occasionally English-speaking guides available. Mole poblano is said to have originated in the nunnery's kitchen.
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Museo Amparo
By far Puebla’s best sight, the superb private Museo Amparo, housed in two 16th- and 17th-century colonial buildings, is a must-see. The first has eight rooms loaded with pre-Hispanic artifacts, which are well displayed, with explanatory information sheets (in English and Spanish) of their production techniques, regional and historical context, and anthropological significance.
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Templo de Santo Domingo
This fine Dominican church features a stunning Capilla del Rosario (Rosary Chapel), south of the main altar, which is the main reason to come here. Built between 1650 and 1690, it’s heavy on gilded plaster and carved stone, with angels and cherubim seemingly materializing from behind every leaf. See if you can spot the heavenly orchestra.
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Casa de la Cultura
Occupying the entire block facing the south side of the cathedral, the former bishop’s palace is a classic 17th-century brick-and-tile edifice, which now houses the Casa de la Cultura. Inside are art galleries, a bookstore and cinema, and a congenial café out back in the courtyard.
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Museo Bello
This house is filled with the diverse art and crafts collection of the 19th-century industrialist Bello family. There is exquisite French, English, Japanese and Chinese porcelain and a large collection of Puebla Talavera. Tours are available in English and Spanish.
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Biblioteca Palafoxiana
Situated above the Casa de la Cultura, Biblioteca Palafoxiana houses thousands of rare books, including the 1493 Nuremberg Chronicle, with more than 2000 engravings.
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Edificio Carolino
Next door to the Jesuit church is the 16th-century Edificio Carolino, now the main building of Universidad Autónoma de Puebla.
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