Sights in East Of Mexico City
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Pirámide Tepanapa
The incredible Pirámide Tepanapa looks more like a hill than a pyramid, but it's still the town's big draw, and, with miles of tunnels veining the inside of the structure, it's no let-down. The Zona Arqueológica comprises the excavated areas around the pyramid and the tunnels underneath. You enter via the tunnel on the north side, which takes you on a spooky route through the center of the pyramid.
Several pyramids were built on top of each other during various reconstructions, and over 8km of tunnels have been dug beneath the pyramid by archaeologists to penetrate each stage. From the access tunnel, a few hundred meters long, you can see earlier layers of the building.…
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Cacaxtla & Xochitécatl
These sister sites, about 20km southwest of Tlaxcala and 32km northwest of Puebla, are among Mexico’s most intriguing. For its many high-quality, vividly painted depictions of daily life, Cacaxtla (ca-cashtla) is one of Mexico’s most impressive ancient ruins. Rather than being relegated to a museum collection, these works – including frescoes of a nearly life-size jaguar and eagle warriors engaged in battle – are on display within the site itself. Located atop a scrubby hill, with wide views of the surrounding countryside, the ruins were discovered in 1975, when men from the nearby village of San Miguel del Milagro, looking for a reputedly valuable cache of relics, dug a …
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churches
One of Mexico's most spectacular churches is an important pilgrimage site owing to the belief that the Virgin appeared here in 1541 - her image stands on the main altar in memory of the apparition. The classic Churrigueresque facade features white stucco 'wedding cake' decorations, contrasting with plain red tiles. During the 18th century, indigenous Mexican Francisco Miguel spent 25 years decorating the altarpieces and the chapel beside the main altar.
Visible from most of town, the hilltop church is 1km northeast of the zócalo. Walk north from the zócalo on Av Juárez for three blocks, then turn right onto Zitlalpopocatl. Alternatively, catch a 'Ocotlán' colectivo fr…
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Zona Arqueológica
The Zona Arqueológica comprises the excavated areas around the incredible Pirámide Tepanapa and the tunnels underneath. You enter via the tunnel on the north side, which takes you on a spooky route through the center of the pyramid. Several pyramids were built on top of each other during various reconstructions, and over 8km of tunnels have been dug beneath the pyramid by archaeologists to penetrate each stage. From the access tunnel, a few hundred meters long, you can see earlier layers of the building. You don’t need a guide to follow the tunnel through to the structures on the pyramid’s south and west sides, but since nothing is labeled, they can be helpful in pointi…
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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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Yohualichán
About 8km northeast of Cuetzalan, the last 2km via a steep cobblestone road, this ceremonial pre-Hispanic site has niche pyramids similar to El Tajín’s that are in varying states of ruin. The site is impressive and well worth a visit, not least for the great views toward the coast and back to Cuetzalan from this side of the valley. The entrance is adjacent to Yohualichán’s church and town plaza. To get here, board any colectivo (M$7) out of Cuetzalan and walk 20 minutes down from the stop where there’s a blue sign with a pyramid on it. Alternatively, ask around the bus depot for a camión (truck) passing by the pyramids.
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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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Cantona
Given its isolation, a good distance from any town of significance, the vast and incredibly well-preserved Mesoamerican city of Cantona is virtually unknown to travelers. With 24 ball courts discovered, this is now believed to be the biggest single urban center in Mesoamerica, stretched over 12 sq km in an ethereal lava-bed landscape dotted with cacti and yucca and enjoying incredible views of Pico de Orizaba to the south.
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Museo de la Ciudad de Cholula
The excellent Museo de la Ciudad de Cholula is housed in a fantastically restored colonial building on the zócalo. The small but strong collection includes ceramics and jewelry from the Pirámide Tepanapa, as well as later colonial paintings and sculptures. Most interestingly, you can watch through a glass wall as museum employees painstakingly restore smashed ceramics and repair jewelry.
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Ex-Convento Franciscano de la Asunción
This former monastery is up along a shaded path from the southeast corner of Plaza Xicohténcatl. Built between 1537 and 1540, it was one of Mexico's earliest monasteries, and its church - the city's cathedral - has a beautiful Moorish-style wooden ceiling.
Just below the monastery, beside the 19th-century Plaza de Toros (bullring), is a capilla abierta with three unique Moorish-style arches.
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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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Santuario de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios
The Pirámide Tepanapa is topped by the brightly decorated Santuario de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios. It's a classic symbol of conquest, but possibly an inadvertent one, as the church may have been built before the Spanish realized the mound contained a pagan temple. You can climb to the church for free via a path starting near the northwest corner of the pyramid.
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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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Santuario de la Virgen de Ocotlán
Visible from most of town, the hilltop Santuario de la Virgen de Ocotlán stands 1km northeast of the zócalo. One of Mexico’s most spectacular churches, it’s an important pilgrimage site owing to the belief that the Virgin appeared here in 1541 – her image stands on the main altar in memory of the apparition.
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Museo de Arte de Tlaxcala
This fantastic contemporary art museum normally houses an excellent cache of early Frida Kahlo paintings, but that collection was on loan at the time of research. Both the museum’s main building on the zócalo and the smaller branch hold interesting temporary exhibits and a good permanent collection of modern Mexican art.
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Palacio de Justicia
The 16th-century building on the plaza's northwest side is the Palacio de Justicia, the former Capilla Real de Indios, built for the use of indigenous nobles. The handsome mortar bas-reliefs around its doorway include the seal of Castilla y León and a two-headed eagle, symbol of the Hapsburg monarchs who ruled Spain in the 16th and 17th centuries.
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Ex-Convento de San Gabriel
The Ex-Convento de San Gabriel (also known as Plaza de la Concordia), facing the east side of Cholula's huge zócalo, includes a tiny but interesting Franciscan library, and three fine churches, all of which will appeal to travelers interested in antique books, and early religious and Franciscan history.
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