When people think of Mexico they think of all resorts possible but never Puebla. Situated in the state of Puebla and founded in 1531, it’s nestled in a valley elevated at 2200m (7217.85 ft) just 2 hours southeast of Mexico City. In 1987, it was declared a World Heritage site due to its abundance of Spanish colonial, Renaissance and Mexican Baroque architecture.
Puebla Mexico is a municipality which 1,485,941 people call home and it also houses the largest Volkswagen factory outside of Germany.
Why do I know all of this? Well we just arrived back home in Vancouver after having spent a 3 week vacation there. It also happens to be where my wife is originally from.
In a city that contains an eclectic mix of modern lifestyle and old world culture, it definitely provides a person with many opportunities of exploration and interesting discoveries. If you’re lucky, you’ll even come across a man and his donkey selling sacks of soil.
Puebla Mexico is also a city littered with extremely old churches which house many interesting artefacts of history and tell the story of the city’s early beginnings. You almost can’t walk a block in the downtown core “el centro” without seeing another church.
You’re also able to frequently view the 2 huge volcanoes which neighbour the city. Popocatépetl and Iztaccihuatl sit side by side just 40kms directly east of Puebla with Popocatépetl being known as one of the most dangerous and active volcanoes in North America. They are easily seen from a “suburb” city named Cholula which is most well-known for its Great Pyramid aka Tlachihualtepetl – the largest perimeter pyramid in the world. Most of the pyramid is not visible as it has been hidden by the overgrowth of nature. What’s more interesting is that there is a Catholic church called Nuestra Señora de los Remedios located on top of it.
And of course, what Mexican vacation is complete without hitting up a resort? To solve this dilemma, we travelled 1.5 west of Puebla to a town named Cocoyoc in the state of Morelos. The main resort there (Hotel Hacienda Cocoyoc) is basically a huge hacienda from the 1500’s that has been converted into a hotel with an impressive aqueduct cutting straight through the middle.
All in all it was 3 weeks and money well spent on a vacation that provided more things to see than time even permitted. I would even say a trip to this region of Mexico warrants 2 visits to discover all of its hidden treasures. All photos were taken on my new Samsung Galaxy Note 3, which by the way I am completely thrilled with.
