This past summer in July, I spent my last month before going back to school in Mexico visiting family. I remained most of the time in Mexico City with my abuela, aunts and uncles. The other half of the time was spent in a pueblo called Santiago Huajolotitlán in Oaxaca, Mexico visiting more family. In between those two places, though, I got to visit a part of Mexico I’ve never been — Puebla.
Puebla landscape view from La Estrella de Puebla
My aunt offered to accompany my mother and me on a trip there while being in Mexico. She said we should see something new since we’re already very familiar with both Mexico City and our pueblo in Oaxaca.
The first thing that made me fall in love with the city was when we drove up from the bus station on the way to our hotel. The street our hotel was on was such a beautiful, busy street; right in the center of the city and within walking distance from the Zócalo. Businesses were crammed together along with two beautiful churches. Restaurants lined the streets and you could see people enjoying their breakfasts, lunches, dinners and even late night coffees on rooftop balconies.
Center streets
Puebla Cathedral
My favorite place I visited in Puebla was the Parque de Los Fuertes which is named after and honors those who fought in the Battle of Puebla during the Mexican’s fight against the French on the 5th of May, 1862.
From this area of the park, you can see the skyline of Puebla and it truly is a beautiful sight. The park itself is beautiful and features creative architecture along with trees made of Christmas lights and plastic leaves.
The most interesting thing I saw at this park was that it, like Paris, had its own version of love locks. There was a line of locks lovers from Puebla, all over Mexico who visited, and possibly from all over the world, placed where they symbolized their eternal love.
Love locks
Another popular attraction in Puebla is the Estrella ferris wheel. It holds the Guinness World Record for being the largest observational wheel in Latin America, and measures at 80 meters tall. At the top of the wheel, you can see all of Puebla and even a view of the Popocatépetl volcano that rests there.
Estrella de Puebla
View of the Popocatepetl volcano, Puebla
On my last day in Puebla, I went on a guided tour to visit the neighboring pueblo of Cholula, Mexico. On the tour bus, while driving through the streets of Puebla before heading on the highway to reach our destination, we learned about why the streets were named what they were, visited famous, mysterious houses where dwarves are said to have lived, and even learned a story about the monument of Benito Juárez, who was an important figure during the Mexican Revolution and fought against the French and later became President of Mexico. The legend says the body of the statue was originally that of George Washington but was ordered to be made a monument of Juárez by cutting off the head of Washington and replacing it with Juárez’s.
My stay in Puebla ended with a tour of Cholula, and my trip entirely was amazing. Puebla is a beautiful city in Mexico that everyone should visit in their lifetime to learn Mexican culture, as there is also many museums and a planetarium surrounding the Parque de Los Fuertes given the Battle of Puebla was there. This city is filled with life, movement, and good food as the rest of Mexico is.
Two lovers strolling through Puebla’s zócalo
Although I only saw a portion of what Puebla has to offer, I’d recommend it to anyone who hasn’t been to go if they have a chance, and I know I will be back to see more.
