Trip to Puebla, December 17-20, 2019, Part 1

For our first excursion outside of San Miguel, we went on a trip to Puebla and Cholula organized by the local Lions Club. It was a great experience, and I have finally edited the photos.  Since they were taken with my iPhone instead of my good camera, please excuse the quality. (Click on the photos for much larger views.)

Our Talavera vase

It was close to a five hour drive, but we were comfortable on the first-class bus which was only two-thirds full.  Our fellow travelers were friendly, and we enjoyed meeting them at the BYO cocktail party after we arrived at the hotel.  The Hotel Colonial was delightful and perfectly located in the historic center within walking distance of all the major sights including the large Zócalo, the central plaza. Puebla was named a World Heritage Site in 1987 and is known for its variety of architectural styles ranging from
Renaissance to Mexican Baroque.  It is also famous for mole poblano, chiles en nogada and Talavera pottery, and we managed to sample all three.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puebla_(city)

View of Popocatépetl from hotel roof

One of the fun things about our hotel was its view of Popocatépetl which was smoking and actually erupted the following month.  The YouTube video is quite dramatic.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utLSZNb8H_4

We spent all day on the 18th walking around the city and visiting the major sites.  One of my favorite places was the Biblioteca Palafoxiana, founded in 1646 with its beautiful old wood bookcases and pretty tile floor.  It is considered the first public library on the American continent and UNESCO named it a "Memory of the World" as one of the most important places to safeguard the written memory of humanity.

Library floor

The Museo de la Revolución was fascinating.  It was a private home and is still set up that way with furniture from the period, but you can see the bullet holes from the gun battle that resulted in the deaths of the owners.  This event is regarded as the beginning of the Mexican Revolution, November 18, 1910.  https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museo_de_la_Revoluci%C3%B3n_Mexicana_(Puebla)

One of the absolute "must see" places in Puebla is La Capilla del Rosario, the Rosary Chapel inside the Templo de Santo Domingo.  The plain gray facade of the church gives no clue to the magnificent sights inside.  The main part of the church is beautiful and the altarpiece is fabulous, but the Rosary Chapel is considered to be an astonishing example of hispanic baroque and is one of the greatest artistic/religious creations in Mexico.  It really was breathtaking.

Nave

Altarpiece

The Rosary Chapel