PUEBLA

CHOLULA

Cholula's prominence dates back over 2,000 years with archeological sites in the vicinity yielding links to the Teotihuacan and other local cultures. At the time of Cortes' arrival in Mexico, Cholula was a thriving economic and cultural center with over 100,000 inhabitants. The Cholultecas thought Cortes to be Quetzalcoatl and yielded easily to his demands. In spite of the easy conquest, Cortes' men destroyed the ceremonial temples and built churches in their place.

It is said, Cholula at one time had a church for every day of the year. The spires of these can be viewed as mounds from the top of the Cholula Pyramid, on which a church was also built. In actuality, there are close to forty churches in the area.

HOTELS

Campestre Los Sauces

Address Carretera Federal Mexico-Puebla Km 122 Tel+522-247-1011 Fax+522-247-1012

Villa Arqueológica Cholula

Address Zona Arqueológica Tel+522-247-1960 Fax+522-247-1508

SIGHTSEEING

Piramide de Cholula

Address Domicilio Conocido Tel

Comment An impressive pyramid topped by a Colonial church.

TRAILER PARK

Las Americas Trailer Park

Address Apdo. Postal 49, Cholula, Puebla 0 Tel +522-247-0134 Fax

Comment Three acre walled site. Contains pool, lounge and laundry.

PUEBLA

As Mexico's fourth largest city in population, Puebla has played an important historical and commercial role. An overwhelming loss by the French invaders in the Battle of Puebla celebrated on May 5, 1862 was a turning point in Napoleon III's presence in Mexico.

Colonial buildings are found throughout Puebla with a heavy concentration around the Zocalo or main square. The strong influence of the Catholic church dating to the time of Cortes is still felt around Puebla. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the Church of La Compañía, the Church of Santo Domingo and others attest to this in today's Puebla.

Commercially, German Volkswagens have been manufactured in a plant in the outskirts of Puebla for over thirty-five years. This plant is one of two in the world where the famous Volkswagen beetle is still built.

Talavera - the colorful ceramic tile and other artifacts with strong moorish influence - is also manufactured in Puebla. A semi-soft candy made from sweet-potatoes, called "Camotes" and flavored with other fruit components is native to the area.

HOTELS

Best Western Real de Puebla

Address 5 Poniente # 2522 Tel+522-248-9600 Fax+522-248-9850

Comment Three kilometers from downtown Puebla in an industrial zone.

Camino Real Puebla

Address 7 Poniente # 105 Centro Historico Tel+522-232-8983 Fax+522-232-9251

Comment Located in the 16th Century Convent of the Conception in the heart of this Colonial City.

El Mesón del Angel

Address Av. Hnos. Serdan # 807 Tel+522-224-3000 Fax+522-224-2227

Fiesta Americana Puebla

Address Km 5 Autopista Atlixcayotl Tel+522-326-6900

Comment Southern part of the city in the La Vista Country Club.

Fiesta Inn Puebla

Address 31 Poniente # 3333 Tel+522-229-1000 Fax+522-229-1015

Fiesta Inn Puebla La Noria

Address Calle 21 Sur # 4510

Comment In the southern part of the city.

RESTAURANTS

Fonda de Santa Clara

Address 3 Poniente # 307 Food Type Mexican - Puebla Regional Dress Business Casual Tel 42-2659

Comment One of the finest places in the city to try authentic food from the Puebla region - famous for moles, chiles en nogada and other traditional dishes.

Sanborn's

Address Avenida 2 Oriente # 6 Food Type Traditional specialties Dress Casual Tel 42-3961

Comment Sanborn's - a food service tradition throughout Mexico for over 70 years.

GOLF AND ACTIVITIES

Golf

Club Campestre de Puebla

Address Domicilio Conocido, Puebla Tel+522-228-4813

#of Holes18

Comment Puebla's most challenging course.

Club de Golf Las Fuentes

Address Carretera a Fabricas # 510, Puebla Tel+522-224-0777

#of Holes9

Comment Conveniently situated to the industrial section of Puebla.

Shopping

Talavera Uriarte

Address Domicilio Conocido, Puebla

Comment One of the finest Talavera manufacturers with a branch shop in Mexico's Polanco district.

Spanish Courses

Centro Internacional de Cultura e Idioma

Address Puebla Tel+522-220-0491 Fax+522-220-1070

Comment Total immersion Spanish courses lasting from two to ten weeks.

Spanish Institute of Puebla

Address 15 Poniente # 504, Puebla Tel+522-240-8692 Fax+522-240-8692

Comment State of the art facilities conducive to learning Spanish at various levels in a student oriented approach. Close to the magnificent sights in downtown Puebla.

SIGHTSEEING

Local Sights

Amparo Museum

Address Calle 2 # 708 Tel

Comment Modern museum with latest technological audiovisual equipment housing artifacts of Pre-Columbian, Colonial and modern eras.

Cathedral of Immaculate Conception

Address Zocalo Tel

Comment Mexico's second largest Cathedral built between 1575 and 1649 - a classic example of the Barroque style of architecture, famous for its bas relief figures of some of Spain's most celebrated kings, its dome of tile and two domed steeples.

Convento de Santa Monica

Address Avenida 18 Pte # 103 Tel

Comment A clandestine convent for close to eighty years between 1857 and 1935 now housing an important collection of Religious Art. Guided tours available and recommended.

Jose Luis Bello Art Museum

Address Near Fort Loreto Tel

Comment Houses a fine collection of Oriental silks and other furnishings brought back to Puebla through trade expeditions during Colonial times.

Palafox Library

Address South of the Cathedral Tel

Comment Housed in the Archdiocese Palace, this library founded in 1646 by Don Juan Palafox, contains a magnificent collection of antique books.

Regional Museum

Address Casa del Alfeñique Tel

Comment XVIIth Century mansion's first floor serves as a regional archeological and historical museum. The second floor contains is furnished in a typical Colonial style.

Revolution Museum

Address Casa Aquiles Serdán Tel

Comment Many opinions have the Mexican Revolution of 1910 starting when the Serdán family was found murdered in this house. Now contains many artifacts of that period.

Rosary Chapel in Santo Domingo

Address Templo de Santo Domingo Tel

Comment Construction of the church started in 1611. The Rosary Chapel, completed in 1690, is one of the finest examples of Mexican Barroque style. The chapel is entirely covered in gold leaf, tiles and fine woodworks.

Santa Rosa Convent & Museum

Address Domicilio Conocido Tel

Comment Its authentic conventual kitchen is purportedly the birthplace of mole poblano - the traditional chicken dish with a complex chocolate based sauce. It now houses the Museum of Popular Arts.

Zocalo - Plaza de Armas

Address Main Square Tel

Comment Nucleus of the city of Puebla surrounded by Colonial buildings and Portales. Pleasant locale with flowers, ample trees and fountains.

Nearby Sights

Amecameca Village

Address About fifty miles west of Puebla.

Comment Amecameca serves as the gateway to the pass between Ixtaccihuatl and Popocatepetl - the impressive snow-capped volcanoes that form part of the mountain rim that circles the Valley of Mexico.

Cholula Pyramid

Address About ten kilometers west of Puebla

Comment Covering over fortysix acres, the Pyramid of Cholula is the largest one in the world. Its tiered construction evokes a higher form of spiritual energy.

AIRLINES

Puebla Airport (PBC)

Aero California

Tel 800-237-6225

Comment La Paz based airline with extensive route system throughout Mexico. Gateways in US include Los Angeles and Tucson. In addition to non-stop service from Los Angeles to Loreto, Manzanillo, La Paz, and Los Cabos other destinations in Mexico with direct service from the US include Hermosillo, Tepic, Durango and Torreón.

Aeromexico

Tel 800-237-6639

Comment Aeromexico's US-Mexico service originates in Los Angeles, New York, Tucson, San Diego and Miami. Through a code share agreement with Delta, Aeromexico's gateways include Dallas-Fort Worth and Atlanta. Cities in Mexico with direct Aeromexico service include Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Cancun, Leon and others. Twice weekly non-stop Los Angeles-Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo flights started on September 4, 1997.

Mexicana

Tel 800-531-7921

Comment Mexicana's gateways in the US include Los Angeles, San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Chicago, San Antonio, Newark and Miami. Seasonal cutbacks in Denver service will take effect on July 1, 1999. Canadian gateways include Montreal and Toronto. Latin American gateways include Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile, Bogota, Caracas, Guatemala, San Jose Costa Rica and Havana. Some routes are operated under code-share agreements with other airlines. Destinations in Mexico with direct service from the US include Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara, Morelia, Leon, Zacatecas, Cancun, Mazatlan and Los Cabos. Mexicana was the first international carrier to serve Los Angeles with service inaugurated in the 1930's.

TEHUACAN

Small town in southern part of Puebla state famous for its thermal waters and tranquil setting.

HOTELS

Aldea del Bazar

Address Lopez Mateos # 3351 Tel+522-382-2249 Fax+522-382-2550

Spa Peñafiel

Address Carretera Puebla-Tehuacan Km 20 Tel+522-382-0190 Fax+522-382-0191

SIGHTSEEING

Local Sights

Church of San Francisco

Address Tel

Museum of Archeology

EVENTOS Y FIESTAS