Puebla & Cholula Guidebook

Sightseeing

Cholula San Andres arkeologiske sone

Located two blocks to the southeast of Cholula’s central plaza, the Pirámide Tepanapa looks more like a hill than a pyramid and has a domed church on top so it’s tough to miss. The town’s big drawcard is no letdown, with kilometers of tunnels veining the inside of the structure. The Zona Arqueológica comprises the excavated areas around the pyramid and the tunnels underneath. The church grounds on the peak are worth the trip alone for panoramic views across Cholula to the volcanoes and Puebla. 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 more than 8km of tunnels have been dug beneath the pyramid by archaeologists to penetrate each stage, with 800m accessible to visitors. You can see earlier layers of the building, though not much else, from the access tunnel, which is a few hundred meters long. The access tunnel emerges on the east side of the pyramid, from where you can follow a path around to the Patio de los Altares on the south side. Ringed by platforms and unique diagonal stairways, this plaza was the main approach to the pyramid. Three large stone slabs on its east, north and west sides are carved in the Veracruz interlocking scroll design. At its south end is an Aztec-style altar in a pit, dating from shortly before the Spanish conquest. On the mound’s west side is a reconstructed section of the latest pyramid, with two earlier exposed layers. The area has informative signs in English. Rather than following the path south, you can head straight up the stairs to the brightly decorated Santuario de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios that tops Pirámide Tepanapa and looks down upon the Patio de los Altares. It’s a classic symbol of conquest, though 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 (without entering the Zona Arqueológica) on a path starting near the northwest corner of the pyramid. The small Museo de Sitio de Cholula, across the road from the ticket office and down some steps, provides the best introduction to the site, with a cutaway model of the pyramid mound showing the various superimposed structures. Admission is included in the Zona Arqueológica ticket. Address Calz San Andres Phone 222-247-90-81 Hours 9am-6pm Price M$70, Sun free

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Cholula San Andres arkeologiske sone

S/N C. 14 Pte.

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Located two blocks to the southeast of Cholula’s central plaza, the Pirámide Tepanapa looks more like a hill than a pyramid and has a domed church on top so it’s tough to miss. The town’s big drawcard is no letdown, with kilometers of tunnels veining the inside of the structure. The Zona Arqueológica comprises the excavated areas around the pyramid and the tunnels underneath. The church grounds on the peak are worth the trip alone for panoramic views across Cholula to the volcanoes and Puebla. 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 more than 8km of tunnels have been dug beneath the pyramid by archaeologists to penetrate each stage, with 800m accessible to visitors. You can see earlier layers of the building, though not much else, from the access tunnel, which is a few hundred meters long. The access tunnel emerges on the east side of the pyramid, from where you can follow a path around to the Patio de los Altares on the south side. Ringed by platforms and unique diagonal stairways, this plaza was the main approach to the pyramid. Three large stone slabs on its east, north and west sides are carved in the Veracruz interlocking scroll design. At its south end is an Aztec-style altar in a pit, dating from shortly before the Spanish conquest. On the mound’s west side is a reconstructed section of the latest pyramid, with two earlier exposed layers. The area has informative signs in English. Rather than following the path south, you can head straight up the stairs to the brightly decorated Santuario de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios that tops Pirámide Tepanapa and looks down upon the Patio de los Altares. It’s a classic symbol of conquest, though 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 (without entering the Zona Arqueológica) on a path starting near the northwest corner of the pyramid. The small Museo de Sitio de Cholula, across the road from the ticket office and down some steps, provides the best introduction to the site, with a cutaway model of the pyramid mound showing the various superimposed structures. Admission is included in the Zona Arqueológica ticket. Address Calz San Andres Phone 222-247-90-81 Hours 9am-6pm Price M$70, Sun free

San Andrés Cholula

Historic San Andrés Cholula contains the Zona Arqueológica de Cholula with its pre-Columbian pyramid, atop which sits the colonial Shrine of Our Lady of Remedies. Nearby, the Regional Museum of Cholula displays ceramics, alebrije sculptures, and other artifacts. Buzzing bars and clubs line Avenida 12 Oriente, and the area’s many eateries serve global cuisines, with no-frills spots around Universidad de las Américas

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San Andrés Cholula

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Historic San Andrés Cholula contains the Zona Arqueológica de Cholula with its pre-Columbian pyramid, atop which sits the colonial Shrine of Our Lady of Remedies. Nearby, the Regional Museum of Cholula displays ceramics, alebrije sculptures, and other artifacts. Buzzing bars and clubs line Avenida 12 Oriente, and the area’s many eateries serve global cuisines, with no-frills spots around Universidad de las Américas

San Andres Cholula zocalo

Cholula’s zócalo de San Pedro, Cholula, is so huge and exposed that most people prefer to congregate under the arches in the cafes and restaurants, or in the greener east side near to the 19th-century Capilla de la Tercera Orden. Facing this leafier patch is the Ex-Convento de San Gabriel and the Arabic-style Capilla Real. In the center is the Templo de San Gabriel, founded in 1530 on the site of a pyramid. Zócalo de San Pedro, 74190 San Pedro, Cholula., Puebla Mexico -------------------------------------------------------------- Not to be confused with Zócalo de San Andrés to the east (see San Andres Cholula listing in guidebook} Address: 16 de Septiembre 102, San Miguel, San Andresito, 72810 Puebla, Pue., Mexico

San Andres Cholula zocalo

102 16 de Septiembre

Cholula’s zócalo de San Pedro, Cholula, is so huge and exposed that most people prefer to congregate under the arches in the cafes and restaurants, or in the greener east side near to the 19th-century Capilla de la Tercera Orden. Facing this leafier patch is the Ex-Convento de San Gabriel and the Arabic-style Capilla Real. In the center is the Templo de San Gabriel, founded in 1530 on the site of a pyramid. Zócalo de San Pedro, 74190 San Pedro, Cholula., Puebla Mexico -------------------------------------------------------------- Not to be confused with Zócalo de San Andrés to the east (see San Andres Cholula listing in guidebook} Address: 16 de Septiembre 102, San Miguel, San Andresito, 72810 Puebla, Pue., Mexico

Plaza de la Constitución

Pueblas katedral

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Pueblas katedral

s/n C. 16 de Septiembre

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Talavera de la Reyna

Founded in 1990, Talavera La Reyna was granted Denominación de Origen status in 1998, and it is a favorite stop for buying Talavera and watching the process at work. Talavera La Reyna’s Galeria Alarca features a beautiful collection of ceramics made by 70 artists from different artistic traditions; it is worth a visit if you want to see some exquisite ceramic art. Their workshop also offers guided tours and Talavera painting classes. Museo Talavera de la Reyna, Lateral Sur 3510, Recta a Cholula, San Andrés Cholula, Almenares de Chollollan, 72810 Puebla, Pue., Mexico, +52 222 225 4058

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Talavera de la Reyna

3510 Recta a Cholula

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Founded in 1990, Talavera La Reyna was granted Denominación de Origen status in 1998, and it is a favorite stop for buying Talavera and watching the process at work. Talavera La Reyna’s Galeria Alarca features a beautiful collection of ceramics made by 70 artists from different artistic traditions; it is worth a visit if you want to see some exquisite ceramic art. Their workshop also offers guided tours and Talavera painting classes. Museo Talavera de la Reyna, Lateral Sur 3510, Recta a Cholula, San Andrés Cholula, Almenares de Chollollan, 72810 Puebla, Pue., Mexico, +52 222 225 4058

Templo San Francisco Acatepec

Church of San Francisco Acatepec is a colonial religious building, characteristic of the Mexican Baroque architecture, especially recognized for its facade of Talavera mosaics combined with red brick.

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Templo San Francisco Acatepec

6 Puebla

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Church of San Francisco Acatepec is a colonial religious building, characteristic of the Mexican Baroque architecture, especially recognized for its facade of Talavera mosaics combined with red brick.

Templo de Santa María Tonantzintla

UPON ENTERING THE CHURCH OF Santa María Tonantzintla, visitors are confronted with a spectacular mosaic of religious imagery. Ornate plaster molding painted in bright, vibrant hues covers every last inch of the church’s interior walls and ceilings, creating a somewhat crazed effect best described as ‘horror vacui,’ or a fear of empty space. Construction on the Church of Santa María Tonantzintla is believed to have begun in the late 17th century. By most accounts the church was intended as a native adaptation of the nearby Capilla de Rosario (Rosary Chapel) which has a similarly ornate interior, though significantly more subdued when compared with that of Santa María Tonantzintla. Whereas the gilded gold stucco molding adorning the walls and ceiling of Capilla de Rosario is done in a fairly traditional Baroque style, the interior of Santa María Tonantzintla is packed with a veritable explosion of faces, figures, masks, flowers, fruits, and birds alongside more abstract decorative design features. The figures that populate the walls have been described, perhaps somewhat condescendingly, as cruder than those found in traditional European architecture, but such stylistic differences give the church a distinctly regional flair rarely found in post-colonial design. The fusion of European and indigenous Mexican cultures goes beyond mere aesthetics; the name itself exemplifies the incorporation of Christianity into the indigenous culture. Following the introduction of Christianity to the region, the Aztec goddess Tontantzin, for whom the church is named, was re-appropriated as an iteration of the Virgin Mary. The church operates independently from the archdiocese of Puebla, and is associated with the cult of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Mexico’s patron saint.

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Templo de Santa María Tonantzintla

o Avenida M. Hidalgo

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UPON ENTERING THE CHURCH OF Santa María Tonantzintla, visitors are confronted with a spectacular mosaic of religious imagery. Ornate plaster molding painted in bright, vibrant hues covers every last inch of the church’s interior walls and ceilings, creating a somewhat crazed effect best described as ‘horror vacui,’ or a fear of empty space. Construction on the Church of Santa María Tonantzintla is believed to have begun in the late 17th century. By most accounts the church was intended as a native adaptation of the nearby Capilla de Rosario (Rosary Chapel) which has a similarly ornate interior, though significantly more subdued when compared with that of Santa María Tonantzintla. Whereas the gilded gold stucco molding adorning the walls and ceiling of Capilla de Rosario is done in a fairly traditional Baroque style, the interior of Santa María Tonantzintla is packed with a veritable explosion of faces, figures, masks, flowers, fruits, and birds alongside more abstract decorative design features. The figures that populate the walls have been described, perhaps somewhat condescendingly, as cruder than those found in traditional European architecture, but such stylistic differences give the church a distinctly regional flair rarely found in post-colonial design. The fusion of European and indigenous Mexican cultures goes beyond mere aesthetics; the name itself exemplifies the incorporation of Christianity into the indigenous culture. Following the introduction of Christianity to the region, the Aztec goddess Tontantzin, for whom the church is named, was re-appropriated as an iteration of the Virgin Mary. The church operates independently from the archdiocese of Puebla, and is associated with the cult of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Mexico’s patron saint.