Puebla, Pottery, and Mole Poblano

Dancers in the main city square.

Last year, over Thanksgiving, I was able to spend a week in the metropolitan city of Puebla, Mexico.  It is the 4th largest city in Mexico and after spending so much time in smaller cities, Puebla felt really big.  I stayed in the middle of a shopping district and 1 1/2 blocks from the central square.  My hostel, Hostel Santo Domingo, was pretty big with around 10 rooms.  The staff was friendly and the free breakfast was decent.  Since there weren’t a lot of other people there, I had my whole room to myself.  At first I was excited, but after a couple days I realized that I really missed having people around.  Hostels are very social places and it’s so easy to make new friends.  Sure, there are some annoying roommates, but then there are the people who make it worthwhile.  I was also feeling a little homesick since it was Thanksgiving and I really missed my family and friends.  These feelings passed and I was able to enjoy Puebla.

The main square was already decorated for Christmas season.

That week, there was an international theatre festival in Puebla and all the events were free.  I was able to see some fantastic  shows.  It was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster ride.  One show I went to see, I went in expecting very little and was blown away by how great it was.  The next day, I went to a production of the musical Cats, and was disappointed.  Looking back, I definitely had some high expectations, and the venue was not right for that particular production.  It was a good reminder of how powerful expectations are and how, when travelling, we need to practice having an open mind and heart and taking things as they come.

This was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. The music was fun, the band had great showmanship and…

…while the band was playing, these people were hanging from a crane, making crazy formations, and throwing glitter onto the crowd.

One of the city’s theatres lit up for Christmas. I saw a play that won an award in here.

One of the main reasons I wanted to visit Puebla was to check out it’s Talavera pottery.  These beautiful pieces are brightly colored and hand painted.  In the 1500’s, potters from Talavera de la Reina, Spain came to Puebla to teach the locals the European way to make pottery.  Over time, these were mixed with native designs and became it’s own unique art form.  Originally, the designs were used mainly for tile to decorate buildings, but eventually adapted and started to be incorporated into daily use.  Today, there are many shops in Puebla selling beautiful pottery that can range from clocks, to coffee cups, to sinks.

Church in Puebla with Talavera tiles.

Close up of the tiles.

Clocks in the Talavera style.

Puebla has some really great museums as well.  I went to Fort Loreto, which now has been turned into a museum, but was one of the main sites where the Battle of Puebla took place on May 5, 1862.  This is the origin of the Cinco de Mayo celebrations.  On this day, Mexico was able to defeat the invading French forces.  Unfortunately, the French came back to beat them, but since France had many more soldiers and was much better equipped, winning the battle provided a much needed morale booster for Mexico.   A little side note, outside of Puebla, Cinco de Mayo is not usually celebrated in Mexico.  It is a much bigger celebration in the United States.

The outside of Fort Loreto

What some of the Mexicans wore into the battle. There were a lot of natives that fought on the side of Mexico.

Two other fun facts about Puebla:

1) It has the oldest library in the Americas, the Biblioteca Palafoxiana (Palafoxiana Library).  It was established in 1646 and this small library contains around 42,000 books and 5,000 manuscripts and contains items made as early as 1473.  It is located off the main city square and the people who work there are very proud of their library and will be happy to answer any questions about it.

Entrance to the library.

Oldest library in the Americas.

2) While in Puebla, check out their regional dish, mole poblano.  This is the most famous kind of mole known outside of Mexico.   There are two different stories of how it originated.  In  the first story, nuns from the Convent of Santo Rosa found out that the archbishop was coming to visit them.   As they had nothing to serve him, they panicked and started praying while chopping and grinding, throwing together different chilies, spices, nuts, chocolate and about two dozen other ingredients.  They slaughtered the only meat they had, a turkey, and served the rich sauce over it.  The archbishop loved the meal and it was made ever since.  In the other legend, mole was thought to have come from Pre-Colombian times.  In this story, the Aztec King, Moctezuma, thought the conquistadors were gods and served the mole at a banquet to receive Cortez.  Whichever story is true, Mole Poblano is delicious.  I honestly can’t decide if I prefer the Mole Poblano or the Moles of Oaxaca better.  I suggest traveling to both regions of Mexico and trying them out for yourself.

 

Owner inside one of the many candy shops in Puebla.