Mexico Home > Puebla, Mexico - 2004

¡Que chula es Puebla!   How beautiful is Puebla!

Puebla sits in the shadows of the imposing volcanoes that guard her, Popocateptl and Iztaccíhuatl. To many Mexicans, Puebla brings to mind the famous defeat of French invaders on "Cinco de Mayo" (no, May 5th is not Mexican Independence Day). The French army expected a warm welcome by the city and were surprised and defeated. Of course, they returned a year later and occupied the city for several years...but, who wants to celebrate a defeat?

Puebla is also home to mole, a rich, dark brown sauce made from a variety of peppers and chocolate, one of my favorite Mexican foods. Jan thinks of one thing when she thinks of Puebla -- Talavera pottery! Talavera is the oldest tin-glazed ceramic in America and it is still being manufactured with the same techniques as in the 16th Century. Although the Spaniards introduced this type of pottery, ironically the term Talavera is used much more in Mexico than in Talavera de la Reina, Spain.

Guadalupe, her husband Sal, and their two boys, guided us to every attraction and site in Puebla. The highlight of our trip was having "chiles in nogada," a grilled pepper stuffed with a mixture of meat and dried fruit, covered in a cream sauce and dotted with pomegranate seeds at Sal's sister's restaurant!