Cholula was our first stop and it took us about two hours to get there. Cholula comes from a Nahuatl (indigenous language) word that means "where water falls." First, we visited the Iglesia de San Francisco which is covered in beautiful tiles.
We then went to the Cholula pyramid! This pyramid has been built over six times over centuries and now is the largest base pyramid in the Americas. We first got to go INTO the pyramid through archaeological tunnels that were excavated to explore the previous structures. These small tunnels weave through the pyramid and show the previous structures from old pyramids like a staircase that shows nine floors straight up! It was so cool. Afterwards, we toured the rest of the site. There was similar construction to the pyramids at Teotihuacan.
Overlooking the pyramid on a beautiful hill is La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios (Virgin of the Remedies.) The Virgin of the Remedies is a variation of the Virgin Mary specifically dedicated to the needs of the poor. This church was built between 1594-1666. It is a long hike up to the church from the bottom by the pyramid- can you imagine climbing up a giant hill just to get to church each day?! The church itself is beautiful, we couldn't enter because it was during mass but from the outside we could see parts of the Baroque style. The view overlooking Cholula from the church was my favorite!
After Cholula, we headed to the city of Puebla. Puebla was founded in 1531 and is the fourth largest city in Mexico. It is a beautiful city with rich history and beautiful Mexican baroque architecture.
We visited the zocalo (main square) and the Cathedral. Afterwards, we toured the artesian markets and found a restaurant for lunch. Puebla is known for two dishes, Mole Poblano and Chiles en Nogada. Mole is a delicious sauce made from twenty or more spices and chocolate. There are two different tales as to how mole came to be but all I know is that it is delicious! The other dish, chiles en nogadas is very different but also delicious! It starts with a poblano pepper, usually stuffed with meat, nuts and fruit, then that is fried. The pepper is topped with a walnut cream sauce and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. It represents the green, white and red on the Mexican flag! It is something totally different and has a flavor profile I can't compare to anything. It's sweet but also savory and has these little bursts of juice from the pomegranate.
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| Chile en nogada |
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| A sweet end to our day- chocolate caliente (hot chocolate!) |
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