Puebla de Zaragoza Attractions

The historic centre of Puebla has been granted world cultural heritage status by UNESCO.

History

As far as is known Puebla has no pre-Hispanic period. The settlement was founded by Franciscan monks in 1521 as Ciudad de los Angeles on the orders of Bishop Julián Garcés of Tlaxcala. By 1537 it already had a university, in 1539 it became the see of a bishop and from then on was called Puebla de los Angeles. The town quickly developed into a centre for the surrounding agricultural area as well as an important traffic junction on the road between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific. The manufacture of azulejos (tiles) had already started in the 16th c. following the Spanish example, especially that of Talavera de la Reina. Of Spanish foundation and mainly of European character, Puebla stands in natural contrast to the neighbouring Indian city of Cholula, which it began to overshadow during the 17th c.

During the U.S.-Mexican War (1846-48) bitter conflicts broke out between the troops of General Winfield Scott and of Antonio Lopéz de Santa Ana, which led to the temporary occupation of Puebla by U.S. troops. During the French Intervention, Mexicans led by General Ignacio Zaragoza beat the French back in a battle on May 5th 1862. Since then this day has been celebrated as a national holiday throughout Mexico.

One year later the French finally conquered the town, which then remained in the sphere of control of the Emperor Maximilian until April 1867 when General Porfirio Díaz managed to drive the imperial troops from the town. During the Mexican Revolution (1910-20) Puebla was also the scene of violent battles.

Sights

The Avenida de la Reforma leads from Zócalo westwards, the Avenida Avila Camacho extends east from the main square; they separate the town into northern (Norte) and southern (Sur) areas. The Calle 16 de Septiembre south of Zócalo and the Calle del 5 de Mayo north of it divide the town into western (Poniente) and eastern (Oriente) zones.

All roads following an east-west direction are called Avenidas; those in the northern half of the town bear even numbers, those in the southern half odd numbers. All roads extending from north to south are Calles; in the eastern half they have even numbers, in the western half odd numbers.