I had success getting from airport to hostel in Mexico City without using a taxi so I thought I could do it again when I got to Puebla. Wrong. Reading the guide book and having written down directions from the hostel's web page I'm pretty sure I took the correct bus, but I didn't know where to get off. After riding twenty minutes longer than I should have needed too I decided to get off the bus. I figured I would find my way using the tiny map of the city center I had in my guide book. Wrong again. I should have tryed to ask the bus driver, but my confidence and courage to attempt Spanish when it is not completely necessary has waxed and waned. Foolish. I was outside the city center walking in circles trying to match street names with ones I had on my map. After about an hour and a half I decided to give up. I hailed a taxi - a relatively easy task. I was only about three miles away, but I never would have figured it out. Puebla has a beautiful city center which makes up for its crummy exterior. The Spanish church in the zocalo (city center) started being built in the 16th century. It's featured on Mexico's $500 Peso bill and has the highest towers of any church in Mexico (69 m). I'm not a big church guy, but when you combine the fountain, balloon vendors, tourists and locals alike, draped by a 16th century church in the background you have one beautiful picture.
Puebla is the city which made Cinco de Mayo famous. Every city I've been to so far has a street named Cinco de Mayo. On May 5th, 1862 the Mexicans were able to defend an attack the French made. An annual day of drunkenness was born. Fortunately for the sake of bars and drunkards , few Mexicans seem to remember or care that following this defeat the French were able to fortify their army and defeated the Mexicans to successfully hold Puebla for the following five years.
From Puebla I took a day trip to Cholula to visit what is thought to be one of the widest pyramids ever built. Piramide Tepanapa. The Great Pyramid of Cholula is also the second largest in the world. Unfortunately it has been neglected over hundreds of years and now really looks just like a large hill. Stone steps near the bottom and a network of tunnels inside the pyramid are the only evidence of the massive pyramid. Hernan Cortes, the infamous Conquistador of Spain, spent time in Cholula and built a Catholic church on the top of the pyramid. A climb to the top offers a fantastic view of the nearly 17,000 foot smoking volcano of Popocatepetl. I ate a quality sandwich, appetizer of spicy vegetables, and two cervesas for only 80 pesos (about $6.50 US) and found my bus back to Puebla.
Puebla was pleasant, safe, and relaxing. I spent most of my time walking the cobble stoned streets, people watching, and reading on a bench in the large zocalo surrounded by the arboretum type setting of trees and flowers. I went to this great Pre-Hispanic artifact museum while in Puebla. One of the coolest things it had was a time line showing the rise of "civilizations" on each continent. They were stacked on top of each other with pictures showing the major accomplishments. It amazes me most all North Americans have heard of the pyramids of Egypt and the great buildings of ancient Rome, but probably no one has heard of the great city of Teotihuacan. A city develed on a grid plan. A city that helped spread writing and an advanced calender system throughout Central America all the way down to moder El Salvador and Honduras. A city that grew to a population of 125,000. More than any other city in the world at the time and larger than any other pre-Hispanic city ever. A city thousands of miles closer to us than any in Europe, Africa, or Asia. What could we learn from these people that we will never know?
I moved on north to Veracruz which sits on the Gulf of Mexico. It's a commercial and oil hub. A city that for 4oo years had been the gateway to all of Mexico. Anybody coming in would go through Veracruz. Over the years this city has experienced numerous conflicts with pirates, French, Spanish, and the United States. In the yearly 1900's the US Army stormed the fortress of San Juan de Ulua right in the harbour. The General yelled to his troops deploying ashore. "GREEN - - GO!!, GREEN - - GO!!" Mexicans overheard and the term Gringo was born.
I only had one sunny day in Veracruz and it's amazing how the sun can make you enjoy a city so much more. Its a great city for walking miles of boardwalk and long piers. I took a short boat ride to near by islands and was the only Gringo on the boat. No one spoke English. ¡No entiendo, pero no es un problema! (I don't understand, but it's no problem!)
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