With friends who are permanent residents of Mexico, hubby and I spent a couple of days this past week enjoying the colourful Centro Historico district of Puebla, the country’s fifth largest city by population.  Come take a walk with me as I share some of what we saw.

Everywhere I turned, I was amazed by the architecture. Look at all the interesting shapes!

Tiles, or azulejos, are used to decorate many buildings inside and out.

And beautifully carved wooden doors add to the beauty of many buildings.

Of course, flowers in January add to that beauty!

The impressive 16th-century Catedral de Puebla occupies an entire city block in the centre of the district.  

Across the avenue to one side of the cathedral is the Biblioteca Palafoxiana. Founded in 1646, it is recognized by UNESCO as the first and oldest public library in the Americas. It has more than 45,000 books and manuscripts, ranging from the 15th to the 20th century.

This is just a taste of what there is to be seen and experienced in the historic centre of Puebla. There is, of course, the zócalo, a public square/park that’s found in the centre of almost every Mexican city or town, as well as several other parks. Hubby made a friend in one of the smaller ones! 

There are also upscale eateries and small “hole in the wall” places that serve delicious Mexican dishes as well as many, many shops and market stalls.

And finally, that’s a view from the rooftop patio of our Airbnb. That’s Popocatépetl (El Popo) in the background, the 18,000-foot-high active volcano that stands about 70 km (45 miles) from Puebla.