Puebla revisited

[bixaorellana]

or, What I Did on My Christmas Vacation, by Bixa.

The "revisited" in the subject heading is because this was my second visit to Puebla. The first visit was in March of 2011, so I was eager to see more and in a different season.

Although guide books often treat Puebla as almost a mere side trip from Mexico City, I find it a vibrant and fun place to visit. Despite having been there a week this time, I feel as though I've barely scratched the surface.

Let's get the background out of the way and proceed ~~

It was beautiful with lots of blue sky, although somewhat cool, but very merrily Christmasy ~

To see all those swoops and drapes of lights lit up, please visit the Puebla iluminada thread.

I was happy to see this favorite object from my previous trip ~


The place is a beehive of maintenance and fixing up. It seems the churches get their paint changed as often as teen girls change their nail color.
Everything looks spiffy yet mellow.

__



                                

[bixaorellana]

I was pleased that the hotel was near Restaurante Munich, which provided me with my one real Poblano meal on the last trip
and was our daily breakfast place this time. The nearby pet shop was also a daily stop ~

This is a perfect city for wandering around and checking out anything that catches your fancy, as in the myriad of religious supplies store. I bought ball point pens with Saint Charbal on them at this store ~

A delightful thing about Puebla is the core part of downtown is not completely given over to tourism, which means there are utilitarian stores, budget boutiques, all kinds of eateries and luxury stores selling hand-dipped chocolates or fancy flowers all cheek by jowl. And there are churches, so many churches ~

[mossie]

Super, Bixa. This gives me a whole new outlook on Mexico. It is so obvious that religion plays a much bigger part in the people's eyes than it does here.
I love the colours of the buildings.

[Deleted]

Just fabulous Bixa. I know I would just love love it there!!! Yes, the colors are gorgeous.
Thanks for this! I'm glad you got to go again!!

[bixaorellana]

Thanks, Mossie. It's funny, but reading your comment made me realize how much I simply don't notice anymore. But thinking about it, of course it is remarkable that people often put religious images on their homes or businesses, routinely make the sign of the cross when passing a church, etc. Believer or not, you can't help but feel safer on a Mexican airplane, knowing every seat is sending up a prayer at takeoff. ;D

Thank you, Casimira. You absolutely need to see this place for yourself. I'm so glad both of you enjoy the colors, which do seem the perfect choices, don't they?

But I hope you all don't think I'm finished! Far from it ~~ this was just an introduction. Lots more to see!

All those churches manage to look quite picturesque against any type of sky ~





As night falls on the city, let's take a little tour of Poblanos at work ~











What's he doing?




A look into the other window reveals that the dough is for churros & other fried pastries ~










Besides nighttime smokes and snacks, people need laughs!


Stay tuned, please ~~ much more to come!

[bixaorellana]

A new day and time to take in more sights ~

Didn't expect to see him here!






And then I stop in my tracks.
Thanks to all the anyporters who share their love of the city of light, I know a Parisian building when I see one ~










Looking out from under the portico, right across the street there is Puebla again ~

[Deleted]

Puebla appears to be quite a wealthy city, at least compared to many of the other images that we get of Mexico in the rest of the world (i.e. The Wild Bunch). You may have already explained in the past, but is tourism the main industry now? What sort of thing brought about the growth and development of Puebla?

It is always a joy to see all of these old buildings maintained rather than demolished and replaced. I remember thinking the same thing about Havana, except that the 'maintenance' part was only just beginning and also thinking (perhaps incorrectly) that certain places are lucky to have been left behind during the 50's and 60's and 70's when so many other places were wrecked -- including in France -- on the altar of modernity. It was only by the 1980's that people seemed to start to realise that even buildings from the 30's or 40's are sometimes architectural treasures to be renovated and saved.

Of course, I do see that a few abominations have slipped in, such as in the 1st photo of reply #5 -- that always happens even when it is unintentional (previous building destroyed by fire, for example) -- but for the most part, everything looks great!

Naturally, my profound secularism finds all of the religious imagery amusing but I am also unamused when it is all taken too seriously.

[lugg]

Thank you Bixa - yet another stunning thread with such fab photos of the city . I ♥ the toucan photos but the ? iguana is really special. I also really enjoyed seeing the poinsettia in their natural homeland at Xmas time.

I was bemused by the guy stirring the large pot, wondering inanely about mexican mash potato!

[bjd]

I didn't realize that they make cigars in Mexico.

Who is the mannequin (didn't want to say "dummy") in the tracksuit with the mask on? -- The one you didn't expect to see here.

[htmb]

Beautiful photos, bixa! I'm looking forward to seeing more.

I've never heard of keeping a raccoon for a pet. Is it common practice in Mexico?

[Don Cuevas]

Jan 18, 2013 20:10:32 GMT bjd said:

I didn't realize that they make cigars in Mexico.

Who is the mannequin (didn't want to say "dummy") in the tracksuit with the mask on? -- The one you didn't expect to see here.

When on rare occasions I have a cigar, I prefer Mexican cigars, such as Te Amo brand, with Honduras or Nicaragua wrappers; or the Clásico Torpedo. What I didn't know was that they make cigars in Puebla.

Another great memory of Puebla are the Tacos Árabes or al Pastores at Taquería La Rana. Or the noise of Milanesas being pounded in bread crumbs at the Cemitas (sandwiches) place in Mercado El Carmen (IIRC).

[bixaorellana]

Jan 18, 2013 8:42:39 GMT kerouac2 said:

What sort of thing brought about the growth and development of Puebla?

The brief overview link in the OP touches on the basic economic makeup of the city. The single most important thing would probably be the automotive industry. This is a puff piece, but accurately presents the importance & strength of Mexico's car industry. And here is a recent report corroborating that strength & its growth.

Jan 18, 2013 8:42:39 GMT kerouac2 said:

It is always a joy to see all of these old buildings maintained rather than demolished and replaced.

re: the facade in the forefront of #5, I'd be interested to know in which decade that was allowed, or even encouraged, to slip in. The very tall building further down may well be the cutting edge in being earthquake proof, etc., but you'd think there'd be a commission to insure such replacements would be more in keeping with their surroundings. Puebla is very badly affected by earthquakes. The 1999 earthquake centered in Oaxaca did much more damage in Puebla than here, in fact some major landmarks are still closed there because of it. This article gives a good idea of the damage. You'll be delighted to know, however, that I'll be doing reports on some of the (now-renovated) churches mentioned in the article.

Jan 18, 2013 18:21:43 GMT lugg said:

Thank you Bixa - yet another stunning thread with such fab photos of the city . I ♥ the toucan photos but the ? iguana is really special. I also really enjoyed seeing the poinsettia in their natural homeland at Xmas time.

I was bemused by the guy stirring the large pot, wondering inanely about mexican mash potato!

Lugg, thank you very much! Re: what you were "wondering inanely" ~~ We stood outside that window quite some time saying, "Are they mashed potatoes?" before looking into the other window & having light dawn.

Jan 18, 2013 20:10:32 GMT bjd said:

I didn't realize that they make cigars in Mexico.

Who is the mannequin (didn't want to say "dummy") in the tracksuit with the mask on? -- The one you didn't expect to see here.

Bjd, I knew that Mexico has a thriving cigar industry, but was very surprised to see them being made in Puebla. Veracruz is where most tobacco is grown & the home of the major cigar companies.
Incidentally, that was one thing that really surprised us in Puebla ~~ how many people smoked! Every single business had a sign at the door directing people to extinguish their cigarettes before entering. They even had stationary ashtrays stationed around the benches in the zócalo.
As for the mannequin, our vote was that it's supposed to be President Obama.

Jan 19, 2013 3:55:02 GMT htmb said:

Beautiful photos, bixa! I'm looking forward to seeing more.
I've never heard of keeping a raccoon for a pet. Is it common practice in Mexico?

Htmb, thank you for the compliment & encouragement. As for the raccoon ~~ I was horrified to see it in that little cage, where it moved and paced continuously. In fact, I called out to the pet shop owner that the little guy wanted to be in the forest. He responded that he wanted to be in the forest, a source of much merriment to my traveling companion. In a later conversation, the owner told us that the raccoon had been born in captivity. I've heard of people adopting orphaned raccoon babies, who reportedly make singularly terrible and destructive pets.

Jan 19, 2013 8:47:33 GMT Don Cuevas said:

the noise of Milanesas being pounded in bread crumbs at the Cemitas (sandwiches) place in Mercado El Carmen (IIRC).

The next time I visit Puebla I'm determined to seek out the picturesque markets. We went out to their big main market, called the Abastos (as is the one in Oaxaca). It's just a series of huge warehouses of no visual interest at all.

[bixaorellana]

And moving right along, it's probably time to visit one of the many churches. Because of the way many of them are butted up against other buildings, it's often difficult to figure out their actual size or original dimensions from outside. I think the pictures that follow are the interior of this church ~

There was a chapel in the back of the church dedicated to Saint Charbel where a special service began during our visit. Do read the short link, as Saint Charbel is very big in Puebla ~


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The main part of the church, an interesting blend of the fancy and the naive ~
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Like all children at Christmas, the boy Jesus gets presents ~
     
That leads to some jarring juxtapositions ~




Many Mexican churches feature a saintly pretend dead person in a glass case ~




But we'll end this church visit on a homelier, cheerier note ~

[mossie]

That is really some Church. And how does a Maronite Lebanese saint get to Mexico?

[Deleted]

Stunning photos Bixa.
I really loved the window shots in the previous installment.
The church pics are fabulous too.
This place is really calling my name in a big way.

[mich64]

Going through the photos again, this time taking note of all the different colors of the buildings/homes.

From lemon yellow, peach, mint green, salmon, rose pink and my favorite, the purple, I love the colors! Being that most of the homes here are brick or vinyl sided, we have limited color choices.

[bixaorellana]

Hello all and thank you so much for the kind words and encouragement.

I do apologize for how long it's taking me to answer and to get through this thread. There are some major things that I've had to take care of recently in my 3D life. However, a really big problem is something I did by accident to my pictures. I've always admired how so many of you make great threads while on the road. Thus it was that I attempted to load my memory card on to my poorly-understood new tablet. Panic! Disaster! I thought I'd wiped out over half of the pictures I'd taken, only to find when I got back home that they were somehow still on the card, but with all the numbers scrambled. To give an idea of how frustrating and confusing this is in terms of making a thread, a picture taken on the 23rd of December is #1157, whereas one taken on December 26 is #534.

Anyway, enough whining ~~

Jan 19, 2013 20:13:31 GMT mossie said:

how does a Maronite Lebanese saint get to Mexico?

Ha! I figured there would be no way to answer that question, Mossie, but I was wrong. *smirk*
I'd gone to a priest's office with my friend Claudia to get permission to use the churchyard for a pet adoption event. There were a bunch of statues stored in the office, including St. Charbel. "Look," I said, "there's that saint who is so popular in Puebla." She glanced around & casually said, "Oh yeah, St. Charbel." Later I asked her to tell me how & what she knew about him. She allowed that she didn't really know any facts, but had known some Lebanese people & that's where she'd heard of him.
Aren't you glad you asked?

Jan 20, 2013 22:49:17 GMT casimira said:

I really loved the window shots in the previous installment.

Thanks! I actually thought of you & your appreciation of patina when I took those pictures.

Jan 20, 2013 23:26:52 GMT mich64 said:

From lemon yellow, peach, mint green, salmon, rose pink and my favorite, the purple, I love the colors!

Ah Mich, you give me renewed appreciation of the exuberant colors used here, which seem to work so well against our high blue skies.

[bixaorellana]

Anyway, let's get out into the open air after being in that church and stroll around some more ~



A bit more of French Mexico ~




Then back to Spanish influence ~


We set out one day to visit Puebla's Abastos market and came upon this interesting couple of buildings ~






We're just going to take the merest glimpse inside this church, okay?
What is interesting is that it has separate, obviously no longer used entrances for men and women ~









Used as we are to the wonderful range of exotic local color in Oaxaca's Abastos, we were most disappointed in Puebla's.
The sight of these people sorting and filling bags in the hot sun was quite something, though ~

[mossie]

Thanks for the Lebanese explanation, I had no idea.
Some more interesting pictures, sexual segregation at the church door wouldn't go down so well today ;D

[bjd]

Jan 23, 2013 8:30:35 GMT mossie said:

Some more interesting pictures, sexual segregation at the church door wouldn't go down so well today ;D

It's still the case in Judaism and Islam, I believe.

Thanks for the pics, Bixa. I must admit I prefer the outdoor photos -- the church ones become a bit overwhelming.

[bixaorellana]

Thanks, Mossie. That church had a middle, "general" door. The men's door was blocked off on the inside by a glass counter selling holy cards & that sort of thing.

Thank you, Bjd. And believe me, I do understand what you mean about the church pictures. I hesitated about including so many, but they do make sense in the context of this particular trip and report. I believe I mentioned in the previous Puebla thread that guidebooks tend to make a visit to Puebla sound like a grim progression through churches and museums. That's far from the truth, but the sheer number of churches is astounding. I hope to make more trips to that lovely city and more reports touching on points of interest yet unseen.

Anyport was designed so that the various reports could be easily accessed over time. I think all of us have done a wonderful job of including homely, mundane, and purely informational photos in our reports in service of giving a rounded sense of our chosen subjects. With that in mind, the huge number of church photos here seem appropriate.

Besides, I suffered to take, edit, and host this daunting number of pictures, not to mention the obstructive glitch of the scrambled order. If I suffer, others must as well.

So without further ado, I present to you yet more church interiors with a promise of respite in the form of jollier, brighter outdoor shots to come.

You can see that this church, in common with so many others we saw, is a fairly narrow rectangle ~


The litany to the Blessed Virgin runs along the upper part of the walls ~

I'm intrigued by these burial stones right in the church as elsewhere we saw similar stones from the same era set right into an exterior church wall. Perhaps this was something desired by wealthy patrons of the church?

[mossie]

That church is overpowering, the colours are so strong and vibrant, you will wear that camera out.
Thanks for persisting and bringing us this vision.
Setting memorial stones in church walls is common practice, only reserved for the top people.

[htmb]

Your photos are wonderful, bixa, and give a real sense of what it's like to be there in person. I'm enjoying your colorful report very much.

[lola]

What a great report, bixa. Beautiful city, beautifully depicted.

What would a typical Poblano meal be like?
Do religious supply stores carry the little metal body part charms used to ask for healing? I was surprised to see some similar ones in a case at the British Museum lately, from ancient Roman times.

Those are impressive churches. I love the blues in the interiors. Any idea how the senoras would be segregated once they entered? I think it's only fair for us not to distract the other, easily-distracted, sex with our beauty.

Funny to import a Parisian building, with that distinctive awning. It reminds me of cast iron buildings like in NYC:

I hope the Holy Infant appreciated his plastic electric guitar.

[bixaorellana]

You all are most kind ~~ thanks!

Mossie, I have to tell you about the churches I've shown so far: you ain't seen nothin yet! Seriously, I'll be making another thread or two that will make the churches in this report look like Quaker meeting houses.

Htmb, I hope one day you'll have an opportunity to see some of this in person. So easy to get here from Miami.

Lola, one of my objectives was to sample more local food this time, but it didn't work out that way. We mostly had a late breakfast, then an early supper after a day of sightseeing. I had some nice meals, but nothing particularly Poblano. I did have mole a few times, which provoked strong Oaxacan chauvinism in me.

I think you can buy better, i.e. gold or silver milagro images, maybe in the religious supply places or in jewelry stores. However many churches have stands outside to provide the faithful with the necessary images. Here's a commercial site with explanations of the meanings of each one. I don't know how accurate those explanations are, in fact suspect that in many instances a cigar is indeed just a cigar.

Cast iron buildings have fascinated me since I first heard of them & I was thrilled & proud to be able to identify this one as specifically from Paris. Many of the bandstands in towns all over Mexico have a pronounced French look about them, a direct outgrowth of the Porfiriato, which was a period of deliberate Europeanization, to the extent of recruiting settlers for entire towns. This source states that the recruitment of Italian immigrants was for the importation of new agricultural methods. However I've read elsewhere this it was because Porfirio Diaz felt the European strain was becoming excessively diluted in Mexico.

The wealth that flowed into urban areas during the Porfiriato fostered the growth of an urban middle class of white-collar workers, artisans, and entrepreneurs. The middle class had little use for anything Mexican, but instead identified strongly with the European manners and tastes adopted by the urban upper class. The emulation of Europe was especially evident in the arts and in architecture, to the detriment of indigenous forms of cultural expression. source

Re: gifts for baby Jesus ~~ do you suppose he's learning Stairway to Heaven?

[bixaorellana]

Okay, I promised to let you all go outside between church visits, so here we go ~

Food is everywhere in Puebla, with excellent comida corrida (blue plate special) meals, and homely but tempting items such as these tortas (sandwiches on baguette-style bread). There are entire streets given over to the sale of typically Poblano, old-fashioned sweets made from such things as sweet potatoes ~

Look :: a church! 


So what did we do at night? Really, not much, something that needs to be remedied the next time around.
All the pictures in this thread were taken in the city, but we also took side trips. We were pretty much ready to turn in at the end of each day.

Puebla has tons of cafés and they always seem full. It was quite cold the first couple of nights we were there,
but we persevered, walking around with the scads of Christmas shoppers & ducking in for coffee to get warm.


There are pedestrian streets lined with shops, plus some gorgeous covered malls between streets.
We came upon the Wise Men there ~






The Wise Men may have been bored, but their adorable helper graciously posed ~
                     

[lugg]

So glad I checked back to see if you had posted more . A feast for the senses Bixa - just wonderful.


The sweet potato poblano is just calling out to me

[mossie]

Thanks again Bixa, the colours are so refreshing after drab cold England.
I would love to be a wise man if I can have a helper like that ;D ;D

[bixaorellana]

Thanks, Lugg, I really appreciate that!

Those typical sweets are "interesting". They come in different murky colors & the "flavors" are written on the paper slips covering them -- a clue that you can't figure out the flavors by yourself. They're amorphous & very sweet, but possibly high in fiber.

Thank you, Mossie. I'm sure your sense of life would be more to her taste than the bored & somewhat stunned-looking guys she's stuck with.

Okay, folks ~~ anyport will be four years old in @three days. Let's see if I can finish this thread before then.
I still have two churches to go & must figure out how to intersperse enough cheer to offset the ecclesiastical sight-seeing.

I'm going to show the plainer of those churches first. It was obvious that some congregations were wealthier than others.
Maybe it's my imagination, but it seemed that the poorer churches were more likely to have more & gorier depictions of Christ's suffering.








A barefoot St. James the Greater, aka Santiago on a merry-go-round horsey~


These paintings made to fit under arches were in quite a few churches around Puebla ~


The woman on the left in the photo above is looking into this glass case ~

[bixaorellana]

That wasn't so bad, was it?

Time to show a different kind of over-the-toppedness, which should also serve as a page jump to the last couple of sets of pictures.

There are stores all over Mexico which feature baptismal, bridal, and quinceañera dresses. There were several such stores near our hotel & one night we became transfixed by the beauty of the workmanship on some of the baptismal and bride's dresses. In fact, we priced one bridal gown, a particularly elegant one with tons of painstaking details. Complete with veil, underskirt, and fabric bouquet, it came to only @300 bucks!
But in with the good stuff, we found this place, because there must be dresses for all tastes ~

From the back, it would appear that the black number might have possibilities ~


Alas!


A closer look at the hand-painted horror ~