the Amparo Museum with pre-Hispanic and colonial art treasures, the Secret Convent of Santa Monica, the sect that went underground and operated clandestinely till 1935 and the Ex-convent of Santa Rosa where the delicious spiced sauce, mole poblana is said to have originated.

For a glimpse of Classic and early Post classic culture, take an excursion to Cantona, which is 86 km east of Puebla. Or visit Choluela, the Mesoamerican trade center with its famous temple, the Great Pyramid of Tepanapa which was built over a period of 800 years by people of the Tolteca ancestry. It has a labyrinth of interior tunnels and is today topped by a Spanish Church built in 1666.

Don’t forget to shop for Puebla’s famous Talavera style hand-painted ceramics. It can be bought in the shape of colourfully painted tiles with Arabic designs that adorn houses and churches and offices to hand painted pottery.

Puebla has a domestic airport that has connecting flights to Mexico City. Around the city there is an excellent taxi service to take you to all places you want to visit. But Puebla is more of a walk-along city.

If you want to go by road - drive or bus it - Puebla is just 130 km east of Mexico City which means a journey of about two and a half hours. Other road distances are Monterrey 717 km that requires a 9 hour drive down, Guadalajara 1085 km which is a 14 hour drive and Acapulco which is 508 km away and needs a travel time of 6 and a half hours. If you want to brave it, the drive from Tijuana is a long (40 hours), and tedious one.