Airport: Puebla; code
PBC.
American Airlines, Delta
Airlines, and Continental Airlines now fly
non-stop from the U.S., and AeroCalifornia
has direct service from Tijuana and
Guadalajara. Most visitors arrive by way of
Mexico City. Both States are easily
reached via first class bus service from
Mexico City over an excellent four-lane highway. The 130 km. journey to Puebla
and the 113 km. to Tlaxcala take about 90
minutes. From the Mexico City Airport
there are frequent daily departures to Puebla's
main bus terminal; departures
throughout the day.
Rental cars are one option for exploring
each state. Another option is to headquarter
yourself in either city, and take day
tours to surrounding attractions.
Puebla's main square is one of Mexico's
prettiest. Well-tended gardens and shade
trees surround a 17th century fountain.
The square took on its garden-like appearance
following a remodeling in 1854. Prior
to this it was an enormous marketplace.
Arched colonnades line three sides of the
plaza, with the city's well-proportioned
early Baroque-style Cathedral to the south.
Begun in 1575 the Cathedral, has
Mexico's tallest bell tower (70 meters) and
is noted for its marble floors, rich gold leaf
interior, and awesome main altar (designed
by Manuel Tolsa and depicting the kings
and queens of 17th century Europe).
Also on the southern side of the square is
the Archbishop's Palace, containing
the Biblioteca Palafoxiana. This library dates to the 17th century and once housed
the finest collection of manuscripts in the
New World. Today there are over 43,000
books on display, including rare works
from the 15th century. It has been declared
a World Heritage Site by the United
Nations. |
