PUEBLA DE ZARAGOZA

I.I.II.I – DAY ONE

10/08/22

One stop down, so, so many to go. Even so, I was very conscious of the fact that every check on my list meant I’d be getting closer to the end of my trip. A very bittersweet feeling – wanting to see more but not wanting it to end. But that’s the way it’s always been with everything. And so, on I went.

My next destination would be Puebla de Zaragoza, a city some 135 kilometres south-east of Mexico City. I’d be travelling on a fancy bus for just two hours – no big deal. Only I had booked my ticket for the previous month – big deal. I waited for the next one, with as much self-mockery as one can expect from someone who’d prepared four different excel sheets and a detailed eight-month day-by-day itinerary. Of course, I knew there’d be many hiccups along the way – from cancellations to landslides, from roadblocks to being stopped by thugs. I had heard it all. Hiccups that would be completely out of my control. But this? This was one hundred percent on me. After giving myself a reproachful speech and swearing to eat Doritos for the next two days to make up for the money I had squandered, the next bus had arrived.

I stowed my backpack in the luggage compartment, got on the bus, found a seat at the very back, strapped the travel pillow around my neck, put on my headphones and turned on Rory, my Kindle. Aaah, to be on a bus again! I love driving, but if there’s something I miss from my carless days, it’s being on long bus rides. Listening to music, looking wistfully out the window, reading a good book, and then, lulling comfortably into sleep. A routine I had missed terribly. And this trip would be chockfull of them!

And that’s what I did. I put on my Grey’s Anatomy playlist (man that show’s got some great music!), took in as much as I could of what was left to be seen of CDMX, and then continued The Sun Always Rises by Ernest Hemingway. I had started it two months previously but after a long day of work, it seemed I’d never have enough energy for some bedtime reading. One goal I had recently set myself for this trip was just that; to read more. I read every page with great care, taking it all in as if it were a drug. Then, inevitably, I fell asleep and was woken up by the driver announcing our arrival. Once again, burdened with my heavy bags, I was out in the open road. Or something close to it, I guess.

I walked all the way to my hotel, weighed down with as much carry-on as you’d expect from an entire group of tourists, and left my stuff at the hotel. This time, it was a fancier one, and, somehow, even cheaper than the first. I had a giant room with a double bed, the décor nice and modern. I quickly shook off the temptation to just stay in bed and set out, finally free to roam around again.

City Centre

Puebla de Zaragoza is a colonial city and is the capital of the state of Puebla. It was founded in 1531 by the Spanish as a means to secure a trading route between the capital and Veracruz; a port city. Here, the people celebrate the victory of the Mexicans against the French army in the Battle of Puebla on the 5th of May in 1862, and whilst the battle was relatively inconsequential on the grand scheme of things, this date is celebrated on the notorious Cinco de Mayo. Notorious, that is, in the US – as most Mexicans (I’ve come to learn), don’t give much of a crap about it.

They do, however, celebrate a few special days – say their actual Independence Day on September 16th and the Día de los Muertos; another feast that is grandly celebrated here in Puebla (and all around Mexico for that matter). On this day, people dress up in colourful costumes, eat calaveras (skull-shaped candy) and hand out marigolds; a bright orange flower that is said to guide the spirits of the departed back to their loved ones. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t get to experience any of this during my stay given that it is celebrated in November!

Getting lost in the city’s cobblestone streets is already a good enough reason to visit this jewel. The colourful and vibrant houses are brought to life by street art and the buzzing of its people. Markets clutter its roads; a chaotic flurry of souvenirs, food and dancing – the Parián Market standing out as the perfect example. I spent an entire day just wandering around, taking it all in, chatting with some locals and trying out all kinds of food. And the food here? Oh boy. Let me just mention the mole Poblano; Mexico’s national dish which consists of a dark brown chili and chocolate sauce that can be used with anything and everything – from chicken to cake! Also the chile en nogada; bell peppers stuffed with picadillo; a mix of minced meat and spices, topped with a walnut sauce, pomegranate seeds and parsley. I’m actively salivating whilst writing this!

Whilst the city centre is as touristic as one might assume it is, it is still an important hangout spot for Pueblans, especially on weekends for dining out and shopping. The residential areas, on the other hand, looks much like most Latin American cities – colourful houses built out of concrete or limestone with corrugated iron roofs, the streets cluttered with murals, banners, posters and telephone lines.