Back to Puebla, Mexico

I decided to go back to Puebla after Mexico City. I had 2 days in which to get to Oaxaca where I had reserved an Airbnb for 2 months. Puebla was so nice that I wanted to go back and spend a day there.

Mexico City to Puebla

Puebla isn’t that far from Mexico City. I had already gone from Teotihuacán to Puebla, and then Puebla to Mexico City via the free road. So although I wanted to avoid the toll roads, I decided to take the toll road back to Puebla from Mexico City for some different scenery rather than re-tracking.

It was so nice riding on a nicely paved road with little traffic and no speed bumps. The scenery was pretty awesome too.

Loa Inn Centro Puebla

This time in Puebla I was staying at the Loa Inn Centro Puebla. It was a little further away from the downtown than the Hotel Senorial, but it looked a bit nicer.

I arrived early but they had my room ready. It was really nice. Looked newly re-done.

Puebla

I really liked Puebla when I was there last. There was a nice plaza with lots of restaurant patios around it. I planned on just relaxing at these.

The next day that is what I did. However, I encountered quite a large demonstration outside the city hall.

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It appeared to me to be more of a celebration in the honor of Fidel Castro who had recently died.

Fidel Castro

Obviously Fidel Castro was a polarizing figure. It was evident that the people at this protest supported him and lamented his passing.

I was getting similar feedback from my old home in Nambia where Fidel Castro is considered a hero in their liberation from Apartheid and taking back their country. I remember when I was their walking into the Chief of Police’s home and seeing a picture of Fidel Castro proudly displayed in his living room. It seemed odd at the time until I started my research into the history of Namibia for my Masters Degree.

At the same time, I was receiving posts from people in Canada and the US saying he was a terrible dictator who killed political prisoners.

Aggravating the situation in Canada was when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said of Fidel Castro, “We join the people of Cuba today in mourning the loss of this remarkable leader.”

Both sides seemed to be saying this is who Fidel Castro was.

In my view, the world and people are not that simple. The two views of Fidel Castro do not have to be mutually exclusive. People are not wholly bad or good. We do both good and bad in our lives. Fidel Castro did both good and bad as well. Now it can certainly be argued that he did more bad than good or vice versa. A lot of it depends on your perspective, bias and experiences. For my friends in Namibia he was a liberator and they will be forever grateful. To others who fled to the US he was a tyrant and killed colleagues.

Everything seems so polarizing these days and absent of rational thought. People are hardened in their positions and depend them to the end regardless of evidence to the contrary. I don’t like it. I guess rather than seeing things as right and wrong, black or white, I see things in various shades of gray. People should be open to their views not be entirely correct and willing to change. Also, we need a more calm and reasoned conversation absent from name calling.

I remember a university friend I had. We disagreed on everything ha ha. But we really enjoyed talking about the issues. There was no name calling and we remained friends.

Ok … I have really digressed ha ha ha. But I had to get that out 🙂

My Route for November 29, 2016

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My Location for November 30, 2016

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Surprised in Puebla

I had an extra day before I my Airbnb reservation in Mexico City. I decided to go to Puebla where I read in a blog they had a nice church. I was really just killing time. But I was surprised in Puebla!

EnRoute

Now everyone knows I am a Starbucks fan. We have a long history together. In Mexico there are quite a few in the major centres. However, more prevalent is the Italian Coffee Company.

What makes then really handy for breaks is that they are often right along the main road next to gas stations. Today’s trip to Puebla was no different. I really enjoy my morning coffee.

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Italian-coffee

Hotel Senorial

I got a really good price for a nice hotel not far from downtown Puebla. Well below my meager accomodation budget 🙂 It was a small room with no air conditioning. But they supplied a fan. And there was secure parking for my motorcycle.

I only had the evening to explore the town so I set off right away for the plaza in the downtown. Boy was I surprised. SOOOOOO nice.

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For my entertainment while I was having something to eat at the plaza, I watched a demonstration outside the city hall, and the police tactical unit response.

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tactical-unit

La Compañia Templo del Espíritu Santo or Temple of the Company

The churches in Mexico are always a highlight and are central to the city. It seemed even more so in Puebla. The La Compañia Templo del Espíritu Santo or Temple of the Company is really nice.

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The history according to Wikipedia is:

The first Jesuits arrived in Puebla de los Angeles in 1572 at the request of some bishops, like the Yucatan, for the instruction of the natives. By the 1580s they already owned the land where they founded their school and the original temple that would serve them. Parents who were held in 1587 alms received a major gift of Captain Melchor de Covarruvias who was a Spanish merchant grana inhabitant of the city since 1581 and a member of a distinguished and influential family. Covarrubias received the title of founder of the Temple and of the College of the Holy Spirit. At his death on May 25, 1592, the order inherited the remainder of his property.

The Jesuits undertook the works for the construction of the new temple in 1583 concluding it in 1600, year of its consecration. In 1666, Father Pedro Valencia, rector of the College hired Diego Marin, master gilder and architect whitening, gild and decorate their vaults with plasterwork style works mannerist . The work contract specifies among other things:

“In the vault that falls on the presbytery and high altar of relief the Holy Spirit and on the sides two shields with the arms of Don Melchor de Covarruvias, distinguished founder of the said college”

By 1759, however, the first building did not far exceed the village around it, it had a single tower and was licensed to use part of the square opposite as a cemetery, according to Medina’s plans.

The works of ornamentation of the teacher Diego Marín did not subsist because they were replaced by the works of edification of the definitive church, begun in 1746 by the master architect José Miguel de Santa María, considered the latter a true master of Baroque Puebla architecture. From Santa Maria, he was a mestizo, a native of the city who became master, and who died a few months after dedicating the temple was among the first to be buried in it. After the rebuilding of the magnificent temple was blessed by Bishop Francisco Fabian and Fuero in 1767, a few months before the expulsion of the Jesuits not only of New Spain but Spain itself. After being closed for several years, he served as a parish of Sagrario late eighteenth century . At the beginning of the next century towers they were completed by the behest of Bishop Manuel Gonzalez del Campillo . The altarpiece dating from 1927 was designed by the architect Luis G. Olvera. The temple remained in the hands of the Jesuit fathers from 1888 to 1978, when it was ceded to the archbishopric. Because university conflict, the dome was damaged, causing the altar painting had a considerable deterioration, which was restored by the artist Emilio Morales Gómez poblano currently serves the Angelopolitana Cathedral as assistant to administer the sacrament of confirmation.

However, even more impressive was the Puebla Cathedral.

Puebla Cathedral

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I walked around the cathedral a few times just taking it all in. Truly magnificent.

According to Wikipedia:

On January 24, 1557 Viceroy Martín Enríquez (1562–80) authorized construction. The design was submitted to the Dean and Cathedral Chapter on November 11, 1557. Construction began in November 1575, under the direction of architect Francisco Becerra and Juan de Cigorondo. Construction was interrupted in 1626 but in 1634 Juan Gómez de Trasmonte modified the design and construction began again in 1640 when Bishop Juan de Palafox y Mendoza arrived with the appointment of visitor-general of New Spain and bishop of Puebla. The cathedral was in bad shape when Palafox arrived in 1640, the building not yet completed and unconsecrated. When Palafox lost his struggle with the Jesuits and viceroy Salvatierra, he was appointed bishop to a minor diocese in Spain, but before he left New Spain in 1649 he devoted considerable energy to completing the cathedral and its consecration. The renovation over nine years had cost 350,000 pesos, engaged 1,500 workers under the supervision of an Aragonese Pedro García Ferrer. The ceremony of consecration was set for April 18, 1649, and for Palafox was not only the culmination of the massive building project, but also his grand farewell to his diocese. The Cathedral was consecrated to the Virgin Mary in a huge and emotional ceremony, with civil and religious participants, the reburial of the remains of previous prelates, brilliant musical performances, and a sermon by Palafox himself in his final farewell to his flock

It was not entirely completed until 1690. The front façade was built out of a black limestone, and it has two towers, the tallest in Mexico, one of which has no bells. According to legend, an underground river passes under that tower and if bells were placed in it, the tower would collapse.

City Hall

Even the Puebla City Hall was nice.

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city-hall

Puebla at Night

I decided to go out at night a see these same spots. It was mesmerizing.

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I decided then that I would come back to Puebla and spend more time.

My Route for November 23, 2016

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