December 21,

I got into Puebla into the hotel. Margarita in early evening. I absolutely loved the hotel which appears to be housed in an old Convent.

By the time I got settled in it was around 8:00 and I was starving. Problem was everything was closed. The hotel staff couldn’t have been sweeter and the young lady even walked me to a street where I finally found a sort of a tapas place that was open and I had a very mediocre bacalao dish. At least it was something.

December 22

Today’s project was visiting the Cholula archaeological site. It’s one of the oldest continuously occupied places on earth and the site of the Cholula culture which later became allied with the Aztecs as part of the Triple Alliance. Unfortunately for them as it turned out. More on that later.

It’s also the site of the world’s largest pyramid looming over the ruins of the once great city.

I set out early but getting there was a bit of an expedition. First I had to trek across town to catch one of the minibuses that shuttle out to the town. It took about an hour and then I walked across town to find that the archaeological zone was closed on Mondays! Bummer.

The town was jam-packed with Mexican tourists though, here to see the other great site, the Our Lady of Remedies church built on top of the pyramid by the Spanish. Take that pagans!

Climbing up to that church made me appreciate the true scale of the pyramid. It was so high and so steep I thought it would be the end of me.

But I made it and the church was well worth it. I had never seen a church interior quite like it and I’ve seen a LOT of churches! I can understand why it was a major pilgrimage site.

So much gilt! Signs were all over the place warning you not to touch anything.

Naturally the view from the top was spectacular and included the two volcanos that encouraged early inhabitants to build there.

After, I caught a glimpse of the bottom of the pyramid through the gates.

Nearly all of the top part is covered with dirt and grass. I quickly calculated how I could rejigger my itinerary to return when the site was open.

Meanwhile I wandered through the ancient town where there are only one story buildings

I also wandered through the market to pick up a few made-in-cholula items along with the rest of the tourists. After a refreshing mocha frappe I made my way back to Puebla, arriving in late afternoon and, frankly, exhausted.

A few hours later I had recuperated enough to head to the Zocalo in time to see a magnificent display of folk dancing interspersed with waltzes to traditional European Xmas tunes. It was an hour of pure joy that reminded me why I put up with endless bus rides,  traffic,a sour stomach and sore feet. The magic of travel.

I closed the evening with a delicious chicken with 3 mole sauces