Puebla & Oaxaca

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After a two hour bus journey I arrived in the beautiful colonial city of Puebla. As the bus was winding through the streets, I was reminded of a realisation I had whilst in Mexico City: any footpath or park is essentially vendor space. I have never seen so many people selling wares on the street as I have in Mexico. It's quite phenomenal and my mind wonders how they manage to eke out a living considering the ample competition, but they must. The great aspect of it all is that they appear to be frequented by Mexicans, not tourists, so it has an authentic feel.

Anyway, back to Puebla. Hernán Cortés established this city very near the important Aztec religious centre of Cholula, which was no coincidence. After he discovered a plot to have his forces attacked, he swiftly decimated the Aztec population residing there and stated that he would have a church built in Cholula for each day of the year. To this end, any temple or pyramid that was standing in Cholula was swiftly knocked down or simply built upon. One church even stands upon the apex of the second largest pyramid in the world! From this viewpoint, one clearly sees the multiple church spires ascending into the sky; however, there are probably 40, as opposed to 365. Still, Cortés was obviously not a man to be crossed. He had Puebla built in such a manner that it was to become the focal town of the area, diminishing the importance of nearby Cholula. Whilst all this is typical of the Spanish conquest, one cannot take away from the character of the streets and buildings in Puebla. The interior of the many churches are typically gilded in a baroque style, with Santo Domingo housing a chapel that is blinding in its golden brilliance. The Zócalo has a fountain at its centre and many people find the time to take a seat amidst the gardens, finding a moment of repose whilst watching the sun set behind the spires of the cathedral. I honestly felt like I was in Europe. I guess I should blame Hollywood, or maybe my naïvety, or maybe both, but I expected Mexico to be a place littered with dusty towns, mariachi bands and defiant cactus species surviving in a barren landscape. The last has turned out to be true, but the other assumptions have been quite off the mark. I have found a few dusty settlements, but it turns out that Mexico is a country that continues to surprise me.

From Puebla, I headed to Oaxaca (pronounced wah-harka), which turned out to be another colonial Mexican city that possessed expansive fountained plazas, impressive churches and cathedrals, street sellers and great local food. On my first full day, I ventured an hour out of town in a van before disembarking for a walk through the hills to a petrified waterfall. This stroll took an hour or so and provided me with some solace and a snapshot of the dusty towns I had pictured in my mind prior to setting foot in Mexico. Therefore, I was happy before I even reached my destination. The petrified waterfall is the result of mineral rich water ever so slowly dripping over a cliff, resulting in huge stalactite-like formations, possessing all of the hues of an iceberg that has freed itself from a glacier. It does actually have the appearance of a static waterfall, which was quite cool to gaze at with the numerous valleys and mountain ranges in the background. The other highlight of this location is the swimming hole formed as a result of the same water that is bubbling its way through the surface nearby. The colour of the water is akin to glacial water (in temperature as well as colour) and it was probably the most spectacular scenery I have ever gazed at from the edge of a swimming hole.

Later this same day I headed to a mezcal factory, learning how they produce the local alcohol, which is even more potent than tequila in its purest form. It is a remarkable process that takes some time; however, I seemed to be rather keen to head to the tasting station where I enjoyed sampling a number of variations of this concoction. It should come as no surprise that I emerged from the factory with a fresh bottle under my arm to be enjoyed at a later date during my travels through Mexico.

One of the most impressive sites around Oaxaca is Monte Albán, which is the mountaintop ruins of a civilisation which dates back to 500 B.C., making it one of the earliest cities of Mesoamerica. There is undeniable evidence of trade with Teotihuacán, which is some considerable distance away, indicating the importance of these two once great cities. The city was built in a strategic location, affording the inhabitants sweeping panoramic views of the surrounding valley. When I reached the top of the highest set of steps and turned around, I was gobsmacked by both the scale of the city and the views I was taking in. The central plaza is immense and one can easily imagine how grand the city would have once appeared when all of its temples and assorted buildings were maintained in their full splendour.

I finished my time in Oaxaca by challenging my stomach to some more Mexican spices and wandering through the markets, marvelling at some of the work being done by the local artisans. From here, I am bracing myself for an overnight bus journey to San Cristóbal de las Casas, which is the next stop on the Mexican leg of my journey.

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