Popocatépetl

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So I know it has been about a week since my last update, but I figured that anyone reading this probably would not care so much about my day-to-day whereabouts. Just to put a picture in your head, I am sitting on my rooftop terrace on a beautifully clear day. There is not a cloud in the sky, it is probably 75-80 degrees with a light breeze. To my left I have an unobstructed view of the snowcapped, active volcano of Popocatépetl (if you are interested we can hold an hour long class to practice the pronunciation) and to my right a have a perfect view of Malinche, a gorgeous mountain we have wanted to climb since we’ve been here. I also have a view of Nuestro Señora de los Remedios, a 1874 church that sits atop, an ancient pyramid that was inhabited before the birth of Christ, off in the distance. The only thing that would make this moment better, would be if I wasn’t fighting a cold and having to blow my nose every three seconds.

This past Friday we took a tour of Puebla, our metropolis of a city that sits east of Cholula. For those of you confused, we all live in Cholula and are about a 10-minute drive to Puebla. Puebla was founded in 1531 and is laid out much like New York City in a grid pattern. Like all of the towns and cities here in Mexico, it contains a zócalo and everything else seems to grow out beyond that center point. Since I have had a few questions about the word zócalo I will give you all a little more information about the term. Zócalo literally translated means “base of a pedestal” and this word was chosen because many years ago the powers that be in Mexico City decided to construct a statue in the middle of the center square and only got as far as the pedestal. Since then Mexicans have called the central square zócalo.

When we first arrived in Puebla we walked around some open-air shops down near the Barrio de Artistas. At one point in time this is where spinning wheels turned out thread that fed the Poblano clothing industry. Now this is a small area where artists gather to work on their portraits and still lifes. Unfortunately at the early hour in the morning that we visited there were no artists to be found, so I am figuring this area of Puebla deserves at least a second visit. After we meandered through some of the shops we wandered down Calle de las Dulces (Street of Sweets), but as amazing as it sounds they were lacking in the way of chocolate, which I was a little disappointed with. After our meandering and wandering, we went to Iglesia de Santo Domingo de Guzmán to see its Capilla del Rosario and then we went to the Catedral de Puebla. You will find that I do not have many pictures of either because to me, all of these churches and cathedrals start to look the same and I figured I did not need a million pictures of the same thing.

All and all I was a little disappointed with what we saw in Puebla as a group. From looking at my guide books and just wandering around I feel like there are much more interesting things to do in Puebla, so I am looking forward to exploring the city with some friends. Thus far, the group has been great and I think it is the people that are going to make this trip extra special. I have also started to notice that it really is a mixture of the simple things, like sitting on this terrace, relaxing, and the absurd things, like lucha libre, that make visiting places spectacular. It is great and wonderful to run around and see every single landmark in a city (you will certainly have a lot of pictures to look back on), but in my opinion it is a much better experience to slow down and take in the life of the people living in the city and just enjoy the moment. This weekend and a couple of days this week, I have met up with friends at the zócalo of Cholula to take pictures and explore the city. It is a great way to learn my away around here and get my bearings. Some days we just meet up for coffee or sit on a bench and read, either way it is making me feel so much more comfortable here.

Update on me: I am a little sick right now and having a hard time with the dry climate, but other than that everything has turned around 180 degrees. I am much more relaxed in the way of just hanging out wandering around and spending time with my new family (the mom is CRAZY), so all and all everything is great. This Friday we are heading to Oaxaca and I am looking forward to exploring another colonial Mexican town. I’ve been reading about it and I think I am going to love it. That’s all for now. Hope everything is great and I will update you on my weekend next week.

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