Puebla, Mexico... A Tour of the City

My second day in Puebla started out with a tour of the city.

Puebla is known for it's renaissance, gothic, baroque and neoclassic architecture. The city was named a World Heritage Site in 1987.

This is the cathedral at the central zocalo. The Cathedral took 300 years to complete. The complex consists of fourteen chapels in various styles with numerous artistic works such as the main cupola and the main altar, both decorated by Cristóbal de Villalpando. The facade is classified as late Baroque in transition to Neoclassical, with Doric and Corinthian columns. Its bell towers stand at just under 70 meters high, the tallest in Mexico.

There is this nice modern sculpture in front of the cathedral and I found it an interesting contrast. But it does demonstrate how the town of Puebla appreciates a wide spectrum of art.

The Biblioteca Palafoxiana (Palafoxiana Library) was established in 1646 by Juan de Palafox y Mendoza for the Seminary of Puebla. He donated his own collection of 5,000 books to the College of San Juan to start the collection. It was the first library in the Americas and is the only one to survive to the present day.

Classic

The details in the design of these buildings...

...demonstrates simply amazing craftsmanship...

...I found myself looking up while walking and bumping into people.

This is a typical doorway... nothing special.

La Casa de Senora de Lourdes was a bit unique.

Fort Loreto and Fort Guadalupe were instrumental to the Battle of Puebla on 5 May 1862.

The Iglesia de la Compañía was a nice church with a very ornate sanctuary.

Nice frescos

It is said the the China Poblana remains were laid to rest beneath the alter.

There was really too much to see in one or two days. So I decided to stay another day.