Best of Puebla

Despite its large size, Puebla feels remarkably relaxed, particularly in its historic center, a UNESCO World Heritage site that’s packed with colonial treasures. Some of the city’s finest sights date back many centuries, such as the Cathedral of Puebla with its dazzling, fresco-covered interior, and the 17th-century buildings of the Museo Amparo, housing pre-Hispanic artifacts. Aside from strolling through the scenic center, food-loving Puebla is a fine place to take a cooking class. There are also opportunities to delve deeper into ancestral culinary traditions on a visit to the market of Cholula, where you can learn about Mexico’s age-old cultivation of corn.

There’s much to discover in the so-called “City of Angels.” Previous kimkim travelers have enjoyed hands-on craft workshops where they learned how to make talavera, Puebla’s unique pottery that reflects the cultural syncretism of Spain and Mexico. Community tours in neighboring Tlaxcala visit maguey (agave) plantations to learn about the elaboration of pulque, the oldest drink in Mexico. The mountain peaks near Puebla offer ample adventures. On the slopes of Volcán Popocatepetl, naturalist guides lead exhilarating hikes while providing insight into volcanology.