Biological Physics
Supramolecular Structures Lab
Lösche Group
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Physical and Chemical Aspects of Molecular BiologyPuebla
Founded as Ciudad de los Ángeles by Spanish settlers in 1531, Puebla is a lively city with a population of 1.5 million today. Located ~ 100 km/60 mi SE of Mexico City on the road to Veracruz, it is set in a broad valley with the Iztaccíhuatl and Popocatépetl (alt. 5,400 m/17,800 ft) volcanos rising at a distance of ~ 40 km/25 mi to the West. The city preserves its Spanish imprint as faithfully as few cities in the country, with more than 70 churches and more than 1,000 colonial buildings in the Centro Històrico alone. This is also where the conference hotel, the Camino Real, is located. Many of the historic buildings are decorated with azulejos, or painted ceramic tiles, which Puebla is famous for. Consequently, the Centro Històrico is a World Heritage Site, with many buildings carefully restored and conserved on the one hand, and is prosperously modern with fancy boutiques on the other.
Fine pottery had always been crafted from local clay, and in the 18th century, the city diversified into textile and glass manufacture as an art and as an industry. If you find places and streets named “Cinco de Mayo” all over the country it is due to the fact that General Ignacio de Zaragoza defeated French invaders, who outnumbered them by a factor of 3, on that date in 1862 at the heavily fortified Cerro de Guadalupe. (Never mind that the reinforced French troops seized and occupied the city in the following year.)
Orientation
The city’s spacious, shady zócalo, rimmed by the Puebla cathedral to its South, is just 3 blocks northeast of the conference hotel. This cathedral, built over a period of 100 years after an early start in ~1550 and rising to 70 m/200 ft of height, is important enough to decorate the 500 peso bill. The NW corner of the zócalo is the origin of Puebla’s coordinate system, with Av. Reforma dividing the North from the South and Cinco de Mayo (what else?)/16 de Septiembre separating West from East. Even numbered Avenidas poniente (“West”) resp. Avenidas oriente (“East”) are north of Reforma and odd numbered avenidas are to the South. Similarly, 5 de Mayo/16 de Septiembre divides odd numbered Calles Norte and Calles Sur (to the West) from even numbered calles (to the East). – For example, the Camino Real, located at Av. 7 Poniente 105, is just 3 blocks S of Reforma (Reforma serves as 1 poniente, and then you cross 3, 5 and 7 poniente as you head South) and 1 block West (“poniente”) of 16 de Septiembre. Easy enough, right?
Sightseeing
Must-see locations include the Casa de Cultura that occupies the block S of the cathedral (Av. 5 Oriente 5; open daily 10am - 8pm) and is located in the old bishop’s palace with a café and bookstore in its courtyard and the Bibliotheca Palafoxiana holding thousands of rare books, such as the 1493 Nürnberg/Nuremberg Chronicle; the Museo Amparo (Calle 2 Sur 708; 10am - 6pm Wed-Mon), an excellent pre-Hispanic and colonial arts museum; the Museo Poblano de Arte Virreinal (Calle 4 Norte 203; 10am - 5pm Tues-Sun), housed in the 17th century Hospital de San Pedro, hosting exhibits of the vice-regal period (16th to 19th century); the Templo de Santo Domingo with its Capilla del Rosario (5 de Mayo and Av 4 Oriente); and the Museo de Arte Popular Poblano (Av. 14 Poniente 305, 10am - 5pm Tues-Sun), located in a 17th century ex-nunnery, a good starting point to make an inroad into Poblano (Pueblo State) handicrafts. Note that this is an arbitrary selection. We could also point you to the Casa de los Muñecos, the Iglesia de la Compañia, or the Museo Casa del Alfeñique, all within walking distance from the zócalo.
Shopping & Entertainment
Both shopping and evening entertainment is plentiful in the Centro Històrico. Check out the shops along Av. 18 Poniente west of the Museo de Arte Popular Poblano for ceramics. Authentic pottery may be found at the Talavera Uriarte (Av. 4 Poniente 911, 9am - 6pm Mon-Fri, tigher schedule on Sat/Sun). The state-run handicraft shop Patio de los Geranios (Av. 7 Oriente near the Casa de la Cultura) is good for indigenuous textiles and pottery, as is the El Párian Crafts Market (Calle 6–8 Norte & Avs 2–4 Oriente). – Live music can be sampled at the Libreria Cafeteria Teorema (Av. Reforma 540; starting around 9:30pm), the Convento de las Carolinas (Av. 3 Oriente 403), popular with students from the nearby university, La Bella Epoca (Av. 5 Oriente 209), or the nearby Casanova Bar (Av. 3 Oriente 615). Even more choices line the Zona Esmeralda, approx. 1 mi West of the zócalo, on Av. Juarez near Blvd. Norte.
Cuisine
Finally, Puebla is pretty well renowned for its assault on your taste buds. Mole poblano – the famous spicy sauce with jalapeño and chocolate, chili and almonds, pepper and peanuts, cinnamon and tomato, and aniseed, onion, garlic, ..., that is often served over chicken or turkey – is imitated throughout México and beyond. However, it is supposedly been created by Andrea de Assunción on occasion of a viceroy’s visit at the Convento de Santa Rosa, now housing the Museo de Arte Popular. There are many other local treats to discover. Just ask the locals for advice. Around the zócalo, interesting menus are found at the Royalty (North side of the zócalo, for breakfast or – later – tasty fish and meat dishes), the Sacristia (Calle 6 Sur 304, authentic Poblano cuisine), the Fonda de Santa Clara (Calle 3 Poniente 307, again, Poblano fare) or simply the La Poblana (Av 7 Oriente 17, guess what?). You can expect to leave any of these places with a check that doesn’t exceed $10 per person for dinner. Again, this selection is greatly incomplete, and (almost) arbitrary. Around the zócalo there are many Cáfes to finish up. Whatever you do, remember that México has very decent beers. Do not drink open water.