After leaving our cold but cozy little cabana in Mineral Del Monte, we headed a couple of hours south to the town of Cholula, a “suburb” of Puebla, Mexico. We had visited Puebla last year, so we wanted to try something different in the area.

The AirBandB we rented was very new, and quite spartan, but we were about a 15-minute walk to the historic center, so location was a plus. They say there are 365 churches in Cholula, but we only looked at few of them from the outside. (We’re really not into visiting churches unless it’s some renowned Cathedral with super-duper stained glass or ornate carvings or something like that.)  We spent our days going to markets, finding good restaurants and best of all, visiting Tlachihualtepetl, aka the Great Pyramid of Cholula. (This is a very interesting and fun-to-read history of the pyramid) 

The Pyramid is said to be the largest pyramid known to exist in the world. Problem is, it really doesn’t look like much when you are standing at the bottom of the hill. But there is a grand church, the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remediosa, that was built on top of the pyramid (which was assumed at that time just to be a big-ass hill. And yes, we did go inside.)  There is a system of tunnels that also goes underground. There were frequent jam-ups of tourists in the narrow, low passageways, and I couldn’t get out of there soon enough!

After 4 days in Cholula, we moved on to Tlaxcala, a smaller historic city that was much more to our liking. As soon as we arrived, I had good vibes, and we set out to explore immediately, since we had only allotted three days here. Tlaxcala is the smallest capital of Mexico’s smallest State (Tlaxcala). It is a university town and has a young and vibrant vibe, with not one, but two central historic squares beside each other. It is a compact and colorful city, with a host of decent restaurants and lively bars.

The Zocalo, or main square, was the perfect place to people-watch. In my research, I read that the weekends are lively with impromptu bands, dancing and street entertainment. It did not disappoint, and we spent several hours just enjoying the scene. In most Mexican towns and cities, the Zocalo is often the size of a square city block, with benches, fountains and lots of vendors trying to sell you whatever they are selling. Typically, it is lined with mediocre restaurants. If you choose to eat at one of these restaurants, you had better be prepared to have your meal interrupted numerous times by children selling Chicklets or beads, musicians hoping to play you a tune, or shriveled, elderly people peddling everything from tapestries to tacky souvenirs. It gets old, but sometimes we will pay for a song or two.  Generally, the food is better (and environment more tranquil) when you get a few blocks away from the main square.

This is as close as I will EVER get to a bull ring. It is a statue of a bull in there now, but they still host bull fights.

Unlike Cholula with its Pyramid, there is no single main attraction in Tlaxcala, and thus it is not on many travel itineraries. We didn’t see another gringo here the whole time. Nor did anyone we spoke to speak, or understand, English, reinforcing our decision to attend Spanish school again this year. (More on that in an upcoming post). The elevation here is 2,239 m (7,346 ft), but the apartment we rented was a bit higher up a series of steep hills. Our lungs and legs got a good workout here.

While there, we visited a few museums and explored steep alleyways and local parks. We were sad to leave Tlaxcala, and highly recommend a visit to anyone visiting the Mexico City area. Which, by the way, is where we headed to next. And on the 2 1/2 hour drive, the views of the volcanoes Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuati took our breath away.  Until next time, Adios!