Puebla

The name of the city of Puebla de Los Angeles comes from a legend from the first half of the 16th century, which says that Angels stepped from the sky to designate the shape of a new city where Spanish settlers could settle, and all this dreamed to Archbishop Santo Domingo Toribio, who in 1531 year decided to found a city in these areas.

After Mexico gained independence (1821), Puebla became an important cultural center. An important event is also the battle that took place near the city on 5 May 1862. The French intervention was defeated by several times smaller Mexican army under the command of General Ignacio Zargaroza.

At the turn of XIX and XX century, Puebla was an important center for Mexico's culture and economy. The rapidly growing textile industry attracted immigrants looking for work. Puebla has become the Mexican "Promised Land" for many workers from Europe who came to the city mainly from Germany, Italy and Spain. To this day in Puebla you can see European influences, manifested primarily in architecture, traditions and local festivals taking place in Puebla such as Octoberfest.

In the old part of the city there is still a lot of postcolonial architecture and many monuments inscribed on the UNESCO list. Unfortunately, many buildings were destroyed in the 1999 earthquake. In recent years, some of the historic buildings have been restored to their former glory.

The city center is a countless number of streets arranged in a checkerboard typical of American cities (all streets intersect at a right angle), on which there are fabulously decorated tenement houses. One of the most famous tenement houses is Casa de los Muňecos (Doll House), on the front of which caricatures of officials are placed, who brought the owner of the tenement to court, just because his house was larger and more lavish than their houses.

The main square called Zocalo has remained the heart of the city for centuries. Here, for centuries you can buy traditional crafts, eat traditional local dishes and listen to local musicians and watch the art of local artists. Centuries ago, the Main Square was also a place of public executions.

Puebla was a religious center of Mexico in pre-Hispanic times, so it's no wonder that there are now about 70 richly decorated churches and cathedrals in the whole city. The most famous cathedral in Puebla was built at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries in the neoclassical style and is located near the Main Square. It has the highest church tower in the whole of Mexico (69 meters), in which there are a number of stately bells.

Mexican cuisine is of course characteristic to Puebla - one of the most popular in the world. Food from Puebla - Cocina Poblana - conquers the hearts of gourmets. Probably the most famous dish of the region is mole poblano - chocolate sauce with cinnamon, nuts, chili pepper, served with turkey meat. The city is also famous for many types of small, hot peppers - chili, which generously seasoned the vast majority of local dishes. Lovers of extreme culinary sensations will definitely want to try maguey and escamole. The first is a delicacy from caterpillars feeding on agave, the second is their eggs served with avocados or chicken eggs.

Fans of motorization will also find many attractions for themselves. There is a track in Puebla that regularly hosts the WTCC - the world touring car racing championship organized by the FIA since 2005. Lovers of beautiful cars visiting Pueblo will have the opportunity to visit the Automobile Museum, which has a collection of wonderful, rare vintage and classic cars. Among them is Papa Mobile, which was used by Pope John Paul II during one of his trips to Mexico. In turn, in the National Railway Museum - Railroads - located in the old Mexicano station you can admire the unique specimens of trains including from the oldest steam to the most modern type Diesel. Red double-decker buses are also an attraction for tourists. double-deckers, also called "turibuses", thanks to which you can admire the architecture of Puebla and monuments located in the city center.

The state of Puebla is famous for the largest number of universities in the country. In the capital itself, i.e. in the city of Puebla, there are about 20 universities, both state-run and private. The most popular of them are:

1. la Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla
2. la Universidad del Valle de Puebla
3. la Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla
4. el Instituto Tecnológico de Puebla

On the occasion of the anniversary of 20 years of partner cooperation between Łódź and Puebla, the Film Museum in Łódź, in cooperation with the United States Embassy of Mexico in Poland and the City of Łódź, organized a series of events regarding the life and work of one of the most recognizable Mexican artists: Frida Khalo and Diego Rivera.

The programme includes: an exhibition of photographs "Frida and Diego. Long live the life!", A multimedia presentation by Gregorio Luke entitled:" Frida life and times ", the results of the competition for participants for the best disguise entitled "Dress like Frida Kahlo", as well as the Mexican cinema cycle entitled: "Mexico Frida Kahlo" (detailed information in Polish >>>)

Kitchen enthusiasts could participate in free cooking workshops at BOOK & COOK Studio with the participation of the chef of the Mexican Embassy, Ms. Pamela Montellano, an expert in the preparation of Mexican cuisine.

At the end of a series of events related to the jubilee, an exhibition of dresses by Isabel March, inspired by the paintings of Frida Kahlo, was presented at the Cinematography Museum in Łódź.

On Friday, 30 June 2017, the Ambassador of the United States of Mexico Alejandro Negrín Muñoz paid a visit to Łódź, and met the Mayor of Łódź Hanna Zdanowska. It was the first visit to Łódź of the diplomat from Mexico. The meeting was informative.

On the occasion of the 2nd Forum of Partner Cities in Łódź, delegations from 7 partner cities visited the city: Russia (Kaliningrad, Ivanovo), Ukraine (Lviv, Odessa), Finland (Tampere), Georgia (Rustavi), Mexico (Puebla).