5 Fantastic Reasons Why You Should Study in Mexico’s Best Kept Secret City

More often than not, you’ll find yourself in the midst of some sort of celebration during your time studying in Puebla.

Perhaps the most famous one of all is the Day of the Dead, or Día de Muertos, which takes place every year on November 2. Where death is often considered an upsetting and grim subject, this Mexican holiday commemorates the dead with the offering of prayers, remembrance and celebration by their loved ones. Bright colors and flowers (marigolds in particular), adorn these celebrations as a way to signify the vibrancy of life.

Dining in any one of Puebla’s eateries will give you a real taste of the city’s rich culinary history.

Puebla is home to some of Mexico’s revolutionary foods. From the famous ‘Street of Sweets’ (Calle de los Dulces), to the hearty family kitchen where recipes for Puebla’s renowned mole poblano, a wonderous sauce made with herbs, chiles, chocolate and aromatic spices, are never quite the same.

Be sure to also try some of Puebla’s other delightful dishes while studying here, or forever regret it:

• Chalupas – small fried tortillas covered in shredded meat such as chicken and pork, chopped onions, peppers, as well as red and/or green salsa
• Molotes – fried quesadillas stuffed with different ingredients and covered in sauce and cream
• Chiles en nogada – chiles stuffed with a mixture of shredded meat and dozens of delicious and aromatic ingredients, including fruits and spices. It is said this dish was prepared for the first time in Puebla to welcome the future emperor Agustín de Iturbide
• Santa Clara cookies – covered in a delicious layer of pumpkin candy
• Cemita poblana – another famous Puebla dish

Studying abroad comes with all sorts of new opportunities, including trying new foods, speaking a new language and learning about a new culture. Rarely does it also provide the opportunity to explore ‘Magical Towns’ though.

In the state of Puebla, there are nine ‘Magical Towns’, named due to the unprecedented preservation of their cultural and historical roots and ancestral traditions. In these ‘Magical Towns’ visitors are welcome to explore wonders and sites which date back as far as 200 BC.

See how many you can tick off this list while you’re in Puebla:

• Atlixco – visit here and you’ll get the chance to see one of the most important volcanoes in Mexico, the Popocatépetl.
• Chignahuapan – a colorful site in the mountain ranges where you’ll be able to visit its hot springs and waterfall in Quetzalapa.
• Cholula – an impressive archeological zone with an impressive number of churches. The locals will tell you there are 365 churches here – one for each day of the year. It’s also home to the largest pyramid in the world, on which the Temple of the Virgin of Remedies now stands.
• Huauchinango – its incomparable natural beauty is surrounded by rivers and waterfalls.
• Pahuatlán – a natural site where beautiful crafts are made with amate (bark) paper and coffee of the best quality is produced.
• Cuetzalan – found in the middle of the mountains and notable for its cobbled streets, traditional white-painted houses and temples.
• Tlatlauquitepec – located in the mountains, Tlatlauquitepec still preserves its pre-Hispanic traditions and houses caves and hills for sports activities.
• Xicotepec de Juarez – one of the most important coffee towns in the region. The perfect place for all you coffee aficionados out there!
• Zacatlán de las Manzanas – where large areas of fruit grow, and different foods and drinks are produced.

After a long week of studying you’re going to want to get out there and explore a little bit – and there’s no better place for doing this than Puebla.

The state of Puebla is home to a vast wealth of mountain ranges, rivers, lakes, lagoons, waterfalls, caves, and even volcanoes, all ready for you to explore to your heart’s content.

Excursions to the Popocatépetl volcano, nicknamed the ‘smoking mountain’ and Iztaccíhuatl volcano, also known as ‘the sleeping woman’, are a popular venture for students and tourists alike.

But if climbing up a volcano isn’t quite your thing, how does climbing into a volcano sound? A curious visit to Cuexcomate, an inactive geyser and thought to be the world’s smallest volcano, allows visitors to make their descent into the crater using a spiral staircase.