We have visited a few of Mexico’s magical towns (pueblos mágicos). The Mexican government highlights and promotes these small towns for their special tourist or “magical” qualities of beauty, history, culture, or nature.

The designation of pueblos mágicos is like that of a UNESCO World Heritage Site; however, pueblos mágicos are only found in Mexico. It is a great honor for a town to be a pueblo mágico.

There are 132 pueblos mágicos in Mexico. We have visited eight and wrote about them in previous blogs.

While in Puebla, we visited two enchanting and charming pueblos mágicos.

Atlixco

We hired a guide and driver to take us to this charming village located about an hour north of Puebla. Atlixco lies at the foot of the Popocatétl volcano which is still active today. We wanted to hike to the volcano but unfortunately, could not because the hike is unsafe during rainy season.

Atlixco is known for its flowers. The town hosts the annual Festival de la Flor (Flower Festival) in the last two weeks of March. In the northwest part of the town, there are many viveros (nurseries) lining the streets and roads.

On weekends, people from all around Atlixco as well as Puebla and Mexico City come into town to purchase hundreds of species of flowers, plants, trees, and shrubbery. We visited one of the many, large nurseries. The price of small plants and flowers are dirt cheap (no pun intended). A large fern basket cost only 60 cents. It is no wonder the nurseries are such an attraction.

Flowers decorate the streets and parks of Atlixco and restaurants, shops and historic stone buildings surround the town square (Zócalo). The brightly painted buildings add to the beauty and charm of this small town.

We tried handcrafted ice creams with flavors of mezcal, mole poblano, chili en nogada and beer. Afterwards, we visited a nursery to admire hundreds of species of plants, trees, and flowers. We also visited a historic 16^th century church. Like the churches in Puebla and other Latin American cities, the church in Atlixca is very ornate. It was a very relaxing day strolling around the streets and the historic town center.

Cholula

Cholula is the most popular of the eight pueblos mágicos in the state of Puebla. Indigenous people established Cholula between 800 and 200 BC and is considered to be the oldest city in Mexico. It is a quick 6-mile drive from Puebla.

The Great Pyramid of Cholula

Cholula boasts the world’s largest pyramid. The Great Pyramid of Cholula, also known as TIachihualtepetl, which means “made-by-hand mountain” in the language of Nahuatl. It is the widest pyramid ever built and is 1,476 feet wide by 213 feet high. By volume, it is larger than the pyramids in Egypt. Most of the pyramid is still covered by soil and vegetation but enough of it has been excavated to see its structure.

Archaeologists dug miles of tunnels into the pyramid to determine its size and structure. Some of the tunnels are open to the public but have been closed due to the pandemic. The Piramide Tepanap is a series of stacked pyramids, one layered on top of the other.

As in other towns in Latin America, after the Spaniards conquered the area, they built a church on top of the pyramid.

Santuario de la Virgen de los Remedios

The Spanish began constructing Our Lady of Remedies Church in 1594 on top of the TIachihualtepetl Pyramid. An earthquake destroyed the church in 1864 and it was rebuilt in 1874.

It is a little bit of a hike uphill to enter the church. From the top, there is a fantastic view of the Cholulteca Valley and the Popocatepetl volcano in the distance.

Parque Soria

At the base of the pyramid, there is a park that hosts a market, food trucks, carnival rides, and events. On a Sunday which we expected to be a quiet day, we visited this park and were surprised by all the activities. The festive atmosphere exists every Sunday and families flock to the area to spend time together. One street was lined with food trucks and tables, so people were eating, relaxing, and taking in the festive scene.

There were children’s carnival rides at the other end of the park. Located next to the ruins were the bustling outdoor souvenir market, street food vendors, Mexican pole flyers (Danza de los Voladores), Indigenous dancing, and traditional healers.

Licor de Pasita

A well-known local drink in Cholula and Puebla is Licor de Pasita. This semi-sweet liquor is made from raisins. It is popular with tourists in Puebla and can also be found in some of the small towns around Puebla.

We found the liquor to be sweet and flavorful with a hint of raisin flavor. It was paired with a mild, white cheese that contrasted with the liquor’s sweetness.

In our travels, we usually stay in the larger cities. The large cities offer a lot of things to see and experience. But the smaller towns offer a unique insight into the history, culture, and daily life. The next time you find yourself in Mexico, step away and visit a pueblo mágico. It will be magical.