All cultured out...

I loved Queretaro - not many tours but fabulous historic buildings, exquisitely decorated churches, great shops and craft markets and a safe, clean and friendly environment with a lovely climate and NO MOSQUITOES and NO SISMOS.
Said goodbye on Friday and travelled by bus to Puebla - founded by Spanish settlers in 1531 as Ciudad de los Angeles.
I stayed at Hotel Provincia Express, five minutes from the Zocalo, which is a chain, but this one housed in a remarkable building, for mx$400 (£20) a night, incl. breakfast. My room was like a nun's cell with the most amazingly decorated vaulted ceiling. The receptionist told me this morning that the house was bought by an Arab 300 years ago and it was he who decorated all of the rooms; and they have subsequently been subdivided when it became a hotel. All of the corridors, stairs, ceilings - everything - were decorated with tiles or painted patterns.
Where Queretaro had its amazing craftsmanship mainly on the inside of the buldings, Puebla has its on the outside: talavera de Puebla - glazed tiles.
After being there for only an hour I was taking a city tour on a Tranvia Tram and had another one booked for Saturday morning to Cholula, home to the widest pyramid ever built: Piramide Tepanapapa. It's also on the other side of Popocatepetl & Iztaccihuatl (D.F.'s 2 volcanoes) plus an extra one: La Malinche, named for the very smart indigenous woman who was interpreter (and most probably more) to Hernan Cortes. The last 2 are dormant but el Popo is very much still active. If it blows 30 million people will be in jeopardy.
We visited Sanctuario de Nuestra Senora de los Remedios - a classic symbol of the Spanish building churches on the top of Aztec, or pagan, sites as a msrk of conquest.
But the one place which really touched me was Santa Maria Tonantzintla - the most beautiful church built by Franciscan monks in the churrigueresque style. Thousands of caras and caritas (faces)on the inside walls and ceilings supposed to represent all of the peoples of Puebla It has no crosses inside it, only outside, because (I think - the tour was in Spanish only) the indigenous people were afraid of that symbolism. While we were there some young people were being confirmed and, at 12 noon, the bells pealed 'Ave Maria' in its entirety - a totally memorable few minutes for me.
Puebla city, while historic, lacked the empathy of other cities I've visited. Maybe I'm overloaded. But, on the Friday night, in el centro, I started to notice armed police (nothing unusual in that) but with paddy wagons and riot shields stacked on riot helmets (like millefeuille supported by raspberries) and I thought - hold on: what's happening here? My taxi driver this morning said maybe it was a precaution. But against what I wonder. Anyway - nothing seemed to have happened. A football derby somewhere perhaps?
The most positive thing about my three days in Puebla was thst I was totally immersed in Spanish: talking, listening, understanding more and more: cos not a single person that I met spoke english.
I'm back in Cordoba now. Travelled back 2 hrs 45 mins (200+ km?) this afternoon first class: mx$180 - £9. Buses here are remarkably cheap, but sophisticated. In the top echalon you have First Class, Deluxe, GL and Platinum. The best ones are like business class - reclining seats, foot stools, individual video/music thingies, free snack and drink, toilets etc. And most non stop, or maybe one stop, to your destination.
Will post more photos tomorrow.
Thanks for keeping reading my ramblings xxx