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Quick answerPuebla is a city in Mexico, with 1,542,232 people inside the city limits in 2020. The wider metropolitan area had about 3.3 million people in 2020. It is best known for the Historic centre (UNESCO), the Talavera pottery and the Mole poblano. Its official language is Spanish, and its currency is the Mexican peso.
Puebla is the capital of Puebla state in east-central Mexico, with about 1.5 million people inside the city limits and about 3.3 million in the metropolitan area. Founded in 1531, its colonial historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage site, famous for Talavera pottery and mole poblano.
Key facts
| Country | Mexico |
|---|---|
| Population (city) | 1,542,232 (2020) |
| Population (metro) | 3,344,000 (2020) · Puebla–Tlaxcala metropolitan area, 2023 estimate (CIA World Factbook) |
| Elevation | 2135 m above sea level |
| Time zone | America/Mexico_City |
| Language | Spanish |
| Currency | Mexican peso (MXN, $) |
| Coordinates | 19.0333° N, 98.1833° W |
Overview
Puebla, formally Heroica Puebla de Zaragoza, is the capital and largest city of the state of Puebla, in east-central Mexico, about 100 kilometres south-east of Mexico City. The city had 1,542,232 residents in the 2020 census, while the Puebla-Tlaxcala metropolitan area held about 3.3 million people. It sits at 2,135 metres above sea level on the central plateau, with the volcanoes Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl in view.
Founded in 1531 as Puebla de los Angeles, the city was built on a grid plan as a Spanish settlement, not on an existing indigenous city. Its historic centre, with the cathedral, the Rosary Chapel of Santo Domingo and hundreds of colonial buildings covered in Talavera tiles, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987. The Battle of Puebla, fought here on 5 May 1862, is still celebrated every year as Cinco de Mayo.
Puebla is famous for its food: mole poblano, the rich chilli and chocolate sauce, and chiles en nogada, chillies stuffed with meat and fruit. The city is also a university town and an industrial centre, home to a large Volkswagen plant, and the Great Pyramid of Cholula, the largest pyramid by volume in the world, stands just to the west.
What Puebla is known for
- Historic centre (UNESCO)
- Talavera pottery
- Mole poblano
- Chiles en nogada
- Puebla Cathedral
- Battle of Puebla (Cinco de Mayo)
Landmarks
- Puebla Cathedral
- Rosary Chapel (Santo Domingo)
- Great Pyramid of Cholula (nearby)
- Palafoxiana Library
- Cuexcomate volcano
- Los Fuertes (Loreto and Guadalupe forts)
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Puebla?
About 1.5 million people live inside the Puebla city limits (1,542,232 in the 2020 census, according to INEGI). The wider Puebla-Tlaxcala metropolitan area had about 3.3 million people in 2023, according to the CIA World Factbook, making Puebla the fourth largest metropolitan area in Mexico.
Where is Puebla and what is it known for?
Puebla is in east-central Mexico, in the state of Puebla, about 100 kilometres south-east of Mexico City. It is the state capital and is known for its UNESCO-listed colonial historic centre, Talavera pottery, mole poblano and chiles en nogada, and the Battle of Puebla of 1862.
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Keep exploring
- Mexico — the country Puebla is in
- Mexico City — another city in Mexico
- Guadalajara — another city in Mexico
- Monterrey — another city in Mexico
- All cities in Mexico
- All countries — the full list
Sources & last updated
Last updated: . Figures are shown with their year; where sources disagree, the value is left out rather than estimated.