Shopping

Puebla is the home of Talavera -- a type of brightly colored, thickly decorated majolica earthenware. The Moors developed the technique for making it and founded workshops in Spain, in a town called Talavera in the 9th century. After the discovery of the New World, artisans brought the method to Puebla. And now, ironically, the making of Talavera has all but died out in Spain, but here it is practiced with great pride and fervor. There is even an association of Talavera makers in Puebla and Cholula that establishes standards and certifies manufacturers. To be officially certified, a workshop must use only the traditional methods and ingredients (no commercial ceramic mix or glazes); practically everything must be done by hand. There's no restriction on artistic taste, just the methods for making Talavera. So there's a good bit of variety from one workshop to another. The genuine article is not cheap, so you should look around in the showrooms until you learn how to discern the cheap knock-offs from the real stuff and find a piece you prefer over other styles.

If you're interested in watching people make Talavera, consider a workshop tour; several workshops offer one. Uriarte Talavera, Calle 4 Poniente 911 (tel. 222/232-1598), charges 20 pesos for its tour, but other places are free. The factory showroom has an impressive facade made completely of Talavera. And inside you'll see some great pieces displayed. There are 9 or 10 other certified manufacturers. Some use more modern patterns; some are more traditional. A couple of makers are in Cholula. One workshop has a small restaurant in downtown Puebla that serves meals on its own Talavera. It's a pretty little place called Talavera Celia, at Calle 5 Oriente 608 (tel. 222/242-3663). There's one workshop in the Parián area -- Talavera Armando, at Calle 6 Norte 408 (tel. 222/232-6468). If enough people are around, they'll get a free tour. Talavera de la Luz specializes in large maps and panoramic views rendered in Talavera tiles. It has shown some of its largest pieces in museums in the United States.

The Mercado de Artesanías (El Parián) is a pedestrian-only, open-air shopping area just east of Calle 6 Norte between calles 2 and 6 Oriente. You'll see rows of neat brick shops selling inexpensive crafts and souvenirs. The shops are open daily from 10am to 8pm. Bargain to get a good price. While you're in this area, you can take a look at the Teatro Principal.

For antiques browsing, go to Callejón de los Sapos (Alley of the Frogs), about 3 blocks southeast of the zócalo near Calle 4 Sur and Calle 7 Oriente. Wander in and out; there's good stuff, large and small. Shops are generally open daily from 10am to 2pm and 4 to 6pm. On Saturday mornings, there's a flea market in the little square. If you're there between 12:30 and 5:30pm, stop by La Pasita, across Calle 5 from the Plaza de los Sapos, to taste homemade cordials and browse through the owner's humorous collection of Mexicana. Start with a pasita, then work your way up to a China Poblana -- a layered cordial of red, white, and green liqueurs.

If you're out walking around Puebla, you might amble over to a short stretch of Calle 6 Oriente between 4 Norte and 5 de Mayo. It has a few picturesque sweet shops selling candies for which Puebla is known, including camotes (sweets made from yams in various flavors), which are very popular with Mexicans but are not to my taste. There's also a Victorian-era shopping mall made of wrought iron, which has been fixed up nicely: Ex-Mercado La Victoria, which is behind Santo Domingo.