Puebla was founded in 1532 as a Spanish settlement and became an important part of what was then "New Spain". At over 7,000 ft in elevation, it occupied a strategic trading location between Mexico City and the Port of Veracruz in the Gulf of Mexico. The most important historic building is the Catedral de Puebla completed in 1649.
Puebla had a role in printing and distributing Mexico's plan for independence from Spain which Mexico won in 1821 after 11 years of bloodshed. In 1836, rebellious Texas declared its independence from Mexico (after Mexico abolished slavery). Texas was admitted to USA ten years later, precipitating the US-Mexico War. The USA, intent on Manifest Destiny, won the war with Mexico which resulted in their ceding half their entire land territory to USA including state of California and the southwest. (This set the stage for US Civil War over whether the new territories would become slave states.)
In 1862, the victorious Battle of Puebla against the French became a symbol for the Mexican resistance of foreign domination, and is celebrated today as Cinco de Mayo.
Today, industrialized Puebla is Mexico's fourth largest city and a Unesco World Heritage site with an exciting culinary scene. The world's largest Volkswagen factory outside Germany is also located in the metropolitan area along with many auto suppliers.
