The foundation of Puebla is a fascinating case of city design. Its planners aimed for the city to be a promised land, free from the problems encountered by the conquistadores in the city of Veracruz and Mexico.
Puebla was established in an inhabited area, avoiding the need to seize lands from the original inhabitants. The city was intended as a haven for Spanish newcomers and designed to, eventually, be independent from the labor of the indigenous people who were coming to build it – an innovative concept at the time. Several ambitious ideas were part of the city’s foundation, however, it wasn’t possible to execute them as planned.
Despite this, news of prosperity in this promise land spread to other communities, leading to a significant influx of migrants, contributing to the city’s uncontrolled, and therefore problematic, growth. The city of Mexico even opposed Puebla’s foundation, fearing depopulation and negative impacts on businesses. The crown, however, had already forbidden this kind of internal migration and Puebla was shielded from these accusations. In addition to this, Puebla began to thrive ad a crucial commerce route between the port and the capital, and the southern Yucatan peninsula. Travelers arriving in Veracruz commuting to Mexico City also preferred stopping to rest in Puebla, to avoid staying in less developed areas.
Amidst the fight for the Spanish crown’s favor and the necessity to persuade settlers to stay, the noble ideas of the city’s foundation were overshadowed. Ultimately, Puebla couldn’t prove that harmonious coexistence between indigenous people and Spanish farms was achievable as had originally been planned. The experiment failed, yet it set the stage for the population that continued to grow and evolve, becoming the actual city of Puebla that we know and love.
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