Alto Neighborhood

The El Alto district, in Puebla

The El Alto district is a former native district of Puebla, where the town was founded. The Puebla audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this historic and working-class district, cradle of the town, which today knows a renewal thanks to art.

The native cradle of the town

The El Alto district is a former native district, where the indigenous peoples lived, notably Mixtecs, before the massive arrival of the Spanish. It is precisely here that the town of Puebla was founded, in 1531, making of this district the historic cradle of the town. Over the centuries, El Alto knew diverse fortunes: sometimes peopled and lively, sometimes neglected and sometimes ill-reputed, it has kept its working-class and authentic character, away from the classic tourist circuits. The district shelters old buildings, churches and an atmosphere of village in the heart of the town. In recent years, like the neighbouring district of Xanenetla, El Alto has begun a renewal, carried notably by mural art and the valorisation of its heritage and its history. To discover El Alto is to go back to the very origins of Puebla and to meet a more intimate and working-class face of the town. A historic cradle and an authentic district, the El Alto district is an interesting stop of the discovery of Puebla.

What to see

Here you discover the former native district where the Mixtecs lived before the arrival of the Spanish and where Puebla was founded in 1531, historic cradle of the town with a working-class and authentic character, with its old buildings, its churches and its atmosphere of village, which today knows a renewal carried by mural art. The El Alto district is the cradle of Puebla. It is a stop to be discovered, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The El Alto district lies on the edge of the historic centre of Puebla, reachable on foot. It is a public district freely accessible; the churches and shops have their own hours. You discover it by strolling in its streets, meeting its heritage and its frescoes.

What is the El Alto district in Puebla?

A former native district where the Mixtecs lived before the arrival of the Spanish, and where the town of Puebla was founded in 1531; historic cradle of the town with a working-class and authentic character, it today knows a renewal carried by mural art and the valorisation of its heritage.

Where is the El Alto district in Puebla?

On the edge of the historic centre of Puebla, in Mexico.