My destination that day was Puebla.  I got up early and packed and then checked out and walked across the Zocalo.  The rune that I drew before leaving was Nauthiz, or that of necessity.  I stopped outside of the Metropolitan Cathedral to take its picture on the steps.  A small tent city of protestors was occupying the plaza.  There was a banner of a skeleton wearing a suit and some small crosses to commemorate those who had disappeared during recent political unrest. 

It was a mountainous journey to reach Puebla.  My seat was on the right side of the bus and sunlight streamed through the window.  The day before, at Monte Alban, I’d bought a book about the history of Mexico, so sat back to educate myself along the way.  The ancient people who’d built all the pyramids and cities I’d recently been visiting were the Olmecs, Teotihuacan, Maya, Toltec, and Aztecs. 

After the discovery of the New World by Columbus, in 1492, the first Spanish expedition to what is now Mexico took place in 1517.  It was the third expedition by Hernan Cortes, in 1519, that led to the fall of the Aztec empire.  The land became known as New Spain, and the King of Spain, Charles I was the supreme ruler.  He designated viceroys and an audiencia of a president and four judges to govern in his stead.

The war of Independence with Spain began in 1810.  On September 16^th of this year, Miguel Hidalgo, a priest and criollo, meaning a person of Spanish descent, rang the bells in his church to take up arms against Spain.  His goal was to take Guanajuato and Mexico City.  Eventually he was captured and executed, but the independence movement had been launched.  The torch of revolution was passed to Jose Morelos, and then Vicente Guerro, and in 1821, the Treaty of Cordoba was signed, making Mexico an independent country.

In 1823, Guadalup Victoria became the first elected president.  General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna took over in 1833, after fighting off Spain’s attempts to reclaim the country.  During this time a strong division began between the Centralist, or conservative, government, and the Federalist, or liberals, which was to continue for the next few decades.  Texas declared its independence and both California, New Mexico, and Arizona, were lost to the United States in a war that began in 1846.

The Revolution of 1910 saw colorful characters like Emiliano Zapata and Francisco Villa arrive on the scene, fighting against a system of wealthy landowners and the dictatorship of army officer Porfirio Diaz.  The present state of Mexico was created in 1917 and has undergone multiple presidencies and administrations since that time.

When I arrived in Puebla, I had to take a taxi to get to my hotel.  The Milagro Hotel ended up being a nice place to stay, right in the historic center.  The room didn’t have a number, rather a name, San Franciso.  I’d read about a neighborhood of murals that I wanted to rush out and see.  The next day was reserved for visiting the Cholula ruins, home of the biggest pyramid in the world by volume.  

The Barrio de Xanenetla, where the murals were was two miles away.  It was already late afternoon.  I hurried down the street to get there, racing the setting sun.