Puebla Mexico is located in the Valley of Puebla, surrounded by volcanoes and snow-capped mountains, 68 miles southeast of Mexico City. Puebla is the capital of the state of Puebla and one of Mexico's oldest Spanish cities, founded on April 16, 1531.  The city is famous for its cuisine, which includes a wide range of local dishes and candy created mainly -- according to local stories -- by nuns in the city. The main holiday in the city is Cinco de Mayo, a festival commemorating the May 5, 1862 defeat of a French expeditionary army by Mexican general Ignacio Zaragoza. Some of the city's main attractions are the colonial district (downtown Puebla), the home of authentic Talavera pottery and art, cultural attractions such as local galleries and museums as well as traditional festivals, historical sites and monuments. The picture on the left shows one of the streets in the city's main square. Puebla's historic center has been declared a World Heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The main sessions of the Conference will take place at Universidad de las Americas-Puebla, located in Puebla Metropolitan area and about a kilometer from one of the oldest pyramids in Mexico (the Pyramid of Cholula). The city of Cholula is also known for an old legend that claims that there exist 365 churches in town, one for every day of the year. You will have to come and count them by yourself... We leave you here some of them as a sample. These are the main churches of Saint Peter, Saint Andrew and Our Lady of the Remedies (which was built on top of the pyramid).

Saint Peter Church

Saint Andrew Church

Our Lady of Remedies Church