Shopping

 Comprehensive guide to the best shopping centers in Puebla, Mexico. From Talavera from el Parian in downtown, to the latest fashions from the best botiques, find what you are looking for at Guide to Puebla!

Shopping for Tourists

If you are visiting Puebla, you do not want to miss El Parian.  El Parian is located a few blocks from the main zoocolo or main park in the downtown area.  El Parian has all the souveniers you could possibly be looking for.  El Parian consists of about three streets with small businesses cramming for space and customers.  You can usually find the same item in multiple locations so be sure to bargain and try to get a good price.  One of the most popular items in Puebla is Talavera.  Talavera is a special pottery that is made in Puebla and exported all over the world.  You can buy plates, decorative items, jewelry boxes, table setting pieces such as salt and pepper shakers, bathroom accessories for soap and towels, large water containers for bottled water, mirrors with decorative tiles around the edges, and of course tiles with numbers on them for your address at home all made out of Talavera.  There are also key chains, postcards, shirts, traditional mexican dresses for women and children, sombreros and handmade children's toys.  And of course there is also Mexican candy for the adventerous!

Shopping for Locals

Puebla, Mexico is a great place for shopping in Mexico.  As the fourth largest city in the country of Mexico and growing, and with a higher than normal upper middle class population, Puebla has many shopping centers.  One of Puebla's best shoping centers is the local mall.  The mall is located in the Angelopolis area of Puebla and is called Centro Commercial Angelopolis.  It can be compared to a medium sized mall in the states and has several department stores including Sears, Liverpool, and Palacio de Hierro.  There are several restaurants inlcuding Tony Roma's, Italiannis, Chilis, La Mansion as well as a food court with McDonalds, KFC, Tacos Orientales, The Italian Coffee Company, a Chinese restaurant, as well as a few healthy sandwich businesses.  On the second level of the mall there is also the Fonda de Santa Clara... the best place for authentic Mexican food, as well as Starbucks.  The department stores also have small coffee shop type restaurants as well.  During the afternoons there is a train that circles around the first floor of the mall that your little one's can take a ride on.  On the second level there is a medium size merry-go-round right behind Starbucks and right in front of the arcade area.  The arcade area has arcades for children as young as two years old and even has two lanes of bowling as well as billiard tables and air hockey for the older crowd.  Across from the arcade is a movie theater for those that are so inclined.  As for actual shopping, the mall has stores such as Radio Shack, Prenatal, Zara, Zurich, Juegetron, Cocinas Quetzal, Sanbornes, Marti, Florsheim.  There are also stores that sell Nike, Cannon camera products, Levi Strauss, Dockers, Ferrioni, Cadillac, Hp, Toshiba, Sony, Samsonite luggage, and more. 

Across the street from the mall there is a second shopping center called Mega Commercial.  Although most in Mexico know that Mega Commercial is a grocery store, this shopping center was originally built by a company called Auchan.  Inside of the two story shopping center there is an ice skating rink, arcade center, food court, and a multitude of smaller stores selling everything from kitchen appliances to knives to botique type gifts.  It has been open for over three years and all of the store fronts have still not been rented so it is not as popular as the mall... but it does provide another place to walk around for window shopping!  It also has underground parking making it the ideal place to go grocery shopping during the summer rainy season!
 
There is a third shopping center just across the main road in front of the mall.  It is called Palmas Plaza and was built as an extension of some high rise condominiums.  Palmas Plaza is the smallest of the three shoping centers in the Angelopolis area of Puebla, but is still fairly large.  It has an extensive food court area as well as restaurants.  On the second floor there are some botiques including a tanning salon for the fair skinned!  In the same shopping area there is a Carl's Junior as well as a Krispy Kreme Donuts.  There is a also a gym called Sport City that has tennis, swimming, raquetball, and even summer activities for kids!

In the Las Animas area of Puebla, a new shopping center has been built called el Triangulo... or The Triangle.  It is a major architectual accomplishment and has indoor and outdoor shopping areas.  Offering underground parking and elevators to reach the main floors, it is highly accessible in a very busy avenue.  There is even a third story with movie theaters.  El Triangulo offers restaurants such as Applebees and Sanbornes with more coming soon.  There is also a food court that offers Pizza Hut, Subway, Tacos, and more.  Oh and don't forget about Starbucks.  The first floor Starbucks offers indoor and outdoor seating with great views of the plaza.  For shopping there is an Osh Kosh botique as well as many other clothing, shoes, computer, and music stores.