Situated above the Casa de la Cultura and founded in 1646, Biblioteca Palafoxiana was the first public library in the Americas. For this, Palafoxiana has been listed on the Unesco Memory of the World register. The handsome library houses thousands of rare books on its gorgeous shelves – carved cedar and white pine – including one of the earliest New World dictionaries and the 1493 Nuremberg Chronicle, with more than 2000 engravings.
Biblioteca Palafoxiana
Puebla
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
6.89 MILES
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0.06 MILES
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Museo Internacional del Barroco
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0.09 MILES
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Santuario de la Virgen de Ocotlán
19.07 MILES
One of Mexico’s most spectacular churches is an important pilgrimage site for those who believe the Virgin appeared here in 1541 – her image stands on the…
Nearby Puebla attractions
0.01 MILES
Occupying the entire block facing the south side of the cathedral, the former bishop’s palace is a classic 17th-century brick-and-tile edifice that now…
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Puebla’s impressive cathedral, which appeared on Mexico’s M$500 bill until 2019, occupies the entire block south of the zócalo. Its architecture is a…
0.09 MILES
This superb private museum, housed in two linked 16th- and 17th-century colonial buildings, is loaded with pre-Hispanic artifacts, yet the interior design…
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Puebla’s central plaza was originally a marketplace where bullfights, theater and hangings occurred, before assuming its current arboretum-like appearance…
0.19 MILES
Next door to the Iglesia de la Compañía is the 16th-century Edificio Carolino, now the main building of Universidad Autónoma de Puebla.
0.2 MILES
This Jesuit church with a 1767 Churrigueresque facade is also called Espíritu Santo. Beneath the altar is a tomb said to be that of a 17th-century South…
7. Museo José Luis Bello y González
0.24 MILES
This house is filled with the diverse art-and-crafts collection of the 19th-century industrialist Bello family who lived here. It's a treasure trove for…
0.26 MILES
Opened in 1999 as Museo Poblano de Arte Virreinal, this top-notch museum is now named after the 16th-century Hospital de San Pedro in which it is housed…