Things to Do in Puebla in December

December's dry air turns the 2-hour climb to Santuario de los Remedios atop the Great Pyramid of Cholula into a pleasure, no summer humidity plastering your shirt, and Popo's snow cap pops against rust-colored brick. On clear days the 360-degree sweep reaches 50 km (31 miles), framing Puebla's cathedral spires and the smoking crater in one shot.

UNESCO centro walking tours shift mood in December when Christmas lights strung between colonial façades mirror off wet cobblestones after evening showers. You'll sample hot chiles en nogada straight from El Mural de los Poblanos' kitchen, plus sip rompope aged 40 days in clay jars before serving.

December is your lone chance to wander among 3 million poinsettias in full bloom at the Atlixco greenhouses, 25 km (15.5 miles) south. The air carries crushed pine and damp soil while endless red plants paint impossible scenes against the volcano. Most farms run workshops retelling the Mexican legend of the Flor de Nochebuena.

Cool December workshop temps make the 2-hour hand-painting sessions at Uriarte Talavera bearable, no dripping sweat onto your ceramic while cobalt glaze sets. You'll hand-paint an 8-inch (20 cm) plate with the same mineral pigments coloring Puebla pottery since 1531, then pick it up fired and finished two days later.

Winter skies deliver the 5,426 m (17,802 ft) volcano on 70% of December days versus 40% in summer. Licensed guides run sunrise photo shoots from Mirador de los Fuertes when the peak burns orange against pre-dawn dark, followed by breakfast at 1872 Café Britania where three generations have watched eruptions.