Universidad de las Americas, Puebla

Ranked among the premier universities in Mexico, UDLA offers a high standard for education and ethics in an innovative academic environment adaptive to the challenges of the 21st Century.

Education at UDLA is world class.With a 65-year tradition of academic excellence, studying at UDLA will bring you into contact with accomplished professors and outstanding researchers who contribute to the development of Mexico and the world.

Certified for outstanding merit in university-wide performance, UDLA offers high-quality services and facilities to the academic community. UDLA is located in Cholula, one of the oldest still-inhabited cities on the continent. This city with a history dating back nearly 2500 years is privileged with scenic surroundings. Cholula is also a part of the greater Puebla metropolitan area.

Another distinguishing characteristic is the cultural diversity UDLA attracts due to its many international exchange programs. Students come from throughout Mexico and from universities in more than 20 countries with whom UDLA has established academic partnerships.

Click here to visit the Study Abroad Office where you can find all the required information you need to study at UDLA.

Housing

UDLA is one of only a few universities in Mexico that offers student housing. Living on campus can be a valuable experience offering students a healthy and safe environment. Students who live on campus tend to excel academically and have greater access to extracurricular activities offered by the university.

Learn more by visiting Residential Life at: http://www.udlap.mx/vidaestudiantil/colegios/Default.aspx

Facts About Puebla

Pronounced PWEH-BLAH.

In a broad, high valley about 60 miles southeast of Mexico City is a city known by many names over the years: City of Angels, City of Tiles, and Heroic City of Zaragoza. Today we know it as simply Puebla. Puebla was the principal city of colonial Mexico, mostly because it was established in 1531 as a link between the port of Veracruz and Mexico City. Puebla is a colonial city that was planned by Spanish designers rather than by Indians. Puebla combines its historic downtown with modern facilities. Puebla's Historic District, El Centro Histórico, consists of about 100 blocks in the middle of the city, but the majority of historic sites lie within a four-block radius of El Zócalo, the central square.

Sunny days (70-80o F, or 21.1 -26.6o C) and chilly nights (40-50o F, or 4.4-10o C) mean you'll need layers of clothing and warm pajamas. There is almost no precipitation from November through March. Afternoons are rainy from April through October.

Most family-owned shops are closed during the traditional lunch hour (2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m), but are open for business 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Many local stores and branch banks do not accept foreign travelers’ checks, U.S. dollars, or credit cards. Change money at the Mexico City International Airport, which offers the best exchange rates, or visit the central office of any bank in downtown Puebla (the currency exchange window), Monday through Friday, before 1:00 p.m. Ask for at least 100 pesos in small bills and coins.

Getting to Puebla

From Mexico City International Airport, Estrella Roja buses depart for Puebla every half hour, with the last bus of the night leaving at 12:20 a.m. The fare was 150 pesos (= about US$ 15) in November 2005.

Currency Exchange

Travelers can find the best exchange rates at the Mexico City International Airport or the Puebla International Airport. Banks in Puebla have currency exchange windows open Monday through Friday. ATM’s can also be found through out the city.

For more helpful information about Puebla please visit any of the following sites:

• http://www.mexperience.com/guide/colonial/puebla.htm
• http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g152773-Puebla_Central_Mexico_and_Gulf_Coast-Vacations.html
• http://www.bestday.com/Puebla/Nightlife/

Cholula

Cholula means "Place of Those Who Fled" or "Water That Falls In The Place Of Flight." Cholula is located 7 kms northwest of Puebla. Cholula is well known because of its Catholic Churches built over pre-Colombian monuments by the Spaniards. The pyramid of Tipanima, to be found in Cholula, is the largest in America. Cholula is the oldest inhabited city in Mexico. Cholula is a place with enough merits to be classified among the big cities of the Ancient Mexico, and to receive, with justice, the title of Tollan, reserved to the principal urban centers of the Altiplano, as Teotihuacan, Tenochtitlan and Tula . With they Cholula shared the capacity to congregate people, to irradiate influence and to belong to a prestige that exceeded its frontiers. Everywhere you go in Cholula today, there seems to be a church.

Cholula is well known for its night life. A wide range of bars and restaurants can be found downtown and at Zócalo. Theses places are popular among local young people and UDLA students. While in Cholula you cannot miss the opportunity of trying Mexican tacos in one of the many famous taquerías in town.

For more helpful information about Cholula please visit any of the following sites:

• http://www.mexperience.com/guide/colonial/puebla.htm
• http://mx.gotolatin.com/Attr/htm/Mexico-Cholula.asp
• http://www.tourbymexico.com/puebla/cholula/cholula.htm