Puebla, Puebla, Mexico ╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟╟ Former Convent of Santa Rosa (Museum of Popular Art): The nuns tried to live isolated from the world and its temptations in its cloisters. Their existence was consecrated to prayer and mysticism, on a tenacious and persistent, some times even painful, struggle to find the ways that lead to God's Kingdom. Secluded voluntarily or by their parents' "pious" decision, these women lived a monastic life where they never abandoned the cloisters, not even after their death because the Convent had its own cemetery. The Convent was inaugurated in 1740. Its architectonic style fits with Puebla's stylistic features. The entrance quarters, the Profundis room, two refectories, a cloister, and a parlour of large dimension that was used for decades as a confessionary, chapel and sacristy, stand out amongst its ambiences. Another room of great importance was the kitchen of Santa Rosa, which was covered with glazed tiles. It is conjectured that the nuns, perhaps guided by the divine hand, created the traditional mole poblano de guajalote, one of the top expressions of Mexico's baroque gastronomy, on these kitchen ranges. In 1859, the Reform laws (1855-1861) forced the Convent to close, rather open its doors. Later it would become the Hospital of San Roque for the mentally ill, and a General Hospital at the beginning of the XX century. www.enjoymexico.net/puebla-attractions-churches-mexico.php DSCN8916