The garden was established by the Peláez Roldan family to honor the legacy of researcher Francisco Peláez Roldan.
It maintains a specialized herbarium containing thousands of preserved botanical specimens from the region.
The institution operates an ongoing program to catalog ancestral herbal recipes used by indigenous communities in the Sierra Norte de Puebla.
The garden integrates educational programs that teach composting and sustainable agricultural techniques to the local Cholula community.
It is organized into specific 'thematic beds' that display plants based on their traditional cultural or medicinal application rather than just taxonomy.
The Francisco Peláez Roldan Ethnobotanical Garden is a specialized research and conservation center focused on the relationship between plants and human culture. Founded in 1985, it is one of the few institutions in Mexico dedicated specifically to ethnobotany. The garden houses diverse collections categorized by their utility to local indigenous groups, including medicinal, edible, and ritual species. It functions as an active laboratory for academic research, environmental education, and the preservation of traditional botanical knowledge. The site includes a seed bank and greenhouses maintained for both conservation and public exhibition. Its design emphasizes regional biodiversity, showcasing flora native to the Puebla-Tlaxcala valley. The garden serves as a community hub for environmental workshops and sustainability initiatives. It remains a rare example of a science-led green space located within a historic urban core.
The raised viewing platforms that overlook the structured, geometric garden beds against the backdrop of the distant volcanoes.
Bring a notebook to document the specific cultural uses of the plants displayed on the identification placards.
Visit the small onsite shop, which often stocks products derived from the garden's own sustainable harvests.
Inquire at the information desk about guided tours, as they provide significantly more context than self-guided walking.
Assuming it is a standard leisure park for picnicking; it is a research-focused institution where education is the priority.
Closed on Mondays for maintenance and research operations.
Refrain from touching the plants or picking samples, as many are part of active research collections; stay on marked paths.
