Morelia: The Heart of Mexico

Guadalajara is often called “the Mexican’s Mexico,” and it’s true that tequila, mariachis, and charrería embody Mexico’s spirit. It’s my opinion, however, that Morelia is just as representative of Mexico ... on a less tangible level. Mexico is an amalgam of indigenous and European cultures. Capital of the state of Michoacán, Morelia’s strong indigenous background can be noted in the faces of its people and the place names of surrounding towns. It’s in architecture imported from Spain juxtaposed with monuments and plazas named for one of the country’s most important independence-era heroes.

Morelia’s “Mexican-ness” isn’t its tequila or rodeos. It’s the subtle fusion of competing cultures, which is, after all, what Mexico is all about.

Heart Still Viable Despite Expanding Girth

Today a city of some 700,000, Morelia has nearly doubled in size since the mid-1980s, when a massive earthquake sent many Mexico City natives looking to relocate. In the past two decades, new homes and housing developments have spread up the hills above town and traffic has becomes noticeably worse. But Morelia still feels small town and Old School; it is still a pleasant city with a historical heart. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it’s a great place for just walking around to admire the scenery.

The main plaza and its lovely pink sandstone cathedral sit at the center of the city. Within a 10-block zone more than four dozen impressive edifices tell the story of Morelia’s colorful history. Downtown buildings span the centuries, from baroque to plateresque, neoclassic, and ostentatiously Porfirian. (The latter defines the style of early 20th-century “president for life” Porfirio Diaz.) Some of the restored mansions and churches serve their original purposes, while others have been co-opted for use as museums or government buildings.

Around Morelia:    Paracutin    Patzcuaro    Quiroga    Santa Clara del Cobre    Santa Fe de la Laguna    Tzintzuntzan    Uruapan

Although architectural styles vary, neoclassic and plateresque buildings of locally quarried cantera stone predominate. They are interspersed today with one-, two-, and three-story buildings of newer vintage whose warm color palate of coral, sand, and yellow ochre for the most part harmonizes well with the older buildings.

At the northern end of Morelia’s historical center are several icons of the city. Across from Jardín Villalonguín, the bronze sculpture of three indigenous women is said to have been made with keys collected among the city’s residents. From there the city’s 250+-arch aqueduct is visible. Built at the end of the18th century, it served as a water source until the beginning of the Mexican Revolution, in 1910.

Beyond Sightseeing

Not so interested in history or architecture? How about a rock concert at the bullring, classical ballet at Teatro Morelos, or a drink at an open-air cafe at Parque de las Rosas, adjacent to the oldest music conservatory in the Americas. Maybe instead of museums you’d prefer to enjoy a movie at one of a half dozen multiplexes or an evening of live rock, salsa or trova in a downtown bar. Morelia is a great city to just do Mexico; you don’t necessarily have to do the sights.

Lovers of handcrafts will be quite content to visit Morelia, where boutiques and government-run shops sell folk art and items from nearby towns and villages. That Michoacán state produces a great variety of handcrafts is by design rather than by accident. In the chaotic years after the Conquest, the enormously energetic Spaniard Bishop Vasco de Quiroga came to the region with ideas to improve the lives of the natives. (All but a privileged few natives lacked any sort of financial security. They had no land and no status.) Empowered by a book entitled Utopia, de Quiroga expanded upon indigenous knowledge of copper smithing, pottery making and other arts. Artisans in each town were given specific glazes or techniques, leaving a legacy that still fuels local economies.

Morelia still has a relatively small foreign community, and most vacationers are from Mexico City or elsewhere in Mexico rather than from Canada or the United States. And if many of the shopkeepers and cabbies you’ll encounter speak English well, it’s probably because they spent years working in el norte rather than attending foreign tourists. (Michoacán habitually has the highest percentage of its population emigrating for work than any other state in Mexico.) In other words, in Morelia you’ll find a quintessentially Mexican city. If you still want to see “the Mexican’s Mexico,” however, Guadalajara is only about three hours away.

...........FESTIVALS AND EVENTS.............

April, 2009

27 April--17 May International Organ Festival - Music Morelia, Michoacan Since 1966, in Morelia’s lovely cathedral, using a 4,600-pipe organ.

May, 2009

May 18, 2008 Anniversary of Morelia - Cultural Morelia, Michoacan Anniversary of Morelia celebrated with parades, singing contests, cultural events and demonstrations of civic pride.

Morelia Real Estate   ♦   Morelia Rentals   ♦   Morelia Hotels

Michoacan Real Estate Agent - Tierra Colonial   Welcome to Tierra Colonial, offering the best selection of real estate in Michoacan, Mexico and the city of Morelia! The properties on this page are rare, unique or represent a particularly good value. Be sure to browse our entire inventory by clicking the links on the left. For information about buying real estate in Mexico or about Morelia and Michoacan, explore the links on the right. We look forward to hearing from you. Enjoy! Morelia, Michoacan http://www.tierracolonial.com/

Villa San Jose Hotel & Suites   Hotel with Morelia's most spectacular view. With a privileged location from where you can enjoy Morelia ’s most spectacular view, Villa San Jose Hotel & Suites (special category) has a unique rustic style, 43 different rooms, meeting places, pool, tennis court, internet and all you might need to have an unforgettable stay at just 10 minutes from downtown. Its scenic restaurant “ La Fonda Santa Maria ” and its bar with live music, complete our offer. Patzimba 77, Morelia, Michoacan +52 443 324 45 45 http://www.villasanjose.com.mx

Hotel Casa de la Loma   El Hotel más Romántico de Morelia Hotel de Categoría Especial construido sobre una colina al sur de la ciudad de Morelia Michoacán, desde donde se puede apreciar una hermosa vista panorámica. Hotel Casa de la Loma está situado en una de las zonas más bellas de la ciudad de Morelia, a tan solo 10 minutos del Centro Histórico designado por la UNESCO como Patrimonio Cultural De la Humanidad. A dos minutos del centro de convenciones, en una zona cercana a centros comerciales, centros gastronómicos y financieros Morelia, Michoacan 01 800 823 6863 http://www.casadelaloma.com/

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