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Photo: L. Raul Chavez G., CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
One of the downtown highlights is the baroque cathedral with its surrounding gardens and parks. The cathedral is enormous, covering more than 2 city blocks in area. Architectural details like the flying buttresses and tiled cupolas give it a distinctive look. The Cathedral is the site for the local “Day of the Dead” celebration in early November. It is more of an experience than can be described here. Most of the activities take place after dark, make sure you have a good seat around the square at dark for the outside performance of the choir and the fireworks each night.
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Morelia is a religious site that is the seat of the Archdiocese of Morelia of the Catholic church in Mexico. It is located as its name itself says in the city of Morelia, capital of the state of Michoacán, Mexico. The cathedral is located in the first square of the city, forming the trace of the Historic Center of Morelia. The building was built in the 18th century at the time of the viceroyalty, it is Baroque in style and is made of pink stone that gives it a peculiar and characteristic color. An important family group headed by Sebastián de Guedea collaborated in its construction for a long period; They were Andrés, Pedro, Diego, Miguel, Anastacio, Lorenzo and Joseph, all with the surname Guedea.
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State Capitol
Beautiful colonial era capitol building, constructed between 1760 and 1770. The building consists of two levels set around 3 courtyard plazas with covered archways, fountains, and wide stairways with ornate iron works and stained glass windows. Like government buildings in Mexico City, the capitol is filled with large-scale murals from the Mexican muralism program of the early early 20th century. Unlike the murals in Mexico City, these concentrate on the Mexican War of Independence, particularly the role of Morelia's hometown patriot, Jose Morelos y Pavon.
Hero of the Mexican War for Independence, native son Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon, was born, raised, and lived his life in Morelia. There are two Morelos homes in the city, and both are historical museums that chronicle Morelos and his role in shaping Mexico.
A collection of colonial art painting that date from the 18th century, as well as a collection of sculptures comprised in large part of representations of Christ on the cross. Many of the sculptures were created using a pre-Hispanic technique known as Caña de Maiz, where corn stalk paste is allowed to dry over wood before sculpting.
The second museum dedicated to Jose Maria Morelos.
A verdant plaza and popular meeting spot adjoined by cafes and restaurants with outdoor seating.
Conservatorio de las Rosas
Listen to a concert by the Morelia Boys Choir at the spectacular Conservatory of the Roses. The group is modeled on the Vienna Boys Choir, and their director is a former maestro from Vienna. The Conservatory is housed in a historic monastery built in 1594, though the conservatory traces its roots to the founding of a girls school here in 1743. Besides the famous choir, the conservatory also has an orchestra and other performing arts ensembles.