Things to do
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Acueducto de Morelia
Built in the late eighteenth century to bring spring water into the city, the aqueduct runs for well over a kilometre along Avenida Acueducto on 253 stone arches. The arches are lit at night. Its eastern end meets the Calzada Fray Antonio de San Miguel, a pedestrian avenue that leads under ash trees to the Santuario de Guadalupe.
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Catedral de Morelia
Twin Baroque towers of pink stone rise over the two main squares, and the cathedral splits them down the middle. Inside, the nave is neoclassical and the great organ anchors the city's international organ festival. On Saturday evenings the cathedral is lit with music and fireworks, best seen from the Plaza de Armas.
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Conservatorio de las Rosas
Founded in 1743 as a school for girls, this colonial building has taught music for most of its life and is home to a boys' choir. Recitals are held in its hall. Outside, the small Jardín de las Rosas is lined with cafés, a few blocks northwest of the cathedral.
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Mercado de Dulces
Stalls stacked with ates, fruit pastes cut into blocks, sit under the arcade at the back of the old Jesuit college beside the Palacio Clavijero. Morelianas, thin discs of caramelised milk, are the local speciality, alongside cocadas, candied fruit and crafts at the far end. Traders hand out samples of the different sweets across the stalls.
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Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve
From November to March, millions of monarch butterflies hang in clusters from fir trees on the mountain ridges of this reserve, two to three hours east of Morelia by road. El Rosario and Sierra Chincua are the main visitable colonies, reached by a steep climb on foot or horseback above three thousand metres. Local guides are usual, and the butterflies fly on sunny afternoons.
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Museo Casa de Morelos
José María Morelos, the priest who led the independence war after Hidalgo, bought this two-storey house in 1801, and it now holds a museum of his life and campaigns. Rooms show his letters, uniforms and period furniture around a courtyard. It lies two blocks south of the cathedral on Avenida Morelos Sur, and entry is ticketed.
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Palacio de Gobierno de Michoacán
Opposite the cathedral, the former seminary is now the seat of the state government, and its patios are open to walk through. Murals by Alfredo Zalce cover the main stairway and upper walls, tracing the history of Michoacán from the Purépecha kingdom to the twentieth century in strong reds and blues. Guards check bags at the door, and entry costs nothing.
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Santuario de Guadalupe
Painted and moulded plaster flowers in pink, red and gold cover every surface of the nave, which makes the plain front a surprise. The church stands at the end of the Calzada Fray Antonio de San Miguel, a short walk east from the aqueduct. Mass is frequent, and visitors stand at the back during services.
