A day in Morelia

We spent the day exploring this historic city, the capital of the province of Michoacan. It had its beginnings in 1541 so you can imagine there are a lot of really old colonial buildings. And most of them are within easy walking distance of each other. We only saw a small part of the centro but enough to know that this is a place where we could easily spend a week. The centre of the city is the Cathedral built of pink volcanic stone.  It's set between two plazas and surrounded by equally beautiful stone buildings and wide streets and sidewalks, in some cases with arched portales in front.



















There are an unbelievable number of churches, convents, monasteries and chapels. As well as old casas that are now government buildings and museums.


















This one is the Governer's Palace, where much of the administrative work of the city goes on. Like many Mexican buildings this one has wonderful murals on some of the walls.  These ones were painted by an artist I'd never heard of before by the name of Alfredo Zalce. He was born in Patzcuaro and was a contempory of Rivera and the other famous muralists.

Oddly enough we were introduced to his work when we checked into our hotel. The Galerias Hotel features different artists in every room and ours happened to the the Zalce room. You can see his larger-than-life murals going up the walls on this gorgeous staircase. I like his work a lot.

Another place we stopped by was the old church and convent of San Francisco, which is now a craft museum with shops of astounding quality of crafts from all around the area. I could have happily taken home some of the basketwork and the pottery but alas, we only brought carry-on luggage.



























At one end of the city there is an aqueduct, built in 1785, and still in excellent condition, and still brings water in for the fountain in a nearby park. Along side the arches there is a lovely tree-shaded walkway, a lovely thing to do in the late afternoon before the sun sets.

We did a lot of walking today, almost 10 kilometers, which has taken a toll from my knees but was totally worth it.











Tomorrow we say goodbye to the highlands and take the bus back to Zihuatanejo and the muggy heat. I have to say that we're not really looking forward much to that, but there are only a few more days before we head back to Victoria and the cold and the rain. So I daresay we will find a way to enjoy some beach time before then.

But we really like Morelia and would consider a return visit at some point. The weather is so lovely at these altitudes and the people are unfailingly pleasant and welcoming.

I'll leave you with one last photo of a stunning bougainvillea growing up into a tree in a university area not far from the cathedral. It's a really beautiful city.