Things to do in Inland Michoacán
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Catedral
Morelia's beautiful cathedral (unforgettable when it's lit up at night) dominates the plaza and took more than a century to build (1640−1744), which explains its combination of Herreresque, baroque and neoclassical styles.
The twin 70m-high towers, for instance, have classical Herreresque bases, baroque midsections and multicolumned neoclassical tops. Inside, much of the baroque relief work was replaced in the 19th century with neoclassical pieces. Fortunately, one of the cathedral's interior highlights was preserved: a sculpture of the Señor de la Sacristía made from dried corn paste and topped with a gold crown from 16th-century Spanish king Felipe II. It also has a w…
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Restaurante Lu
Inside the Hotel Casino, talented young chef Lucero Soto Arriaga turns humble pre-Hispanic ingredients into exquisite gems of alta cocina (Mexican haute cuisine). Her multicourse tasting menu might begin with tamales with smoked butter, then move on to delicate salads of dried nopal (cactus paddle) with caramelized pumpkin seeds, squash blossom-peanut tacos and whimsical confections of local fruits. Try to snag an outdoor table for perfect plaza views.
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Mistonga
When you dine Argentine, steak is your best option. This gorgeous enclosed courtyard restaurant serves it in a variety of ways, such as milanesa (pounded thin and breaded) and chimichurri (marinated in a garlic, parsley and olive oil sauce). It also has a fantastic Argentine wine list.
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La Surtidora
Waiters are dressed in chef whites, but don’t expect fine dining at this old-school café, which has been in operation on Plaza Grande since 1916. The beamed interior is perfumed with roasting coffee, it serves all manner of salads and the chicken enchiladas come topped with butternut squash.
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local market
The local market on the west side of the Plaza Gertrudis Bocanegra is where you can find everything from fruit, vegetables and fresh trout to herbal medicines, crafts and clothing - including the region's distinctive striped shawls and sarapes. There's outstanding cheap food, too.
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Gaspachos La Cerrada
Gaspacho – a salad of diced mango, pineapple and jicama, drowned in orange and lime juice and dashed with salt, chili sauce and cheese (optional) – is a local delicacy served all over town. But according to locals, this place is the best.
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Baden-Powell Institute
This small, well-run and affordable Institute offers courses in Spanish language, as well as Mexican politics, cooking, culture, guitar and salsa dancing. It books homestays (per day M$365) for students.
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Ego
On the hillside 3km south of town, Morelia’s hottest club thumps, bumps and grinds to house and electronica tunes. Dress code is casual. The crowd is young and pretty and they don’t stop dancing till they have to.
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Mex Mich Guías
Provides personalized tours and transportation to many destinations in the area, including the Santuario Mariposa Monarca.
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Plaza San Agustín
A few cheap food stalls with lots of tables can be found under the covered arches here.
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Plaza Chica market stalls
The Plaza Chica market stalls serve everything from fruit juices to tacos to tortas.
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Reserva Mariposa Monarca
In the eastern-most corner of Michoacán, straddling the border of México state, lies the incredible 563-sq-km Monarch Butterfly Reserve, the site of the butterfly Burning Man. Every autumn, from late October to early November, millions of monarch butterflies flock to these forested Mexican highlands for their winter hibernation, having flown all the way from the Great Lakes region of the US and Canada, some 4500km away. As they close in on their destination they gather in gentle swarms, crossing highways and fluttering up steep mountainsides where they cling together in clusters that weigh down thick branches of the oyenal (fir) trees. When the sun rises and warms the f…
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Parque Nacional Barranca del Cupatitzio
This incomparable urban park is just 1km west of the main plaza, but it’s another world. Nature is big here. Tropical and subtropical foliage (including burly banana palms) is thick and alive with colorful birds and butterflies. The river boils over boulders, cascades down waterfalls and spreads into wide, crystalline pools. Cobbled paths follow the riverbanks from its source at the Rodilla del Diablo pool, near the park’s north end. There are a few fruit stands and taquerias to choose from and water from hidden springs peels off the surrounding hillsides, before flowing into the great river. There’s even a trout farm where you can net your own catch.
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Museo de Artes Populares
This folk art museum is housed on the former site of the Colegio de San Nicolás, arguably the Americas’ first university, founded by Quiroga in 1540. The building was constructed on pre-Hispanic stone foundations, some of which can be seen behind the museum courtyards. Highlights of the impressive permanent collection include a room set up as a typical Michoacán kitchen, cases of gorgeous jewelry, and an entire room filled with retablos – crudely rendered devotional paintings offering thanks to God for saving the owner from illness or accident. Some are quite gory. Also don’t miss the wooden troje (traditional Purépecha house) in the garden.
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Casa de Las Artesanías
If you don’t have time to scour the Purépecha pueblos for the perfect folk art piece, come to the House of Handicrafts, a cooperative marketplace launched to benefit indigenous craftspeople. Attached to the renaissance-style Templo de San Francisco, arts and handicrafts from all over Michoacán are displayed and sold here. Prices are high, but so is the quality and all your cash goes directly to the craftspeople. Upstairs, artists demonstrate their craft in small shops that represent specific Michoacán towns. You’ll find guitars from Paracho, copper from Santa Clara del Cobre, lacquerware, pottery and much more.
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Ihuatzio Archaeological Site
The large and partially restored Ihuatzio archaeological site lies just more than 1km up a cobbled road from the village’s small plaza. The ruins’ best attraction is an open ceremonial space. It is 200m long and features two pyramid-like structures at its west end. Climbing the pyramids is forbidden, but it is possible to walk to the top of the restored wall to their left (south) for good views. Two carved stone coyotes were found at the site; one is in the National Anthropology Museum in Mexico City, the other graces the bell tower of Ihuatzio’s church.
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Museo Casa Natal de Morelos
The Museo Casa Natal de Morelos is on the corner of Calles Corregidora and García Obeso. This is where José María Morelos y Pavón was born on September 30, 1765. He was one of the most important heroes in Mexico’s struggle for independence. He is almost like a king, at least it seems that way when you consider how many monuments, statues, plazas and murals the man has earned. Morelos memorabilia includes old photos and documents. An eternal torch burns next to the projection room. Free international films and cultural events are occasionally held here.
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Casa de Los Once Patios
This cool, rambling colonial edifice was built as a Dominican convent in the 1740s. (Before that, the site held one of Mexico’s first hospitals, founded by Vasco de Quiroga.) Today it houses small artesanías (handicrafts) shops, each specializing in a particular regional craft. Look for copperware from Santa Clara del Cobre and musical instruments from Paracho, as well as lacquerware, hand-painted ceramics and vibrant textiles. You’ll likely find privacy on the top floors where you can take in the surrounding natural and architectural beauty.
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Cerámica Tzintzuntzan
Cerámica Tzintzuntzan is a converted missionary hospital that is now the rustic ceramics studio of Manuel Morales, a fifth-generation local potter. His colorful, intricate work is sold in galleries throughout Mexico and the US. Inside you’ll see ceramics in all stages of production and a cool, underground showroom in the back. Prices are high but the man is a master. Morales gives classes and accepts apprentices as well. If you want to become a potter, you’d have a hard time finding a more creative learning environment, or a more qualified teacher.
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Tingambato
Stroll through luscious avocado groves to the beautiful ruins of this ceremonial site, which predates the Tarascan empire and thrived from about AD 450 to 900. They are located outside of Tingambato village, about 30km from Uruapan on the road to Pátzcuaro. The ruins, which include two plazas, three altars and a ball court (rare in western Mexico), have a Teotihuacán influence. There’s also an 8m-high stepped pyramid and an underground tomb where a skeleton and 32 scattered skulls were found – hinting at beheading or trophy-skull rituals.
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Plaza Vasco de Quiroga
Pátzcuaro's leafy main plaza is one of Mexico's best hang out spots. It is framed by the 17th century facades of old mansions that have since been converted to hotels, shops and restaurants; and watched over by a serene statue of Vasco de Quiroga which rises from the central fountain. The sides of the plaza are named Portal Hidalgo (west side), Portal Aldama (south side) and Portal Matamoros (east side). The north side is Portal Allende east of Iturbe and Portal Morelos west of Iturbe.
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Iglesia La Inmaculada
Every night for more than 40 years, volunteers have served up local delicacies such as corundas (triangular tamales ), uchepos (fresh corn tamales ), fried quesadillas and buñelos (syrupy doughnuts) in the basement of this massive church, with proceeds going to charity. Buy a handful of tickets at the counter to redeem for food at the various booths – leftovers can be returned for cash. One of Morelia’s most memorable eating experiences.
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Colegio de San Nicolás
Morelos studied at the Colegio de San Nicolás, one block west of the plaza. Don’t worry – it is not another museum, but it has become a foundation for the Universidad Michoacana. Upstairs, the Sala de Melchor Ocampo is a memorial to a Mexican hero, a reformer-governor of Michoacán. Preserved here is Ocampo’s library and a copy of the document he signed donating it to the college, just before he was executed by a conservative firing squad on June 3, 1861.
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Biblioteca Gertrudis Bocanegra
One of the coolest libraries of all time, the Biblioteca Gertrudis Bocanegra occupies the cavernous interior of the 16th-century San Agustín church. There are oyster-shell skylights and a massive colorful Juan O’Gorman mural on the rear wall that depicts the history of Michoacán from pre-Hispanic times to the 1910 revolution. It also has high-speed internet for just M$5 per hour and a huge collection of pulpy English paperbacks for sale (M$10 for four).
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Santuario de Guadalupe
On the northeast edge of Plaza Morelos, the Santuario de Guadalupe feels like the set piece from Willy Wonka's psychedelic spiritual dream. The pink and red walls of this baroque church built from 1708 to 1716 blooms with white flowers and glistens with an abundance of gold leaf. There's so much color, the interior (decorated in 1915) feels like a Hindu temple. It's the kind of place that would inspire Timothy Leary to do up Virgen de Guadalupe acid tabs.
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