Morelia

Introducing Morelia

Morelia is the coolest place you’ve never been. The colonial heart of the city is so well preserved that it was declared a Unesco World Heritage site in 1991. The cathedral is not just gorgeous. It’s inspirational. Especially on Saturday nights when the steeples glow, classical music blares and cannons blast fireworks into a black sky where they explode and drip color on the incandescent bell towers. And that’s just an appetizer.

Morelia, founded in 1541, was one of the first Spanish cities in Nueva España. The first viceroy, Antonio de Mendoza, named it Valladolid after the Spanish city and he encouraged Spanish nobility to move here with their families. In 1828, after Nueva España had become the Republic of Mexico, the city was renamed Morelia in honor of local hero José María Morelos y Pavón, a key figure in Mexico’s independence.

Sixteenth- and 17th-century stone buildings, baroque facades and archways line the narrow downtown streets, and are home to museums, hotels, restaurants, exquisite bars and rooftop lounges, chocolaterías, sidewalk cafés, a popular university and cheap and tasty taquerías. Traffic snarls around the cathedral, but Morelia even looks good from inside a traffic jam. There are free public concerts, frequent art installations, and yet so few foreign tourists! Those that do come often extend their stay and enrol in classes to learn how to cook and speak Spanish. Yes, word has started to leak out and more and more internationals are beginning to discover Mexico’s best kept secret. So get here soon.

Last updated: Mar 2, 2009