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| Morelia and cathedral printed on T-shirt |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
Morelia is a beautiful Mexican colonial city, located in Michoacan State, a four-hour drive (315 kilometers) west of Mexico City. Flights to Morelia, from Mexico City, are 45 minutes long.
Morelia hotel
Green ivy-entwined stone vases overflowed with pink bougainvillea at Villa Montana, our hotel in Morelia. Jacaranda blossoms fell like purple confetti on stone pathways that wove between raspberry-red villas with tiled roofs. Locally made statues and ceramics adorned wall niches.
A panoramic view of Morelia spreads out below Villa Montana. When the sun sets, like a glowing tortilla in the west, golden rays illuminate the city's colonial buildings.
UNESCO World Heritage
Morelia became a UNESCO world heritage site in 1991. Rising above the historic center are the two Baroque towers of La Catedral (Morelia Cathedral). It houses an impressive pipe organ with 4,600 flutes.
Arches and colonnades decorate the nearby State Government Palace. In the gilded and cherub-filled 18th-century Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadeloupe, we watched a bride and groom exchange vows below an ornate dome.
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| Dome in Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadeloupe |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
Afterward, we visited the Morelia Candy and Handicrafts Market, which displays a mind-boggling assortment of sweets. Dinner was at San Miguelito restaurant, where St. Anthony provides matchmaking services for singles.
Morelia weather
Because Morelia, Mexico, is located at an altitude of 1,921 meters (6,302 feet), night temperatures are very cool even though daytime temperatures are warm. Rainfall is heaviest in the summer months.
TRAVEL INFORMATION
More things to see & do in Mexico's colonial cities:
Queretaro Mexico Travel Guide
Patzcuaro Mexico Vacation
Guanajuato Vacation
San Miguel de Allende Mexico Tour
Mexican Food Cookbook
