Activities for companions will be held in the city of Morelia through a travel agency and the Tourism bureau of Morelia. This city has more than 200 historic buildings and 15 historic squares mostly built with a typical rose stone. Note that the historic center of Morelia is a World Heritage Site since 1991. These tours will include the Clavijero Palace, the College of St. Nicholas, the Aldama Portal, Villalonguín Square, Plaza de Armas, its Aqueduct, Palace of Art, among others.
The host hotel is strategically located in the modern south part of the city, just 15 minutes walk from the historic downtown, which is considered cultural heritage of humanity. Furthermore, near the hotel there is a permanent exhibition of about 4000 different types of orchids. Beside this, the hotel is located in a place where there are a libraries, walkways, squares and landscaped areas, all surrounded by 70,000 m2 of wooded areas and gardens, where there are always people walking around so it is not unsafe. Lastly, there is one of the best shopping centers of the state, with services usually used by tourists and businessmen.
Morelia
Morelia was founded on May 18, 1541 by Juan de Alvarado “The old one”, Juan de Villaseñor and Luis de León Romano, by emendation from the first viceroy of the new Spain, Antonio de Mendoza y Pacheco. Its Prehispanic name was Guayangareo. In the Spanish colonial era, it first received the name of city of Mechuacan, which changed in 1545 to city of Valladolid, in honor to the homonymous city in Spain. In 1828, the name was changed to Morelia to honor Mexico’s Independence hero, José María Morelos y Pavón, who was born in this city. The demonism of its population is “Moreliano”.
The city is located in a broad Valley formerly called “Guayangareo Valley”, in the north center of the municipality, which is surrounded by hills, including the Punhuato hill on the east side, to the west, the peak of the Quinceo, on the south, the hills of Santa Maria and the Eagle´s beak. Likewise, Morelia is physically located in-between some of the most important cities of the country, Guadalajara and Mexico, D.F.
Morelia is the most populated and extensive city in Michoacan, with a population of 597,511 inhabitants according to the 2010 INEGI population and housing census.
The city has a rich cultural life inherited over time. Thanks to the architectural heritage preserved since the colonial era, UNESCO declared the historic center of Morelia Cultural patrimony of humanity in 1991. Morelia has great tourist attractions thanks to its important architectural, cultural and historical heritage; it is also very well located, as it is at a close distance from traditional towns and natural sceneries, such as Los Azufres (geothermal area) and the Lakes of Pátzcuaro and Cuitzeo, among other places; therefore, Morelia is the most beach-less visited holiday destination (almost 500,000 tourists per holiday season; 85% being national tourist and 15% foreign tourists, including Americans, Spanish, Canadian and Italian individuals (2006)). The city has a good tourist infrastructure, including hotels of all categories, restaurants, travel agencies, spa’s, sports clubs, convention centers, a zoo, a planetarium, Etc.
Main touristic attractions:
The Morelia city center is one of the greatest exponents of the colonial architecture in the continent, due to its great beauty and architectural components, mainly from the buildings from 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, although there are also in important structures from the 19th century. The heritage area consists of 271 hectares (2.71 km2), and it consists of 219 blocks, 15 squares and 1113 civil and religious landmarks. As part of its active tourist life, the city is home to important annual cultural festivals such as the international festivals of music, organ, cinema and cuisine.
Weather
Warm climate rules over Morelia, with rainfall ranging from 700 to 1000 mm of annual precipitation and winter rainfall maximum of 5 mm. The annual average temperature oscillates between 16.2°C in the mountainous area of the municipality and 18.7°C in the lowlands. On the other hand, in the city of Morelia has an annual average temperature of 17.5°C, and precipitation of 773.5 mm per year. The prevailing winds come from the Southwest and Northwest, varying in July and August with intensities of 2.0 to 14.5 km/h.
| Temperatures and Rainfall Average | |||||||
| Month | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average maximum temperature (°C) | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 24.7 |
| Average minimum temperature (°C) | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 10.5 |
| Total precipitation rainfall (mm) | 18 | 16 | 12 | 53 | 15 | 13 | 766 |
| Number of rainy days | 22 | 21 | 17 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 107 |
Michoacan’s capital city, Morelia, today is one of the major cities of Mexico, perfectly connected to the rest of the States through excellent roads and its international airport.
Morelia is the cradle of illustrious men, including Don Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon, in honor of which the city bears his name.
To visit this magnificent city is to experience in one single stroke more than five centuries of history. It is one of the most important cultural centers of the country by the large number of artistic events that are organized throughout the year. Visiting Morelia is to soak up the soul of history, tradition and beauty. It has many historic buildings, which are a collection of architectural gems.
Palacio Clavijero. – Majestic building of Baroque, with a beautiful and large cloister of two levels and the Centre a polygonal source also elaborated in Quarry.
Colegio de San Nicolás de Hidalgo.- A neoclassical style building. The main courtyard has two-level arches, with murals painted on the second floor.
Palacio Municipal. – 18th century Baroque style construction. Its octagonal courtyard stands out, thanks to the arguably most beautiful arcade in the city.
Palacio de Justicia. – Beautiful building from the 17th century, with a French-style façade.
Palacio de Gobierno. – Baroque style structure built in 1750. Originally intended for the Colegio Seminario Tridentino de Valladolid.
Palacio Federal.- Neoclassical edifice, built in the 18th century. Former Teresiano de Guadalupe College in 1869.
Morelia has a lot of museums with different themes:
Museo del Estado.- Beautiful mansion of the 18th century. Consists of three sections: Archaeology, History and Ethnology.
Museo Regional Michoacano. – 18th Century edifice, with an archaeology room devoted to the Purepecha Culture, a weapons room and a XVIII century paintings room.
Casa Natal de Morelos.- The servant of the nation’s birthplace; it is now used as a cultural center with a library, paintings and various personal documents of Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon.
Museo Casa de Morelos.- Property purchased in 1801 by José Maria Morelos, and currently retains objects and furniture which belonged to him.
Museo de Arte Colonial.- It has a valuable collection of Christ figures built in different materials at different periods throughout history, emphasizing the processed paste of corn stalk.
Museo de Arte Contemporáneo “Alfredo Zalce”. – 19th century mansion, with 13 rooms that features 20th century art pieces from J. Clemente Orozco, Alfredo Alce, Manuel Pérez Coronado, to name a few.
Centro Cultural Universitario.- Building consisting of four areas, emphasizing the Novo Hispanic humanist room, where many books from said period are found.
Morelia has many other attractions, such as important avenues, squares, alleys, etc. These places are ideal for evening strolls, such as the alley of Romance, the aqueduct, the Cathedral, the Temple and “Conservatorio de las Rosas”, Villalongín plaza, the Calzada de San Diego, Sanctuary of Guadalupe and ex-convent of San Diego, Etc.
Furthermore, Morelia has an attractive nightlife, as it has bars with different types of music (jazz, ballad, trova, electronic, etc.), as well as places with a quiet, family-friendly environment. Morelia is a city with a wide variety of places to have fun.
