Morelia

From Free net encyclopedia

This article is about the city. For other meanings, see Morelia (disambiguation).

Morelia is the capital of the state of Michoacán in Mexico. The city is located at Template:Coor dms in the region of the Guayangareo valley, surrounded by the Punhuato and Quinceo hills. In 2003 the estimated population was 568,700 people.

The city's Historic Downtown Area is a UN designated World Heritage Site, and houses many beautiful colonial buildings and churches.

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History

Morelia was founded May 18, 1541 by Antonio de Mendoza, as the city of Valladolid. Before the arrival of Columbus, the region was inhabited by a people known as the pirindas. In 1582, Valladolid replaced Pátzcuaro as the capital of Michoacán. During the colonial period a number of religious orders established themselves in the city, allowing it to take an important place in the history of art and culture in Mexico. Important architectural sites from the colonial period include the Catedral de Morelia, the Aqueduct, the Governor's Palace, the Palacio Clavijero, and numerous churches, convents, and houses. The Conservatorio de Música de las Rosas of Morelia was the first music conservatory in the Americas.

The city is the birthplace of José María Morelos (1765), after whom it was renamed in September 12th, 1828, and who along with Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla began the Mexican War of Independence from Spain in 1810. It was also the birthplace of Agustín de Iturbide (1783), another notable independence figure.

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A Tour of Morelia

The Historic Downtown Area (Centro Historico de Morelia) encompasses approximately 150 city blocks at the city center, roughly corresponding to the urban area of the city at the end of the XVIII century. The Centro Historico is a treat to the eyes containing over 1,000 historical buildings and sites. It is wonderfully clean and has many attractions for tourists. One of the main attractions for tourists is the Catedral de Morelia. Also interesting is the Casa del Arte where you can find a large variety of high quality artisanal works. There are several other churches in town with beautiful interiors including the Templo de las Rosas annex to the Conservatorio de las Rosas, which are both examples of baroque architecture, and the Templo de San Diego (also known as Santuario de Guadalupe), with a stunning artisanal retablo that is a late reinterpretation of Rococo style using indigenous colors and techniques. The monumental aqueduct, built in colonial days to bring water into town, was functional through 1910. The inner city is built of reddish sandstone, lending the city a unique character among Mexico's many noteworthy colonial cities and giving origing to the name "Ciudad de las Canteras Rosas" that is sometimes used in reference to Morelia.

At the southern edge of the city is the beautiful mountain range called Santa Maria, which houses some of the best (and most expensive) residential districts, private sector schools and universities. The main university is the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, founded in 1551 under the name of Colegio de San Nicolás by Vasco de Quiroga, first bishop of Michoacán, and is one of the oldest universities in America, and one of the most important public universities of Mexico.

Due to its many universities, Morelia has a large student population and has become an increasingly popular destination for foreigners wishing to study Spanish language and Latin American culture.

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