Morelia

October 30, 2009
Morelia

Well visiting the Morelia Central was well worth a day of our journey. This is a UNESCO historical site and you can certainly see why it is so designated. The city dates back to about 1530 and many of the buildings in the central area date to the 1500’s and 1600’s. We have not seen such a well preserved historical city since Quebec City in Canada.
The cathedral is magnificent and there are not one but two parks next to it. The buildings are all of stone somewhat like sandstone in color. I counted three churches that I could see on one street alone spaced about two blocks apart.
The city is one of multiple colleges and universities and high schools which are boarding schools here. Many are housed in the old historic district inside of old mansions or convents or churches.
The first building that we entered was the university library which was housed in an old monastery. Next we went to a museum that was supposed to have masks from all over Mexico but unfortunately they were on exhibit in another city. The building and courtyard though were spectacular.
All through the city you see doorways leading to courtyards of old colonial mansions that are now converted into shops and offices. But the colonial grandeur is still evident of what must have been an opulent lifestyle.
We saw the Theatre and although not as large and opulent as the one in Guadalajara it was never the less impressive with its stone walls and architecture from the 1700’s.
Next was a walk to the Parke de Aquductos which still has 253 of the original 7 Km of aqueduct arches and columns in the system left. This was used to bring water to the fountains in the city.
We tried to see the Museum of Modern Art but it was closed for two weeks to have the exhibits for the November Festival here.
Morelia holds an annual Music Festival here and other festivals in November and that is what the city is being readied for. I wish we could stay as this must be quite the affair. Everywhere we saw banners for this and people lining up at ticket booths to purchase tickets for some of the different events.
What we did see was everyone getting ready for Las Dia de la Muerte (The Day of the Dead). This is where you make colorful exhibits out of flowers, fruit and bread, etc into elaborate murals on the ground and walls dedicated to those lost souls who have passed on before you. Then you have a celebration to them. This is not a wake but sort of between a picnic and a Fiesta. Now I know what all those fields of flowers were for that I saw growing before we got to Morelia. Orange seems to be the predominant color.
We had a chocolate cappuccino and a chocolate drink in a candy factory store near the cathedral which had been started in 1840. Morelia for some reason was a center for candy making at that time and eat your heart out Cheryl it was just the best ever.
Afterwards we ate near the porticos that surround the main plazas. These are stone arched and covered and provided a public area next to the businesses when they were originally constructed in the 1600’s. Bev purchased a small hand painted statue of a Mexican woman there that we probably paid too much for here and will have to cart around for the next five months, but she did like it.
So much for the muse for today and I must now sign off and see if I can find an internet café here. We are boon docking in Wally World tonight and last night as there are no RV campgrounds within 30 Km of the city. But all is fine and we have all of the amenities of our lifestyle with us.
Tomorrow we go to Puebla if we can get that far with the traffic etc. But as I have said before getting around DF (Mexico City) will I am sure prove to be an adventure worth the tale in my next blog.