Morelia

Benito Juarez Zoological Park

A 250-ha (620-acre) urban oasis that is home to a 30-m (75-acre) lake and a large and diverse collection of animals, including everything from polar bears to monkeys. Kids love it!

Daily 07:00 - 15:00·M$30 for adults and $20 for kids

Casa Natal de Morelos

Hero of the Mexican War for Independence, native son Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon, was born, raised, and lived his life in Morelia. There are two Morelos homes in the city, and both are historical museums that chronicle Morelos and his role in shaping Mexico.

Cathedral

One of the downtown highlights is the baroque cathedral with its surrounding gardens and parks. The cathedral is enormous, covering more than 2 city blocks in area. Architectural details like the flying buttresses and tiled cupolas give it a distinctive look. The Cathedral is the site for the local “Day of the Dead” celebration in early November. It is more of an experience than can be described here. Most of the activities take place after dark, make sure you have a good seat around the square at dark for the outside performance of the choir and the fireworks each night.

Centro Cultural Clavijero

Palacio Clavijero

Wonderful colonial era palace with galleries set around a central courtyard and fountain. The galleries feature a range of art, some of it historic indigenous works, but mostly modern and contemporary art.

Tue-Sun 10:00 - 18:00, closed Mon·Free

Cupola Aqueduct

Running down the center of Avenida Acueducto is an enormous aqueduct built in the 17th century to bring water into the budding young city.

Fuente de las Tarascas

Tarascas Fountain

Famed city landmark featuring a bronze fountain with three Purhepecha women holding up a fruit bowl. The work was sculpted by artist José Luis Padilla Retana in 1984. This is one of the most photogenic spots in town with manicured flower gardens in front of the fountain and the graceful arches of the aqueduct in the background. Can you say "Instagram selfie"?

Jardín de las Rosas

A verdant plaza and popular meeting spot adjoined by cafes and restaurants with outdoor seating.

Monument to Lazaro Cardenas

Historical landmark built as a memorial to Lazaro Cardenas, a general during the Mexican Revolution who served as President of Mexico from 1934 to 1940.

Museo de Arte Colonial

A collection of colonial art painting that date from the 18th century, as well as a collection of sculptures comprised in large part of representations of Christ on the cross. Many of the sculptures were created using a pre-Hispanic technique known as Caña de Maiz, where corn stalk paste is allowed to dry over wood before sculpting.

Free

Museo de Arte Contemporaneo Alfredo Zalce (MACAZ)

Alfredo Zalce Museum of Contemporary Art

Housed in a 19th century mansion, Morelia's contemporary arts museum is named in honor of Alfredo Zalce, one of the artists of the Mexican muralism movement who was born in Michoacan and whose works include a large number of murals in the state capitol (Palacio del Gobierno). The MACAZ is known for its large collection of paintings by Efrain Vargas.

Mon-Fri 10:00 - 20:00, Sat-Sun 10:00 - 18:00·Free

Museo de Dulces

Definitely worth a stop. More than just a museum, it contains a coffee shop and offers the widest variety of candies as well as demonstrations of candy-making. Operated by Calle Real.

Sun-Fri 11:00 - 19:30, Sat 11:00 - 18:00

Museo de Historia Natural (MUNAH)

Natural History Museum

Small museum that explores the natural world with lots of preserved plant and animal specimens and exhibits oriented towards children. The museum can be fully experienced within about an hour.

Daily 10:00 - 16:00·Free

Palacio del Gobierno

State Capitol

Beautiful colonial era capitol building, constructed between 1760 and 1770. The building consists of two levels set around 3 courtyard plazas with covered archways, fountains, and wide stairways with ornate iron works and stained glass windows. Like government buildings in Mexico City, the capitol is filled with large-scale murals from the Mexican muralism program of the early early 20th century. Unlike the murals in Mexico City, these concentrate on the Mexican War of Independence, particularly the role of Morelia's hometown patriot, Jose Morelos y Pavon.

Mon-Fri 09:00 - 17:00·Free

Planetario de Morelia

Morelia Planetarium

Hour-long shows in the planetarium on the solar system and worlds beyond our own galaxy. Exhibits on space exploration. Very limited hours.

Sat-Sun 11:00 - 15:30, closed Mon-Fri

Plaza Villalongin

A plaza with a large fountain at the foot of the Morelia aqueduct. Surrounded by trendy shops, cafes, bars and restaurants.

Santuario de Guadalupe

One of the most serenely beautiful churches in Mexico, adorned in soft pink and white with gold trim, the church is a work of art in itself. It also houses a series of 17th-century oil paintings that ideologically depict the Spanish missionaries’ conquest over the “barbaric” religious traditions of the Aztecs.

Casa de Morelos

The second museum dedicated to Jose Maria Morelos.