The Sunday Traveler ~ Morelia, Mexico

The Sunday Traveler hit the road running; if I only had two weeks in the Morelia area, I wanted to be sure they would be days full of exploring and fun. Right off I must thank my cousin, his wife and her family who I stayed with, and who made sure we packed in everything we could into those two weeks. The plan was for local exploring in the city of Morelia itself, and also the surrounding Pueblos Magicos of Mexico (the magical towns of Mexico/UNESCO towns).

Morelia is the capital of the state of Michoacan. Yes, one of those states that is on the U.S. State Department travel list at a Level 4/don’t travel there. The Sunday Traveler does not let too many things stop her. I went, I saw, I enjoyed, I returned unscathed (there are of course certain areas of the state one is told to avoid, and as with anywhere in the world, common sense must be used, and the locals listened to). Morelia is a charming town founded in 1541 full of colonial architecture and culture; the population is at about 500 thousand, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The first day began with a walking tour of the neighborhood area I was lucky enough to stay in, a mix of classic newer Mexican homes behind wooden doors, and then the classic old areas of cobblestone streets and humble homes, shops and churches.

Starting out with a walking tour is a great way to stretch after sitting on an airplane all the previous day; and to get acclimatized to the altitude of 6,300 feet that isn’t too bad, but you’ll remember that I come from sea level; there may have been a little huffing and puffing as we went up hills, but I sure wasn’t going to let my cousin think I couldn’t get with the program.

First stop. We approach the church of Santa Maria de Guido in the Santa Maria neighborhood. I’ve just fallen in love with Morelia.

Going inside the church I’m immediately struck by the simplicity of the church, thinking of the ornate churches I saw last year in Guadalajara.

Simple beauty in textures, lines, architecture. And then I managed to sweet talk that nun sweeping outside to open another little chapel across the courtyard from this church. Now this was simplicity.

Out we went to see a little bit of the surrounding area of Santa Maria

There’s just something about the tortillas, bread and pastries in Mexico that I can’t get enough of (upon my return home my scale told me I had my fair share).

We headed home after a couple of purchases in a little grocery store

Until next week, when we’ll travel on to the first Pueblo Magico of Tzintzuntzan.

Hasta entonces.