Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico, el dies de Marzo 2020

I decided not go to the volcano - I’m tired and there were a lot of nice buildings here I hadn’t seen so I just enjoyed Morelia.

My first stop was the Plaza del Carmen looking towards the church.  I love the fountains-

The construction of Del Carmen began in 1600 but the neo-classical style of today was completed in 1839-

Looking back towards San José-

I came across the Museo de Arte Colonial and it was room after room of Jesus on the cross-

Colonial art?  I guess that’s what the Spaniards did - drill Catholicism into the Indigenous.  Most of the Jesuses are made of caña de maize which is a technique using corn stalk paste applied on wood, then once dry, the artist sculpts.  Most of this work is from the 17th century-

There’s a disagreement whether Jesus was nailed to the cross with three-

or four nails-

There’s a red stone in Jesus’ chest, representing his heart, even though it’s on the right side-

Jesus is in the shape of the wooden cross-

This Jesus has small hinges at his shoulders for easier movement-

That museum was pretty small and it always makes me wonder how they can possibly stay open - it was free and there were five employees.

Nearby the city stretches far into the distance-

My next stop was at el Jardin de las Rosas which has monuments, a fountain and outdoor restaurants. It’s very pretty-

Across the street is el Templo de Santa Rosa-

I popped into many buildings with beautiful courtyards-

They also have murals painted in the stairways-

I stopped into a university library where you have to order your book through a clerk-

Lunch was corundas which are peak shaped tamales that come from the pre-Hispanic Purépecha.  They’re made of ground corn topped with creme and queso and served with pork stew. I didn’t like them-

I kept wandering.  Tuesday is a good day to do that because there aren’t many others out.  The pink stone of the Cathedral looks great in the sun-

Nearby is Plaza de Armas-

The women in the International Women’s Day march on Sunday touched up the Palacio de Gobierno del Estado-

Inside are two courtyards-

with murals depicting the history of Morelia-

Street art nearby-

A thought for the day-

Tomorrow I’m off to Mexico City.  I’ve really enjoyed Morelia and the family with whom I’m staying.  We had a drink of tequila and Squirt and a nice visit tonight.  Natalia is the 18 month granddaughter, the father was a math teacher for 37 years, Mom has always been a cook, Natalia’s Mom is an elementary teacher and her husband is a chef.  They are very friendly and I’m glad I chose this Air BNB.  Looking forward to getting back to Ciudad!