Mexico: Historic Centre of Morelia and Good Friday Procesión del Silencio

After spending the night in Queretaro, we took an early morning bus at 4 a.m. to Morelia, the capital of Michoacán. The state of Michoacán covers the former territory of the Purépechas, a people of skilled artisans and warriors that was never conquered by the Aztecs. Morelia, when it was established in 1541, was called Valladolid. It was renamed after the Mexican War of Independence in honor of José María Morelos, one of Mexico's national heroes.


As soon as we arrived in Morelia, we left our stuff at the guarda equipaje (baggage storage) at the bus station and took a cab to the centro historico. Like many of Mexico's old cities, the centro historico of Morelia was easy to explore and we gave ourselves half a day to walk around the Historic Centre of Morelia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The cab dropped us off at the massive Catedral, built between 1660 and 1744. Flanked by two plazas, the three-nave sandstone cathedral dominates the skyline of Morelia's centro historico with its two 70 meter-high bell towers.



We got to visit several churches including the Templo de San Agustin, Templo de la Merced, Templo de las Rosas, Templo del Carmen, Templo de San Jose, Templo de San Francisco, Templo de las Monjas and the Templo de la Cruz. Talk about church overload! But unfortunately, we missed the best one, the Santuario de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe which is a further away from the cathedral, near the historic aqueduct. The lavish decorations inside the church created in the early 20th century were molded from clay and combine Art Noveau and Baroque elements.

For those with a sweet tooth, you can pass by the Mercado de Dulces y Artesianas, a sweets market behind the Centro Cultural de Clavijero.

Walking around Morelia was quite straightforward and easy as long as you have a map. After an early lunch, we found ourselves hopping on a bus again, this time to Mexico City for a brief transit to the south of Mexico. More photos in the Ivan About Town Facebook page.


Procesión del Silencio on Good Friday
During Semana Santa, Morelia is famous for its Procesión del Silencio which departs from the Calzada Fray Antonio de San Miguel at 7:30 p.m. and goes through Avenida Madero, Catedral, Quintana Roo, Allende, Plaza Valladolid and ends at the Templo de Capuchinas.

Mexico: Walking around Querétaro's centro historico

After spending the morning exploring San Miguel de Allende, we proceeded to Querétaro in the afternoon. The Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The sun was above us when we arrived and we decided to wait for things to cool down a bit before we started walking around the centro historico. So we went to the neighborhood lavandería to get our clothes ready for another round. Since it was nearing summer, days were longer. So we had more than enough time to explore later in the afternoon.


According to UNESCO, "The old colonial town of Querétaro is unusual in having retained the geometric street plan of the Spanish conquerors side by side with the twisting alleys of the Indian quarters. The Otomi, the Tarasco, the Chichimeca and the Spanish lived together peacefully in the town, which is notable for the many ornate civil and religious Baroque monuments from its golden age in the 17th and 18th centuries."


We began our walk around Querétaro at Plaza de la Constitucion. On one side is the Templo de San Francisco, which you can't miss because of its bright red orange facade. It served as the cathedral of Querétaro for two centuries. The church is decorated with tiles imported from Spain. Some of the smaller Baroque altars are still there. But the main altar was replaced with the current Neoclassic altar.



Walking along one of the streets beside the church, we found ourselves at Plaza de las Armas where one can find the Casa de la Corregidora. A very significant historical site of Mexico, it was in this building that Dona Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez (wife of the local corregidor), planned the initial stages of the Mexican War of Independence together with Miguel Hidalgo, Ignacio Allende and other intellectuals. For her role in the conspiracy, she was put on house arrest and later executed.



Of course, like many old cities in Mexico, there are many interesting churches. My favorites were the Templo de Santa Clara with its magnificent Baroque interior, and the Templo y Convento de Santa Rosa de Viterbo. Outside the Templo de Santa Clara, you would immediately notice its inverted flying buttresses with gargoyles and Mudejar-style cupola. Just like Santa Clara, the interior is a masterpiece of Baroque altars. Notice the pulpit with inlaid with ivory, nacre, turtle shell and silver. This is one church you've got to see when in Queretaro.


I really like walking around old Mexican cities. The plazas are well-maintained and kept open. If we had more time, it would have been a good idea just to sit down in those plazas and do nothing. After we visited most of the major sites, we proceeded back to the hostel and retired for the night. We had a 4 a.m. bus to Morelia to catch.

If you were wondering why it's called a historic monuments zone, the inscription includes an extensive archaeological site known as El Pueblito or El Cerrito, dominated by a 30-meter high pyramid, and situated seven kilometers from the centro. We didn't have time to get to it though. More photos in the Ivan About Town Facebook page.

Philippine Registry of Cultural Property (PRECUP) updated 10/17/2011

It's time to update the Philippine Registry of Cultural Property (PRECUP). Last Friday, we got the latest list from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. They declared seven structures in 2010 and this year, four as of October 14, 2011.


Declared as National Historical Landmark are the Capitol Building of Tayabas (now Quezon Province) in Lucena; Santa Cruz Parish Convent in Tanza, Cavite; Church of Loon in Bohol; Old Legislative Building (National Museum) in Manila; Bahay Nakpil-Bautista in Quiapo, Manila and the University of Santo Tomas.

Declared as Heritage Houses are the Lichauco Residence in Sta. Ana, Manila (which I was surprised to find out, is the first declared Heritage House in Metro Manila); Augusto P. Hizon House in San Fernando, Pampanga; Alberta Uitangcoy House in Malolos, Bulacan and the Mira-Nila House in Cubao, Quezon City.


They also declared the the Old Town of Dapitan as the first Heritage Zone under RA 10066.