Santuario de la Virgen de Guadalupe

Morelia


A standard baroque structure on the outside dating from 1708 to 1716, this hushed sanctuary to Mexico's patron is a different story within. Get ready for a glistening profusion of pink, red and gold, gold, gold! The interior decorations date from 1915.

Springing out of all this elaboration is a series of large paintings depicting the conversion of the indigenous peoples to Christianity. They show scenes such as sacrificial victims about to be executed before being saved by the honest, God-fearing folk of Spain.

Beside the church, the much less splashy Ex Convento de San Diego was built in 1761 as a monastery and now houses the Faculty of Law and Social Sciences of the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Morelia attractions

1. Ex Convento de San Diego

0.02 MILES

Built as a monastery in 1761, the Ex Convento de San Diego now houses the Faculty of Law and Social Sciences of the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás…

2. Plaza Morelos

0.07 MILES

This irregular, conspicuously vacant plaza southeast of the center surrounds the Estatua Ecuestre al Patriota Morelos, a majestic statue of Morelos on…

3. Estatua Ecuestre al Patriota Morelos

0.07 MILES

Plaza Morelos, an irregular, conspicuously vacant plaza southeast of the center, surrounds this majestic statue of Morelos on horseback, sculpted by…

5. Acueducto

0.18 MILES

Morelia’s impressively preserved aqueduct north runs for just over 2km along (appropriately enough) Avenida Acueducto and then curves around Plaza…

6. Museo de Historia Natural

0.22 MILES

This strange and very small museum on the eastern side of the Bosque Cuauhtémoc park, displays fossils (including a mammoth's tusk) stuffed, dissected and…

7. Bosque Cuauhtémoc

0.25 MILES

Morelia’s largest park, named after the last Aztec emperor (r 1520–21), is an attractive affair frequented by families for its shady trees, outdoor…

8. Fuente Las Tarascas

0.34 MILES

The centerpiece of Plaza Villalongín, this iconic fountain erupts from a fruit tray held by three beautiful, topless Tarascan (now called Purépecha) women…