By: Patty M. Vanegas April 23, 2025 Photo Credit: Patty M. Vanegas
Here we present Morelia’s cathedral and conservatory. Note the architectural details in each of these historical monuments. The cathedral has ornate features throughout the interior and exterior. The downtown conservatory has a gorgeous garden inside the plaza. The temples spread out in the downtown areas are full of historical references of Morelia’s traditional development. We will introduce the various temples in our next article.
Welcome to The Templo y Conservatorio de las Rosas. The Conservatory is an active school of musical education. It is free of charge to walk around the grounds. Take a peek into rooms with pianos. Walk through a beautiful garden with simple sculptures. Soak in the intricate architectural details throughout the campus. They are open Monday through Friday from 8am to 9pm, and Saturdays from 8am-2pm. Cost: free
As we enter the conservatory, we quickly encounter a bronze bust of Jose Maria Villasenor. The top plaque (translated) reads, ‘Jose Maria Villasenor, Founder and Director of The Superior School of Music | Dedicated by the Alumni Association of 1979-1981’.
The bottom plaque (translated) reads, ‘1914 Centurion 2014, From the Superior School of Music Foundation of Morelia, Las Rosas Conservatory. In Memory of your Founder and Director Dean Jose Maria Villasenor. Dedicated by the Alumni Association of Morelia Michoacan. Morelia, Michoacan January 7 of the year 2014.’
Next, we entered the beautiful center garden of the conservatory. We enjoyed the symmetrical evergreens surrounding the fountain. These contrasted the intricately free flowing trees’ canopy up above them. The vine like trees with hanging foliage are unique. These are Patty’s personal favorite trees in this garden.
The garden displays wispy feathery pine trees as well. They gracefully soften the stone pathways.
A seemingly simple statue adorns the ornately sculptured garden. It can be seen just beyond the Cantera stone fountain. Poinsettias often are placed to decorate the fountain for the festive winter holiday season! Note: also the architectural Cantera stone arches along the hallway. Much of Morelia’s downtown is built with Cantera stone with arches known for durability, strength, and aesthetic beauty. Cantera stones are a gorgeous light pink blush color.
The open back area of the conservatory gives us a glimpse into history. Here we see a traditional washing station. Each of these basins was used to clean clothes before washing machines became available and later popular. Enrique’s mama demonstrates to us how clothing was cleaned by hand using a brush and laundry soap bar. Many Morelia homes continue to have similar laundry basins. However, they are made of concrete. These are now typically used to empty the mop water from the household. They are useful to clean delicate clothing items and dog/pet dishes, or other items that are not wanted in the regular kitchen sink as well.
Ah! Another exquisitely detailed door of Morelia!! We adore the doors throughout Morelia. We have another post all about them! This is a gorgeous wood carved door with two diamond square designs containing a face, on both the top and bottom panels. The center of the door has various abstract rectangles carved into the wood to create a unique design. As Enrique walks out the door, we can see the large scale of the door. It is nearly double his height.
This is the main cathedral downtown, The Catedral de Morelia. The cathedral is lit up with various colors along with a musical backdrop each Saturday night. Once the cathedral is fully lit up, a great fireworks display commences above the cathedral. The cathedral is lit up with music playing in the background along with a fireworks display for other occasions as well.
Particularly, in January during Dia de los Reyes, or the Day of the Kings. We learned of this last minute and rushed over to see them just as the fireworks display fizzled out. However, we went around the otherwise quiet downtown to admire the buildings and displays still there from the Christmas holiday.
A continued stroll around downtown yields many historical monuments, buildings, temples, and museums to see and visit. Depending on the season… Stop for a warm corn in a cup, known as elote, with whatever toppings you like. Or, enjoy a deliciously fresh flavorful ice cream in a cup, or in a cone that is edible too. One of Patty’s favorite flavors is zarzamora con queso, or raspberry cheese. Yum. Yum.
Although many tourists love the interior, thus why we take photos, please be mindful of members attending cathedral mass services. We silence our phones and other devices when entering the cathedral during these services. We, also, discreetly take our photos from the back, so we do not disrupt mass.
Thank you for reading our introduction to the cathedral and conservatory. Here is a bonus video! This is a Saturday night cathedral lighting musical and fireworks display. It is well worth seeing in person!
Don’t forget to grab a tote or two to carry your Morelia goodies!
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