Morelia

AI overview

Morelia is the capital and largest city of Mexico's Michoacán state, located in the Guayangareo Valley and originally founded by the Spanish in 1541 as Valladolid before being renamed in 1828. The city matters as an important regional center with a history shaped by both indigenous Purépecha and Matlatzinca cultures and Spanish colonial settlement dating back nearly 500 years.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Settlement.name: Morelia
Settlement.settlement_type: City
Settlement.image_flag: Flag of Morelia, Michoacán.svg
Settlement.flag_size: 100px
Settlement.image_shield: Escudo de Morelia.svg
Settlement.shield_size: 100px
Settlement.pushpin_map: Mexico Michoacán#Mexico
Settlement.subdivision_type: Country
Settlement.subdivision_type1: State
Settlement.subdivision_name1: Michoacán
Settlement.subdivision_type2: Municipality
Settlement.subdivision_name2: Morelia
Settlement.seat_type: Municipal
Settlement.leader_title: Municipal President
Settlement.leader_name: Alfonso Martínez
Settlement.established_title: Founded
Settlement.established_date: 1541
Settlement.established_title2: Name change Valladolid → Morelia

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Official name: Morelia
Demonym: moreliano
Population: 743275
Elevation: 1920
Official website: www.morelia.gob.mx
Image: Morelia panorama DSC 0400 ed AD.jpg
Dialing code: 443

Show 4 more facts

Commons category: Morelia
inception: 1541-05-18
postal code: 58000
P8168: Magenta

Sources (7)

via Wikidata · CC0

~36 min read

Article

17 sections

Contents

History
Geography
Climate
Population
Government
Notable sites
Notable people
Festivals
Sister cities
Education
Sports
Transportation
The municipality
See also
Notes
References
External links

Morelia (; from 1545 to 1828 known as Valladolid; Otomi: ) is the capital and most populous city of the Mexican state of Michoacán. Situated in the Guayangareo Valley in the north-central part of the state, it is the municipal seat of the municipality of Morelia. The main pre-Hispanic cultures here were the Purépecha and the Matlatzinca, but no major cities were founded in the valley during this time. The Spanish took control of the area in the 1520s. The Spanish under Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza founded a settlement here in 1541 with the name of Valladolid, which became rival to the nearby city of Pátzcuaro for dominance in Michoacán. In 1580, this rivalry ended in Valladolid's favor, and it became the capital of the viceregal province. After the Mexican War of Independence, the city was renamed Morelia in honor of José María Morelos, who hailed from the city. In 1991, the city was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its well-preserved historical buildings and layout of the historic center. It is tradition to name people born on September 30 after the city.

The city population in 2020 was 743,275 inhabitants. The municipality had 849,053 inhabitants, and the Metropolitan Area, composed of Morelia, Tarímbaro, and Charo municipalities, had 988,704 inhabitants, according to the XIV Census.