Experience the best of Morelia

Morelia's historic centre, a World Heritage site, grew from the sixteenth century in pink cantera stone. The Baroque cathedral, with twin towers, is lit at night, and arcaded plazas, colonial mansions and the Palacio Clavijero fill the grid of streets. The city was called Valladolid until 1828, when it took the name Morelia after José María Morelos, the independence hero born here.

The aqueduct, with its long line of arches, runs along Calzada Fray Antonio de San Miguel, and the Casa de las Artesanías sells Michoacán crafts. Pátzcuaro, a lake town with Purépecha traditions, and the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, where millions of monarchs spend the winter between November and March, are within reach, as is the Paricutín volcano near Uruapan.

Carnitas, slow-cooked pork, are the pride of Michoacán, with corundas, triangular tamales wrapped in cornstalk leaves, and sopa tarasca, a creamy tomato and bean soup. Morelia's sweets, fruit pastes called ates, and the fruit gazpacho with cheese and chilli are local treats. The highland climate is mild, with rains from June to September.