Morelia is the capital of the Mexican state of Michoacán de Ocampo. The city is located at 19°42′00″N, 101°11′00″W with an elevation of 1 921 meters above sea level in the region of the Guayangareo Valley, surrounded by the Punhuato and Quinceo Hills. The City is the biggest in the state, and the population of the "conurbated area" was 642,314 people (608,049 in Morelia city), according to the census of 2005 (Segundo Conteo de Población y Vivienda 2005). The municipality of Morelia, of which the city serves as municipal seat, has an area of 1,199.02 km² (462.94 sq mi) and a population of 684,145. It includes such outlying towns as Morelos and Capula. The city's mayor is Fausto Vallejo, from the PRI. It is his third non-consecutive term as presidente municipal.

Morelia is a colonial city, capital of the Mexican state of Michoacan, which is well-known for its majestic buildings, squares (plazas), gardens, an aqueduct

The Historic Downtown Area (Centro Histórico) encompasses approximately 150 city blocks at the city center, roughly corresponding to the urban area of the city at the end of the eighteenth century. The Centro Historico contains over 1,000 historical buildings and sites. Morelia is characterized by the magnificence of its monuments which are mostly colonial. The most remarkable buildings are the baroque cathedral, finished in 1744; the convent of San Francisco, built in 1513; the convent of San Agustin, founded in 1550; the college and temple of La Compañia de Jesus, started in 1580 and known as Palacio Clavijero; the convent of El Carmen, constructed in 1597; the convent of Santa Catarina that dates from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Thanks to its balmy weather and pleasant environs, Morelia is a fantastic destination to go hiking in the mountains and