MORELIA

city, capital of Michoacn state, west central Mexico. It lies between the Chiquito and Grande rivers, at the southern extreme of the central plateau, at an altitude of 6,368 ft (1,941 m). Originally known as Valladolid, the city was founded in 1541. The site was already inhabited by Tarascan Indians, and people of Indian descent still predominate. In the colonial period the city had the reputation of being an intellectual and art centre, stimulated by the Colegio San Nicols (founded in 1540 in Ptzcuaro and moved to Morelia in 1580), thought to be the oldest institution of higher learning in Mexico. The Baroque cathedral, completed in 1744, is an outstanding example of Spanish Renaissance church architecture, and the colonial governor's palace is also an imposing structure. The 3-mi (5-km) aqueduct, carried on arches, was built in 1785 as a famine-relief project. During the Mexican wars for independence, the city served briefly as the base of operations for the revolutionary leader Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. In 1828 the city was renamed in honour of Jos Mara Morelos y Pavn, a locally born leader of the independence movement. Since 1582, when it replaced Ptzcuaro as the capital of Michoacn, Morelia has served as a commercial and processing centre for an extensive agricultural region that yields principally corn (maize), beans, fruit, sugarcane, and cattle. The Michoacan University of San Nicols of Hidalgo (1957), which includes the original college, and the University of Michoacn (1939) are located in Morelia. The city has rail, highway, and air connections with all major Mexican urban centres. Pop. (1980) 238,000.