Patzinyegui is the name that the Matlazinca Indians gave to the city of Morelia. Inhabiting there with the consent of the cazonci, or señor purepecha, this tribe dedicated itself mainly to agriculture.

At the beginning of the Conquista, the villa of Patzcuaro was founded as center of activities of the region of the actual state of Michoacan, while the capital of the state was inhabited by indigenous people and Franciscan missionaries who constructed the convent of San Francisco, current house of handcrafts.

In 1537, by request of a group of Spanish families, the queen of Spain and Lord of New Spain, they were granted territory of the ancient matlazinca to found a new colonial villa; this was born with the Spanish name of Valladolid. The economical and social relevance that they soon acquired in the new city make the civil authorities transfer from Patzcuaro to Valladolid in 1580.

Due to the evangelizing labor of the Franciscan concretion, as well as a great Spanish population, Morelia was known as a catholic villa and observant of the conservative life of the period. Male and female convents, the education of minors in the convents, the great social status that implied dedicating life to catholic devotion, etc"…. were some of the practices of those times.

At the end of the XVIII century, Morelia was declared head of the Morelia region. A little after, the Franciscan influence arrived in the city through the beautiful architectural decoration, and the design of gardens in the ancient neighborhood of San Pedro.

With the end of the independent war, the Michoacan residents in the capital of the state decided to rename the city in honor of Don Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon. This name was official as of the year of 1828.

The period of Porfirio Diaz meant for the city the arrival of modern things as well as the railroad, telegraph, telephone, and a little after the ¨tranvia¨. At this time, Morelia had a population of approximately 40 million inhabitants.

With a pleasant climate and summer rains, the average temperature of Morelia is 17.6 degrees Celsius. Currently, the economy sustains itself mainly from services and commerce, thanks to the great measure of tourist activity. As for the industrial sector, it has mainly micro and small businesses.

The economic activity of the state is concentrated mainly in Morelia, communicating through 5 highways to the capital of the country and the rest of the state. It also has a railroad station of the Lazaro Cardenas route and has an international airport located in the county of Alvaro Obregon.

Sources:
Secretaría de Turismo de Morelia, en http://www.visitmorelia.com