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The site of the conference
Second Marxism & Psychology Conference will take place in the historic centre of the city of Morelia, State of Michoacán, Western Mexico, in two neighboring buildings of the State University of Michoacán (Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo):
The Samuel Ramos University Auditorium (photo below) for the keynotes
The Law Faculty, in the Old Monastery of San Diego (photo below), for the sessions
The Law Faculty and the Samuel Ramos University Auditory are located nearby the Church of San Diego and Guadalupe, in the Morelos square, at the east end of the city historical centre. It’s less than 2 kilometers (about a 30 minute walk) from the Cathedral and the Plaza de Armas. From the cathedral, walk west along Avenida Madero to the colonial aqueduct, cross it and take the pedestrian street Calzada Fray Antonio de San Miguel (photo below). At the end of the street you will see the Church of San Diego, the Law Faculty and the Samuel Ramos Auditorium in front of you.
Morelia and Michoacán
Located in Western Mexico, between Mexico City and Guadalajara, the State of Michoacán has a rich cultural heritage. In pre-Hispanic times, this was the home of the Purépecha Kingdom, which rivaled the Aztec Empire when the Spanish arrived. After the Spanish conquest, the kingdom soon became a separate province, and several of its residents played a major role in the Mexican War of Independence. Today, the state is still home to a large population of Purépecha people, as well as other Indians, such as Otomíes and Nahuas. The old XIV century capital of the Purépecha Kingdom, Tzintzuntzan (photo below), is 1 hour drive from Morelia. The Indian civilization surrounds Morelia, and an abundance of indigenous crafts and foods are found in the neighboring villages that skirt nearby Lake Pátzcuaro.
The capital of the State of Michoacán is the city of Morelia (UNESCO World Heritage Site), set at an elevation of over 1,800 meters (6,000 feet) and with a population of approximately 1,000,000.
The old city of Morelia
Morelia was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its well preserved colonial buildings and layout of the historic center. The city, founded in the 16th century, has many splendid buildings and monuments. The Mexican Federal Government lists 1,113 old buildings having historical value. Most of the grandest structures were completed between the 16th and the 18th centuries. The buildings encompass various Mexican or European architectural styles (such as Renaissance, Baroque, Mannerist, Herreresque, Churrigueresque, Neoclassical or Porfirian), but nearly all are built of pink cantera stone, which gives the city a unified appearance.
Almost all of Morelia’s notable sites lie in its historic center, which is roughly equivalent to the original layout of the 16th century city, with very wide streets and plazas for the time. In the center stand the impressive cathedral, dating back to the late 17th century, 4 important monasteries, 3 convents, 4 old colleges, many large churches and palaces, and some buildings of the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, the oldest university in the New World, founded in 1540 by Vasco de Quiroga. Also in Morelia is the first music conservatory in the Americas, the Conservatorio de las Rosas, established in 1734. The aqueduct, built in 1785, is a two-mile-long architectural marvel.
The State University of Michoacán (Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo)
The Conference will be held in the state university, the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, with more than 50,000 students. The university has its origins in a college founded in 1540, in Pátzcuaro, by Vasco de Quiroga, the Colegio de San Nicolás Obispo, which is the oldest institution of higher education in the Americas. This school gained the royal seal and patronage in 1543. In 1574, academics began to be under the jurisdiction of the Jesuits. With the Episcopal seat changed to Valladolid (Morelia), the school moved also in 1580, and was fused with the already existing Colegio de San Miguel Guayangareo. The school was reformed in the 17th century and its curriculum was redesigned in the 18th to include courses in philosophy, religious law, civil law and other subjects. At the end of the 18th century, the school became one of New Spain’s main centers of learning and academia, producing scholars such as Miguel Hidalgo and José María Morelos, who would become the most important heroes of the upcoming Mexican War of Independence. The school closed during the war but was reopened in 1847 with the name Primitivo y Nacional Colegio de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, focusing more on secular studies such as chemistry, physics, mathematics and biology. After the Mexican Revolution (1910-1917), the school was reorganized and renamed to the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, which consolidated a number of other schools and disciplines into the new organization.
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Some important old buildings related to the University |
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St Nicholas College
Founded in 1540 |
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Old Tridentino College
Currently Palace of the State Government |
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Clavijero Palace
Old Jesuit School (until 1767) | |
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Public Library of the University |
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Church of the old Jesuit School (until 1767) | |
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Other notable sites in Morelia
Around the Plaza de Armas |
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Morelia's cathedral (1640-1745)
One of the most beautiful colonial religious buildings in Latin America
Organ with 4,600 pipes |
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Convento de San Francisco (1531)
First convent established in Morelia
Renaissance, plateresque and moorish |
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Iglesia de las Capuchinas (1680)
Baroque altarpieces |
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Templo de San José (1740-1772) |
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Around the conference site |
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Templo de San Diego (1708-1716) |
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Colonial Aqueduct (1785)
With 253 arches |
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Villalongín Garden (18th and 19th centuries) |
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Plaza Morelos
Statue of Morelos (1907) by Giuseppe Inghillieri
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Other sites |
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Templo y monasterio de los Agustinos (1565) |
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Monasterio de Nuestra Señora del Carmen (1593) |
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Templo y convento de Santa Catalina de Siena (1729) |
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Conservatorio de las Rosas (1734)
Oldest music conservatory in the New World
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Museums in Morelia
Museo de Arte Colonial. The Museum of Colonial Art holds a collection of documents, old books, religious ornaments and maps from the colonial period. Its main attraction is its collection of more than 100 figures of Christ done in cornstalk paste. These figures were created by indigenous artists, starting under the direction of Vasco de Quiroga, between the 16th and 19th centuries. There are also paintings done by Miguel Cabrera and Jose Padilla from the 18th century. The museum is in an old Baroque residence from the 18th century.
Museo regional. This museum, founded in 1886, is housed in a building that belonged to Emperor Maximilian I of Habsburg. Most of the exhibits are about the history of the region with rooms dedicated to pre-Hispanic artifacts and colonial art.
Museo del Estado. This museum is divided into three sections –archeology, history and ethnology of the state. There is also an exhibit of the old Mier Pharmacy with its equipment from 1868. The museum is in a mansion dating from the 18th century.
Casa Museo José María Morelos y Pavón. This museum contains a collection of items from the colonial and early independence periods of Mexico’s history. The museum is also the archive of the Bishopric of Michoacán and contains documents from the 16th to the 19th century.
Casa Natal de Morelos. This is the house where José María Morelos y Pavón was born in 1765. The building is a large mansion with a neoclassic facade and a Baroque interior. The museum contains documents and belongings of Morelos including ones he signed, money he had coined, paintings and a large library.
Museo de la Máscara. This Mask Museum presents two different mask collections, totaling more than 165 examples from cultures in twenty Mexican states. It is located in the Casa de Artesanías de Morelia (Handcraft House of Morelia).
Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Alfredo Zalce. This Museum of Contemporary Art mostly contains works done by Alfredo Zalce and Efraín Vargas, both renowned Michoacán painters.
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