Day of the Dead on Morelia, Michoacan mexico

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Day of the Dead Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico

Photographs by Bill Bell

Morelia is the capital of the Mexican state of Michoacán. The city is situated at 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 642,319 people (608,049 in the city of Morelia), 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 metropolitan area includes the municipality of Tarímbaro, and had 735,624 inhabitants in 2005.

The city's mayor is Fausto Vallejo Figueroa, from the PRI. It is his third non-consecutive term as presidente municipal.

Past Mexican President Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa was born in Morelia.

The city's historic downtown area, which houses more than 1000 colonial buildings and churches, became a World Heritage Site in 1991.