Conservatory of Roses

🎼 The Musical Soul of America 🎻

If you're having a coffee in the Rose Garden and you hear a piano or an angelic choir in the distance, you're not imagining things. That sound is coming from the building right in front of you: the Conservatory of Roses, a legendary institution that is the pride of all Michoacán.

It's considered the first conservatory in the Americas and is now a world-class music university. But did you know its story began with a group of girls and a convent?

🌹 The Origin of “The Roses” It all started in 1743, when this beautiful baroque building housed the Santa Rosa de Santa María Girls' School (hence the name). It belonged to the Dominican nuns and was already known for its intense musical activity. It was here that the legend of the "Rositas" was born, the students who were taught music and whose suitors threw flowers to them from the street.

🎹 The Legacy of Miguel Bernal Jiménez The modern history of this place cannot be understood without a name: Miguel Bernal Jiménez. In the 20th century (the 1930s and 40s), this musical genius returned from Rome to transform the old school of sacred music. He raised the academic standards, created ambitious curricula, and made Morelia the capital of religious music at the time. Thanks to his vision and that of his successors, the conservatory ceased to be merely a church school and became a professional artistic institution.

🔄 A Radical Transformation Although it was born under the wing of the Church, from 1986 and with the impetus of great masters like Eduardo Mata and the support of Carlos Prieto, the Conservatory definitively separated from the clergy. It reinvented itself as a secular, modern, and cutting-edge institution, creating degrees, baccalaureate programs, and festivals that today attract students from all over the world.

👀 What to see upon entering? Although it's an active school (and you have to respect the silence in the classrooms), the building itself is a marvel:

• The Cloister: An incredibly photogenic colonial courtyard.

• The Concert Hall: Where the acoustics are perfect.

• The Vibe: Feeling the energy of hundreds of young people carrying cellos, violins and sheet music is inspiring.

📍 Why visit it from Pátzcuaro? Because Michoacán is music. In Pátzcuaro we have the pirekua and the traditional Purépecha music that connects us to the land; at the Conservatorio de las Rosas you have the academic music that connects us to the world. These are two sides of our sonic identity that you can't miss.