Temple and former convent of San Francisco (House of Crafts)

🧵 Crafts and Historical Truths 🎨

Facing the expansive Plaza Valladolid stands a stone giant that seems to watch over everything. It is the Temple and Former Convent of San Francisco, the oldest ecclesiastical building in Morelia. Today it is famous for housing the House of Handicrafts (a shopper's paradise), but its history is full of myths that are worth clearing up while you stroll through its arches.

🕵️ The Founding Myth (1531 vs 1543) If you are observant, you will see plaques and murals that say this convent was founded in 1531. But modern historians tell us that's not true! 🚫 Serious studies show that before 1543 there was nothing here. The construction of the current temple, made with that durable quarry stone we admire, actually began between 1585 and 1610. So, although it's not as as old as the legend says, it remains the "grandfather" of Morelia's churches. A curious fact: its tower remained unfinished until 1948, which is why for centuries the people of Morelia affectionately called it... “San Francisco Torresmochas”.

🛍️ The House of Handicrafts (Michoacán Artisan Institute) Walking through its aisles is like taking a quick tour of all of Michoacán. Here you'll find, all in one place, the certified quality of the cazos de Santa Clara del Cobre, the fine pottery of Tzintzuntzan and, of course, the textiles and lacquers that distinguish our artisans from Pátzcuaro. What were once friars' cells and meditation courtyards are now the largest showcase of Michoacán talent. In 1972, this former convent became the House of Handicrafts. Here you can:

• Buy: From shawls and clay Catrinas to the famous Pátzcuaro lacquerware and sugarcane paste Christs, everything is authentic and certified.

• Learn: There are museum rooms where they explain the ancestral techniques of each region (including our lake region).

• Admire: El edificio en sí es una joya. Imagina que este lugar fue vecindad, sede de logias masónicas y hasta propiedad de un ingeniero belga que quiso hacer aquí una “Casa de Oro” para solteros. ¡Vaya giros de la vida!

💀 Ghosts of History: The Third Order What is today the Plaza Valladolid (in front of the temple), formerly it was the atrium, the cemetery and the place of the Temple of the Third Order. Unfortunately, with the Reform Laws and the passage of time, that annexed temple was destroyed. Its stones were used to rebuild the Ocampo Theater and in its place a market was built that lasted until the 1970s. It is said that the remains of heroes such as Mariano Matamoros and of the “Mexican Mozart”, José Mariano Elízaga. Today, only the open space remains, where concerts and food fairs are held.

📍 Why visit it from Pátzcuaro? Because it's the best place to buy handicrafts from whole entire state in one place. If you fell in love with a textile in Pátzcuaro but didn't buy it, you're very likely to find it here with the same quality. Furthermore, architecturally, it's the larger-than-life counterpart to our Franciscan churches on the lake's shores.