Rose Garden

Filled with flowers, the aroma of coffee and framed by classical music, this space nestled in the heart of the Historic Center of Morelia remains a favorite of thousands of tourists, visitors and locals for more than 50 years.

The place is the scene and witness to conversations between couples, friends, family gatherings, romances, business, first dates and even reconciliation dates, all amidst a general murmur that has become characteristic of the square and the garden.

They owe their nickname to the Conservatory of Roses and the Temple of Roses, founded more than 300 years ago by the Dominican order of Santa Rosa de Lima, who established a convent here that over the years would become a prestigious music school.

In its early years, the Dominican convent became a boarding school for girls. The tradition of seeing the girls in the front garden led to the nickname “the little roses”, which was passed down to the public space as the Garden of the Little Roses.

Others say that in this girls' school, young girls were taught to be "good housewives, industrious and devoted to their husbands," and they were also taught a musical instrument.

These students were allowed to appear on their balconies on Sundays, when their suitors came to see them and throw roses at them.

To this day, just opposite the garden is the emblematic academic music institution, which for almost five decades has had outstanding participations both nationally and internationally.

It was founded by Bernal Jiménez and for some years, the Italian musician Romano Picutti worked for this cultural space.

The slender garden is the first sight that frames the magnificent building intended for music, which has been evolving and acquiring the rose bushes and floral arrangements that characterize the space, which since the 70s has begun to fill with numerous cafes and restaurants that offer typical dishes and drinks from Morelia and even from various regions of the state of Michoacán.

Virtually no one remembers its real name, Jardín Luis González Gutiérrez, which was given in honor of the teacher at the Colegio de San Nicolás de Hidalgo; as has happened with other spaces, the site has been adopted with a nickname that endures in the collective memory.

As the years and decades have passed, it has become a “very Morelian” tradition to go with friends, partners or family to taste traditional drinks, enchiladas placeras and Morelian desserts.

Today, the green umbrellas, the outdoor tables and the mix of trova music, tunas, violins and recitations blend into a unique atmosphere that remains in the experience of the millions of tourists and Morelians who visit the garden every day.

As for its characteristics, the elongated shape on the east-west axis of this garden forms a unique walkway.

In addition, it has a stone fountain located in the center and two sculptures with meeting eyes at its ends, by the Mexican sculptor Ignacio Asúnsolo, placed in 1947.