Benito Juarez Zoo - Park

The Benito Juárez Zoo - Park, which opened its doors on Wednesday, September 30, 1970, materialized the dream of its precursor, Mr. Jesús Guzmán Villicaña, who in early 1968, proposed to Governor Agustín Arriaga Rivera to found an amusement park, an idea taken after working for some years at Disneyland, Florida.

However, it was not until the governorship of Carlos Rodríguez Betancourt (1968-1970) that Mr. Guzmán's project, together with the social projects of this administration, made it possible to transform this idea, for the opening and installation of a zoo in none other than one of the busiest areas of Morelian society, steeped in tradition since the beginning of the 20th century: "Juárez Park."

Built in the “alameda” style, this space in the south of the city, privileged from the beginning for having a natural lake, had the ideal characteristics from the beginning to create the first wildlife enclosure in Michoacán.

Thus, the Morelia Zoo is a zoological park located in the heart of the city of Morelia. It is the most important in the country in terms of variety of species (440) and number of specimens (3,800).

It has the largest collection of birds in Latin America and its collections of primates stand out with 23 different species and the feline collection with 10, of which 6 live in the region. Among its numerous animal species we can mention: African lion, lizard, panther, bear, tiger, rhinoceros, elephant, llama, giraffe, hippopotamus, antelope, rhea and zebra, among others.

The zoo occupies a large area of ​​Benito Juárez Park. It has an aquarium with more than 160 species of freshwater and saltwater animals, a herpetarium, a flight cage and a small children's zoo.

It also has an artificial lake with boat rental service; an open-air auditorium; children's games, a scenic train, horseback riding and goat-drawn cart rides; a restaurant service, gazebos and restrooms.