The city of Morelia is the capital of the state of Michoacán, which was formally called Michoacán de Ocampo, and Michoacán is one of the 32 states which comprise the federal entities of Mexico.

The name Michoacán is from Nahuatl: Michhuahcan (from michhuah "possessor of fish" and -can place of) and means "place of the fishermen" referring to those who fish on Lake Pátzcuaro.

In pre-Hispanic times, the area was the home of the Purépecha Empire, which rivaled the Aztec Empire at the time of Spanish encounter. After the Spanish conquest, the empire became a separate province which became smaller over the colonial period. The state and its residents played a major role in the Mexican War of Independence. Today, the state is home to a sizeable population of Purépecha people as well as minor populations of Otomi and Nahua.

The national and state parks which include the winter grounds of the monarch butterflies (Mariposas Monarca) are located in Michoacán.

Morelia from 1545 to 1828 was known as Valladolid, is a city in the north-central part of the state of Michoacán. The main pre-Hispanic cultures in the Guayangareo valley were the Purépecha and the Matlatzinca, but no major cities were founded in the valley prior to the arrival of the Hispanic cultures.

In the colonial era, the Spanish took control of the area and founded Valladolid in 1541, which later became rival to the nearby city of Patzcuaro for dominance in Michoacán. In 1580, the rivalry ended with Valladolid becoming the capital of the colonial province. After the Mexican War of Independence, the city was named Morelia in honor of James Maria Morelos, a native of the city and one of the main heroes on the Mexican War of Independence.

It rains this entire day but I still enjoy the scenic views along the way. Arriving in Morelia, a five hundred year old city, shortly before three in the afternoon, I quickly come upon an amazing piece of architecture, the aquaducto in the old city center which was built in 1785.

I keep driving and in less than and hour I find the Kingdom Hall located on a street that is shown in my map book. This evening, I change my clothes and go into the hall for the meeting. There are about forty in this English congregation and meet many of them.

After the meeting, I ask a couple of the friends if they know of a place where I can park my van for the evening. One of the American brothers says, well why don′t you just stay at our home.

I assure the Brother that all I need is a place to park, that I am all set up in my van. He says, We have the extra room, it would be ashamed if it goes to waste. I concede, follow Fred and Sally home in my van and glad that I did. The room came with supper and a hot shower. These are the finest of friends.

Up early before my hosts and go down stairs to use the computer to check my email. Then Sally comes down and prepares breakfast and I would be hard pressed to find a better breakfast anywhere. The one thing that I had never eaten were her grit cakes. Then we head for the hall, with me following again. During this trip, I notice that the entire route (except when we turn off into his locked community) is on the GPS as one road. I should be able to drive to their home without an escort.