The intersection of Madero and Morelos is where the quadrants come together. On the northeast corner of Morelos and Madero is a building, now housing a bank, that was erected on the very site where an aborted conspiracy to overthrow Spanish rule was hatched in 1809, a year before actual hostilities began the War for Independence in the town of Dolores Hidalgo. Still on foot, you can proceed from the rear of the Cathedral two blocks east to the Church and restored ex-Convent of San Francisco. Fronted by a huge, paved plaza, the convent now serves as a government-managed handicraft store known as the Palaclo del Artesano . Here, folk arts from all over the state are collected, displayed and offered for sale.
Visitors are welcome, both to look and to buy.
Retracing the route to the rear of the Cathedral and the Main Plaza, note that Calle Hidalgo turns into a walking mall, closed to motor traffic. It has become an outdoor bazaar and, by night, a favorite place for pleasant gatherings. One block south of the Plaza, Calle Hidalgo intersects with Corregidora where, to the left, is the Casa Natal de Morelos , a stately classic building constructed on the site of Morelos' birthplace and used as a cultural center. In the courtyard are two interesting carriages, one said to have carried the Holy Host on sick calls and the other, once the property of a town dandy, extravagantly furnished and decorated. Just west on Corregidora is the Church and ex-Convent of San Agust n , the second oldest such structure in Morelia, and today the most popular gathering spot in the city.