Church hopping, as the city of Morelia wakes up.

Estela and I wake up around 6:30 in the morning, when the first birds start singing outside the window of our room at the Virrey de Mendoza, and get ready to do some exercise. Here in Morelia we do something you might call "Church hopping".

Early morning in front of the once

mansion of the Virrey de Mendoza Hotel

We walk across the Plaza de Armas, and we go to the Church of Saint Augustine. We enter, say part of our morning prayers in presence of the Holy Sacrament, and we leave and walk over to the Plaza de San Francisco.

Empty streets of Morelia just before sunrise

Each church we stop at we kneel down and pray an Our Father and a couple of Hail Marys. Or if a Mass has already started,  maybe we stay awhile and listen to the sermon.

Rainspouts at the top of the

colonial buildings

Our church-hopping is like an impromptu procession,  with just Estela and I in the procession. Plus, the walking is very nice. Usually,  we might walk several miles all together, with six or seven stops.

Before sunrise, you will find only an occasional

car going by or a passerby.

Early sunlight gradually creeps down the

beautiful facades of the churches we visit.

Another scene we enjoy very much at this time of the day is watching the locals come to Mass or make a Eucharistic Visit to their church before going to work at one of the local offices or downtown stores. 

After our early morning walk we

come back to the hotel for a shower

and to get dressed. At this point,

around 8:00 am, you can see how

the streets start to fill up with cars

and pedestrians.

Another typical scene in Morelia that we come across during our "Church hopping" at this time of day, are the flocks of nuns leaving their convents, and on their ways either to Church for early Mass or on their way to school.

La Iglesia de la Carmelitas is another church we

visit frequently during our early morning

 church hopping.

There is one tradition that we find at this time of day in every city and town of Mexico: it is the hour when women come out of their houses and sweep their pavements. Some women even go so far as to scrub their flagstone pavements with soup, detergent and a scrub brush. It's a moment when neighbors meet and talk, and possibly exchange gossip.

A typical stone framed front window

with wooden doors and the lovely

Venetian-lace curtains behind a

wrought iron banister.