Zamora de Hidalgo is a Michoacán city with more architectural punch than its low-key reputation suggests. Its centre is built around plazas, churches, portals, and the kind of local commerce that still gives a Sunday afternoon some weight.
The standout is the Santuario Guadalupano, a huge unfinished-looking neo-Gothic church whose towers dominate the city. Around it are older churches, the cathedral, and the federal palace, plus shops selling chongos zamoranos, the local milk sweet.
Zamora is best as a focused stop between Guadalajara, Morelia, and the Purépecha towns of Michoacán. It is not as beautiful as Morelia or as atmospheric as Pátzcuaro, but the sanctuary alone makes it worth a spare day if you are already nearby.