DK Travel : Cancún and the Yucatán : Campeche

Campeche

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The old city of Campeche is a remarkable museum piece of the colonial era. Cobbled streets of aged houses painted in delicate blues, greens, and ochers still sit within the city walls, built to fend off pirate attacks when this was one of the great trading strongholds of the Spanish Empire. Campeche’s real museum, housed in an old fortress, displays spectacular Mayan relics from the recently excavated forest city of Calakmul.

Top 10 Sights

1. Parque Principal

Hub of the old town, the broad and airy main square once opened directly onto the water-front, with landing stages for ships; its 18th-century arcades would have been thronged with sailors and traders. Today, you’ll find a pleasant café amid the trees.
2. Cathedral

2. Cathedral

Begun in the 1560s, Campeche Cathedral was built in many stages and not completed until the 19th century. Its lofty façade, facing the main square, is one of the oldest parts, designed in a Spanish Renaissance style typical of many churches built in the reign of King Philip II.
3. Casa Seis

A gracious old house on the west side of the square, restored and furnished to recreate the home of a prosperous 19th-century Campeche merchant. As well as containing a tourist information desk, the house’s patio features concerts and exhibitions.
4. Puerta de Mar

4. Puerta de Mar

When the city walls were complete, Puerta de Mar provided the only gateway to the harbor. The nearby bastion is now Museo de las Estelas Mayas, displaying Mayan carvings from around Campeche.
5. Puerta de Tierra

Built in 1732, the Puerta de Tierra (“Land Gate”) was the only way in or out of Campeche on the landward side. Inside it, there is an entertaining museum of maritime and pirate history.
6. Baluarte de Santiago

This isolated bastion has been imaginatively used to house a dense and verdant botanical garden, with giant palms and other lush tropical flora.
7. The Malecón

The long waterfront has been attractively restored and is a popular place for locals to take an evening stroll. There are often superb sunsets over the Gulf of Mexico.
8. Fuerte San Miguel Museum

8. Fuerte San Miguel Museum

This former hilltop fortress, 3 km (1.5 miles) south of the city, is now home to a fine collection of Mayan relics, including a set of extraordinarily beautiful jade funeral masks.

Jade mask, Fuerte de San Miguel
9. Fuerte San José Museum

9. Fuerte San José Museum

Another sturdy Spanish fortress, north of the city . It houses the Post-Conquest sections of the town’s museum. Wonderful sea and city views from the ramparts.
10. Edzná

10. Edzná

About 50 km (30 miles) southeast of Campeche, the ruined Mayan city of Edzná rivalled Chichén Itzá and Uxmal in size and wealth. At its heart is the magnificent palace-temple complex, the “Building of the Five Stories”, one of the largest and most intricate of all Mayan buildings.

Practical Information

Special “El Guapo” buses run to the fortress museums from the Parque Principal. Otherwise, take a taxi. La Parroquia, just off the Parque Principal at Calle 55 no 8, is a traditional café with excellent breakfasts and great fish dishes. Tourist information: Casa Seis, Parque Principal Museo de las Estelas Mayas, 8am–7:30pm daily Puerta de Tierra, 9am–8pm daily; free Fuerte San Miguel, 8:30am–7:30pm Tue–Sun; adm $2.50 Fuerte San José, 8am–7:30pm Tue–Sun; adm $2.50 Edzná ruins, 8am–5pm daily; adm $3 Mon–Sat