15 OCT 2017
Campeche was founded in 1540 by Spanish conquistadores as San Francisco de Campeche atop the pre-existing Maya city of Campech or Kimpech. The city retains many of the old colonial Spanish city walls and fortifications which protected the city from pirates and buccaneers. The state of preservation and quality of its architecture earned it the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. Campeche is one of the most beautiful capitals in the country, a model of a colonial baroque city planning. It has 17 archaeological sites. Campeche has charming corners that you’ll love including the beautiful colonial port, beaches and various Mayan ceremonial centers and majestic nature reserves.
When you visit Campeche you have to take a stroll along the Fort of San Miguel, San Jose el Alto, and the Door of the Earth; their buildings will carry you and will tell the story of this beautiful city.
Campeche was the most important seaport at the time and played a major role for the conquest and evangelization of the Yucatan Peninsula, Guatemala and Chiapas. Its commercial and military importance made it the second biggest town in the Gulf of Mexico, after Mérida. Due its port importance in the sea route: Spain, Havana, Campeche, and Veracruz; as point of embarkation of the natural riches of the peninsula and political differences of the kingdoms of the old continent, ring the second half of the 16th century, Campeche, like other Caribbean towns, was systematically attacked by pirates. Military defensive system for mid-17th century was inadequate and poorly strategic so a new fortification, hexagonal wall, integrating eight bastions, four doors and walls, was authorized, with construction started in 1686 and concluding in 1704.
