Map To Campeche, Campeche, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico.

Official GPS Coordinate: 19.85°N 90.53°W. Approximately 200,700 population. It is located 196 km southeast of Merida by the federal highway 180, and 471 km northeast of Villahermosa by the federal highways 186, 261 and 180. Campeche (kam-pech-ee) is a Mayan word which means "serpent tick" and was founded around the 3rd century A.D. Campeche is used for the city as well as the state of Campeche on the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico. Campeche gets its name from the name of a Mayan chief of the original city, "Ah-kin-pech". The Spainards couldn't say the word easily so the changed the name to Campeche. Campeche brings up images of olden times and pirates plundering the coast line of Mexico. It is a charming colonial town with narrow streets and baroque architecture. Its most interesting landmark is the great seawall that once surrounded the city and the original fortress that protected the town from pirates. An interesting story is that as Campeche became a very wealthy port, many bars were established to meet the needs of the thirsty sailors. They would make mixed drinks but there was a shortage of spoons to stir the drinks with since the only ones available were made of copper and the water of Campeche made the drinks taste bad when stired with copper. So one bartender started to stir the drinks with a small stick sometimes with fruit stuck to the stick. One day an English sailor asked the drinks name. The bartender thought he wanted the name of the tree the stick came from. He said "cola de gallo". That translates into the word "cocktail"! Can Pech was founded around the 3rd century of our era. On March 22, 1517 expeditionaries commanded by Francisco Hernandez de Cordova reached the village of Kin Pech, to replenish their water supply. With fear of being attacked by the native population they quickly left. A few days later the Europeans got into a 4 day storm at sea after which they were able to disembark in Champoton (65 km south of the city of Campeche) where they were attacked by native troops led by Moch Couoh. The triumph of the Mayan forces over the Spaniards was obvious. Hernandez de Cordova was so badly wounded that he died of his wounds a few days later. The battleground near Champoton were this all happened has been called ‘the bay of the bad fight' ever since... In 1527 Commander Francisco de Montejo failed to enter the land of the Campechanos, and his son, trying some years later, was also unsuccessful. On December 24, 1540 Montejo the Younger arrived in Champoton, this time determined to conquer. He eventually won the fight, and on the 4th of October 1541 Francisco Montejo founded the Villa de San Francisco de Campeche. Later on he also defeated Tenabo, Hecelchakan and Calkini. After being conquered in 1540 A.D. by Francisco de Montejo, the younger, Campeche gained a history of being wealthy and as being the target of many a pirate raid. It became so desired by pirates that on February 9, 1668 several pirate bands actually joined up together and attacked the town, killed everyone in sight and plundered the city. Finially on January 3, 1668 a cornerstone was laid for the new walled city. A strong barricade as tall as a ship, with four gates was placed around the city. Part of the wall with gates was placed over the water so that ships could bring goods into the city if desired. Finially the city was free of marauders. Once more the walls protected the city during the War Of The Castes with the uprising of the peninsula's Mayan peasantry. Declared a national historic town Campeche is one of the best-preserved historic centers in Mexico. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999. Its "Baluartes" or strategic mini-forts along the "malecon" have earned Campeche a Colonial jewel title. These forts were built to defend the city against the pirate raids which took place in the 17th century when the hardwoods of the region were exported through this port. The hardwood contained a dye that had the color red in it. For years this dye was used in Europe for the Royality to use in their red garmets. When we visited Campeche we found several of the old fortified walls in the city. One of our favorite fortified walls is "The Fort Of San Miguel". We were first in Campeche in August of 1988. Our second visit was during Febuary 8, 2004 at about 11:00 AM. We noticed several fast food resturants in the area that were not there during our first visit. We enjoyed Carl's. However, since Campeche borders the ocean, its best known cuisine features a variety of fresh seafood. Local cuisine includes pan de cazón, a tortilla dish of baby shark topped with fried beans, onion and an herb called epazote. Another recommended delicacy is shrimp with coconut, normally served with applesauce. Another interesting tradition is for households to cook the same meal on a given day of the week. For example, on Mondays, puchero (stew) is prepared; on Thursdays, bistec de cazuela (beef casserole), and on Fridays, fresh fish. It is also a custom for men to go to the market, with this tradition stemming from the time of pirates, when women were often afraid to go out on the streets. Our first thirteen photos are from the August 1988 trip. All other photos are from February 8, 2004. Today Campache is a wonderful place to simply relax and to enjoy a slow pace while thinking of Campeche's past.

We have links on this page that will connect you with several of the best hotels in Campeche. We suggest getting a hotel and then letting them arrange either a car or a tour of Campeche and/or the Río Bec Region. If you call their Concierge Services ahead of your arrival, all of this can be pre-arranged for you. Our best choice for exploring this region is the Chicanna Ecovillage Resort at Xpujil. It is a nice place to stay but don't expect a 5 star rating hotel. There are no other nice places to stay in this central location. Hotels that are higher rated are only in Campeche. We make arrangements this way all the time, when traveling in Mexico. It is safe and it works!!! We have never experienced a problem, doing it this way! The Ing. Alberto Acuña Ongay International Airport (IATA: CPE, ICAO: MMCP), also known as Campeche International Airport, is the international airport located in Campeche, Campeche, Mexico. It handles the national and international air traffic of the city of Campeche. It's operated by Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares, a federal government-owned corporation. Therefore, we have placed a link to Expedia.com on this page so you can arrange your flights into and out of Campeche; as well as your hotel, when visiting this area.

Campeche Town Seen From The Fort San Miguel Walls

Campeche's Fort Of San Miguel	Campeche Seen From The Fort Walls
Pretty Thick Walls!	Original Cannon!
Wall Cannon!	Courtyard And Well
The Moat And Drawbridge	George And Cannon!
Fort Walls	Fort Walk To The Gate Curved To Stop Battering Rams
Fort San Carlos	Boats In The Bay Of Campeche
Malecon	Malecon
Malecon	Malecon
Buluarte de Santa Rosa Completed In 1688	Dedicated To First American Saint Santa Rosa de Lima
Buluarte de Santa Rosa	Campeche Streets
Templo de San Jose Church In Central Campeche Tower Is Old Lighthouse	Templo de San Jose Church In Central Campeche Tower Is Old Lighthouse