CAMPECHE CITY

Campeche City is located in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.  This city features a unique Downtown World Heritage Site where you can learn more about the city’s history.  The people of Campeche City are warm and hospitable, making this an excellent place to visit.  Today, the population of this city is around 275,000.  While the climate is gorgeous, if you plan to take a vacation there, the best time of the year is from November to April.

 If you love to explore or spend time outdoors then you would love Campeche City.  In addition to the beautiful beaches, there is incredible fishing, as well as opportunity to hike to the Mayan pyramids or visit other 16^th and 18^th century architecture.  This city has been home to the Mayan people for more than 2,000 years with interesting settlements such as Calakmul and Edzna.  In addition, Campeche City is also the sister city to Halifax in Nova Scotia Canada.

You will see walled cities dating back to the 17^th century due to European pirate attacks.  In fact, in addition to the magnificent downtown area, Campeche City also offers two forts.  While many places can be explored during the day, at night you can head down to the waterfront, walking on the sand to watch some of the most spectacular sunsets ever seen.  If you enjoy museums, we recommend you visit the San Carlos Bulwark, which is one of the first fortifications every built and named after Carlos II who was Spain’s king.  Then in 1766, the fort was approached by enemies on the weakest side of the city with 12 cannons. 

Today, San Carlos Bulwark has various rooms that at one time, were used for a prison and the guards.  If you want, you can walk among the rooms, gaining a better look into the past.  The museum at San Carlos Bulwark is also open to the public, which has become an important symbol for Campeche City.  You can visit the museum Tuesday through Saturday all day and then half a day on Sunday. 

Then, there is the inland gate, which was built in 1732.  While most of the original features of the gate were preserved to include the gunpowder store, loopholes, and gun placements, some of the gate did experience some damage.  To exit the inland gate, there are three roads leading out, with two of these roads going past the San Roman and Guadalupe fort.  The third road leads to the neighborhood of Santa Ana where you will see gorgeous homes and estates. 

Then, you might visit the fort of San Miguel, which is an outer fort that helped defend the city of Campeche.  Currently, this fort is home to the Campeche Regional Museum where a number of colonial and pre-Hispanic pieces are proudly on display.  The fort of San Jose el Alto is another great place to visit, which became the second fort as a part of the outer defense system.  However, in 1762 during a time pirate attacks had stopped, the fort was used to protect the port of Campeche, providing protection against England’s powerful naval force. 

La Casa 6 is a magnificent house in the city of Campeche that was completely renovated.  This 18^th century home was created with Moorish architecture and located on the city’s main square.  Once inside, you will discover stunning antique furniture that is from the latter part of the 19^th century. 

Santiago Bulwark is a reconstructed wall that has now become a botanical garden where over 200 plant species are found to include regional species such as Campeachy wood and Balche trees.  Finally, Nuestra Senora de la Soledad is a bulwark built sometime around 1690.  Of all the defense systems in Campeche City, this is the largest, once used for protecting Puerta del Mar.