Campeche

Destination Information

The State of Campeche is a state in the south-east region of the Mexican Republic. It is bordered by the Mexican states of Yucatán to the north east, Quintana Roo to the east, and Tabasco to the south west. To the south it is bordered by the Petén department of Guatemala and to the west by the Gulf of Mexico.

The area of Campeche is 56,798 square kilometers (21,929.8 sq mi), and the population was only 754,730 inhabitants at the 2005 census. This makes Campeche one of the states with the lowest population densities in Mexico (fifth behind Baja California Sur, Durango, Sonora, and Chihuahua).

The capital city of the state is the city of San Francisco de Campeche, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. (Information provided by Wikipedia. Click on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campeche#Major_communities for additional information.)

Location of Campeche in Mexico

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Bécal
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Calkiní
Calkiní (Yucatec Maya: "throat of the sun") is one of the 11 municipalities in the Mexican state of Campeche. It is situated at the northern tip of the state, on the central western coast the Yucatán Peninsula. The municipal seat, and largest settlement, is the city of Calkiní. The municipality of Calkiní borders to the west with the Gulf of Mexico; to the north and east with the state of Yucatán; and to the south with the municipality of Hecelchakán. The 2005 census reported a population of 49,850 persons. Of these, 26,127 spoke one of several indigenous languages, predominantly Yucatec Maya. (Information provided by Wikipedia. Click on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campeche#Major_communities for additional information.)

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Campeche

Campeche is the capital city of the Mexican state of Campeche and is located on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. The city's population at the 2005 census was 211,671 people. The municipality for which it serves as municipal seat had a population of 238,850.

The city was founded in 1540 by Spanish conquistadores as San Francisco de Campeche atop the pre-existing Maya city of Canpech or Kimpech. The Pre-Columbian city was described as having 3,000 houses and various monuments, of which little trace remains. The city retains many of the old colonial Spanish city walls and fortifications which protected the city (not always successfully) 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. Originally, the Spaniards lived inside the walled city, while the natives lived in the surrounding barrios of San Francisco, Guadalupe and San Román. These barrios still retain their original churches.

Due to the constant attacks of both English and Dutch buccaneers and pirates for almost 160 years, in 1686 the government started to fortify the city. The French engineer Louis Bouchard de Becour was commissioned to unify all the defensive works that surrounded the city with a wall. At its completion, the wall surrounding the city of Campeche was 2,560 meters in length, forming an irregular hexagon around the main part of the city, with eight defensive bastions on the corners. It also contained four gates to allow access to the main quarters. The main entrances are the Puerta de la tierra ("Land Gate"), built in 1732, and the Puerta del mar ("Sea Gate"). The Land Gate is kept as a tourist attraction, having a light and sound show three nights each week and keeping original supplies and items from the XVII century. The other gates were Guadalupe and San Román, connecting to the outside neighborhoods. Additionally, two main forts protected the city from two nearby hills on each side, the forts of San José el Alto (built in 1762) and San Miguel. These forts gave long-range artillery coverage and served also as look-outs. They were built before the walls of the city. The fort of San Miguel is used as a museum and houses a collection of pre-Hispanic items. The fort of San José houses a collection of boats and weapons of the period. (Information and photo provided by Wikipedia. Click on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campeche,_Campeche for additional information.)

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Candelaria

Candelaria is situated at the south of the state, and the municipal seat, and largest settlement in the area. The name "Candelaria" is in reference to the Río Candelaria, a river which drains the region. The municipality of Candelaria borders to the north with the municipality of Escárcega; to the south with Guatemala and the state of Tabasco; to the east with the municipality of Calakmul, and to the west with the municipality of Carmen. On 25 April 1984, the State Congress heard a request made by the residents of the region for it to be established as an autonomous municipality. The municipality of Candelaria was created by the Congress on 19 June 1998. The 2005 census reported a population of 49,850 persons. Of these, 2,091 spoke an indigenous language, predominantly Ch'ol and Chontal. (Information provided by Wikipedia. Click on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candelaria,_Campeche for additional information.)

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Champotón

Champotón is located about 60 km south of the city of Campeche where the small Champotón river meets the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. At the 2005 census it had a population of 27,235, the third-largest community in the state (behind Campeche and Ciudad del Carmen, and just barely ahead of Escárcega). Champotón, historically also called Chakanputun and Chanputun, was a city of the Maya civilization dating back to at least the 10th century before it was conquered by Spain in the 16th century. There the famous battle "Mala Pelea" occurred. In the first Spanish exploration (1517) they were defeated by the mayas. Champotón is also a municipality within the state of Campeche, including the city of Champotón and the surrounding area. In 2005 the municipality of Champotón had a population of 76,116 inhabitants. It has an areal extent of 6,088.28 km² (2,350.7 sq mi) and includes the significant community of Seybaplaya. (Information and photo provided by Wikipedia. Click on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champot%C3%B3n for additional information.)

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Ciudad del Carmen

Ciudad del Carmen is located on the south west of Carmen Island, which stands in the Laguna de Términos on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The 2005 census population was 154,197 people. In July 2006 Ciudad del Carmen celebrated its 150th anniversary as a city. This border area at the western edge of the Yucatán Peninsula was previously part of the state of Yucatán, then of Tabasco; since 1863 it has been part of the state of Campeche. In 1840 the city had a population of about 7,000. The city is also the seat of the state of Campeche's Carmen municipality, which includes the city and the surrounding area. The 2005 census population of the municipality of Carmen was 199,988 people, second only to the capital municipality of Campeche. There is a sense of rivalry among the inhabitants of the two cities.
As late as the early 1980s the city could long be reached only by ferry boats called "pangas"; this changed with the construction of a causeway bridge to the mainland in the 1980s and another one in 1994 before the term of President Carlos Salinas de Gortari ended. The construction of the first bridge was motivated by the sinking of one of the island's pangas which resulted in the death of nearly everyone on-board. The bridge Puente El Zacatal constructed in 1994 is one of the longest in Latin America. (Information and photo provided by Wikipedia. Click on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciudad_del_Carmen for additional information.)

Image:Puertoreal 01.jpg
The city is nicknamed "The Pearl of the Gulf". Ciudad del Carmen was a small city mostly devoted to fishing until the 1970s when oil was discovered in the region; since then it has grown and developed substantially. To this day Carmen is known as one of the best locations to find seafood in Mexico

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Dzitbalché
Dzitbalché is a large town in the extreme northern part of the Mexican state of Campeche. At the 2005 census the population was 10,951 inhabitants, the sixth-largest community in the state, and the second-largest in the municipality behind the town of Calkiní.

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Escárcega

Escárcega is a small city in the central part of the state. The population of the city at the 2005 census was 27,214 people, the fourth-largest community in the state. The city serves as the administrative centre for the surrounding municipality of the same name, which includes the city and its hinterland. In 2005 the population of Escárcega municipality was 50,106. Its area is 4,569.64 km² (1,764.35 sq mi), which includes many smaller outlying communities, the largest of which is called División del Norte. Escárcega is at the junction of Mexican Federal Highways 251 and 186, and is crossed by the railway that runs from Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, to Campeche, Campeche. It is a new city that grew up in the 20th century with the arrival of the railways and roads. It is named after Francisco Escárcega, a native of Tlaxcala who fought in the Mexican Revolution and oversaw the construction of much of the rail network in the country's southeast. As a nondescript small city with little of interest to travelers, Escárcega was featured in fifth position on the 2002 Lonely Planet Guide to Mexico's "worst of Mexico" list. (Information provided by Wikipedia. Click on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esc%C3%A1rcega for additional information.)

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Hecelchakán
Hecelchakán is located some 70 km to the north of the state capital Campeche. It is the seat of the municipality of the same name. The city had a 2005 census population of 9,974, while the municipality had a population of 26,973. The municipality has an area of 1,331.99 km² (514.284 sq mi) and includes numerous smaller outlying communities, the largest of which is the town of Pomuch. The city was founded close to a cenote by inhabitants of the former city of Xkalumkin, between the years 1500 and 1600. In this city some important historic events took place, such as the battle between Don Francisco de Paula Toro and the federalists, led by Don Felipe Montero, who was defeated. In 1840, the district of Hecelchakán included the towns of Pomuch, Pocboc, Tenabo, Tepakán, San Antonio Sahcabchén, Dzitbalché, Bécal, Nunkiní, and Calkiní. Around 1846, the district of Hecelchakán included three parishes: Hecelchakán, Calkiní and Bécal. On December 7, 1915, when decree no. 51 approved a new law of interior administration, Hecelchakán became one of the eight free municipalities of the new state of Campeche. That law came into effect on January 1, 1916. In 1957 the seat of the municipality was given city status by Governor of Campeche, Alberto Trueba Urbina. (Information provided by Wikipedia. Click on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esc%C3%A1rcega for additional information.)

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Nunkiní
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Accommodations Suggestions

My preferred hotel chain is Marriott. I have stayed Residence Inns, which are prefect for longer stays with all the comforts of home; Spring Hill Suites, which I have found nice for longer stays as the have up to 25% more room than comparably priced rooms; Towne Place Suites, again when I want more room or am on a longer stay; Courtyard by Marriott, which has everything the business traveler needs, as well as families; Courtyard, Fairfield Inn, which I find spacious, comfortable and affordable. Another great idea is to stay at one of the JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts where you can enjoy a new dimension for your vacation or holiday. and Marriott Hotels and Resorts and have found them all to be of consistent quality and service. I have also stayed at some of their Vacation Club properties and have enjoyed each visit. AAA members can get discount rates at Marriott, as can Seniors. Click on Great Getaways for less at Marriott for special officers and great deals at Marriott hotels worldwide!

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Getting To and Around Campeche

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Things to See and Do

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Restaurant and Dining Suggestions

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Books, Maps, Travel Guides and More

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Links

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