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Campeche travel infomation.
The land is humid with the mist of
the ocean and the scent of the gun powder of epic battles
lingering in the air, which have inspired poets, storytellers,
and adventurers, fascinated by the tranquility of our port and
the amiability of our people. This is Campeche, men! A small,
hard working city where visitors receive a warm ocean breeze or
a fresh provincial rain.
Campeche was one of the grand Mayan cities that dominated an
extensive region. It was discovered in 1517 by Hernandez de
Cordoba and colonized by Francisco de Montejo “El Mozo”, or
young boy, in 1540. Sons of this great bronze people mixed with
the Spanish and prospered; Campeche grew rapidly into a maritime
port. Through its port, riches from the New Spain shipped in and
out. Mansions were constructed and, united, raised up the new
Spanish city in the Americas, full of Creole and mestizos, or
people of mixed indigenous and European heritage.
The success of the port made Campeche a target for pirate
attacks. Hardened privateers, buccaneers and filibusters
attacked and devastated the city on various occasions. At the
desperate impetus of the people, sturdy walls cornered by
bastions were built to ensure the protection of the city,
forming a fortification like few in New Spain.
Eventually the piracy ceased, Campeche flourished, and its
commerce grew incessantly. Construction of new fortifications on
strategic hills defended its fresh national sovereignty. In
1853, Campeche was declared a free and sovereign state. More
than 466 years after its Spanish foundation, two World Heritage
sites have been named, adding an even greater sense of pride of
what it means to be Campechean.
The government of the State of Campeche was welcomed cordially.
The magnitude of the legend called San Francisco of Campeche was
growing.
Cultural Heritages
Campeche is the sixth Mexican state that has two sites declared
by UNESCO to be World Heritage sites; Mexico has in its entirety
23 such sites, officially recognizing the natural, historical,
and cultural riches of our nation, making Mexico the Latin
American country with the most of these declared sites.
Campeche
On December 1st, 1999, the committee for United Nations
Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
decided to add the Fortified Historical City of Campeche to the
World Heritage Site list. It is a historical jewel where the
Baroque colonial architecture mixes with raised fortifications
to protect the population against pirate attacks during the
sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries.
Calakmul
On June 27, 2002, the ancient Mayan city of Calakmul, located in
the Biosphere Reserve of the same name, was declared a World
Heritage Site. This great pre-Columbian city is surrounded by
the second most important “lung” in the Americas; its 723,185
hectares make it the biggest tropical forest in Mexico,
providing the base for this distinction without precedent. The
quantity of historical artifacts, pyramid structures of enormous
proportions, the union of distinct architectural styles and the
richness of the biodiversity of the entire zone makes this place
full of ancient wonder.
The historic center of Campeche City is one of the most
beautiful in the country. The architecture is some of the most
representative of the colonial period with the sober beauty of
the façades of each structure, brightly colored ocean-facing
doors, and majestic windows, all unique to the southeast. The
architecture of the colonial times and the following centuries
found in Campeche represent more than 452 years of work; there
are religious buildings such as The Cathedral with tall, thin
towers that extend regally upward, with the style of the Spanish
crown marking the décor of the façade. Inside, there are
religious sculptures such as the Santo Entierro, Cristo, (The
Saint Interred, Christ), that lies covered by a glass and
embossed silver structure.
There are many different stories about the churches in the city.
For example, in the Temple of San Roman, which was constructed
in the sixteenth century, you will find the Cristo Negro de San
Roman, or the Black Christ of Saint Roman. This idol is made of
black ebony and the Campechanos, or the people of Campeche, pray
to it with much devotion. The people attribute an entire series
of miracles and legends to him. The best known story is about
one occasion when the temple was going to be reconstructed
against the wishes of the townspeople. Refusing to leave, Cristo
Negro made his arms so big as to stop the construction workers
from getting inside the door of the Cathedral.
Traveling through the city, be sure to visit the neighborhood of
San Francisco, with its beautiful plazuela, or open-air plaza,
and its majestic church. The site where they built this church
is where Catholics were housed for the first time on firm land
in America. There is a column of the colonial time as a marker.
The grandson of Hernan Cortes was baptized here.
Another church that tourists love is the church of San
Francisquito with rafters in the ceiling, five altars, and
carved wooden altarpieces in the beautiful Baroque style that
all attribute to its beauty. Also visit the church of Dulce
Nombre de Jesús with thick, fortified walls and stately arched
doors.
Visit the Casa de Teniente de Rey to see the permanent
exhibitions of pre-Columbian, colonial, nineteenth and twentieth
century artifacts and art work.
Also visit the Alameda, a display of civil architecture noted
for its inverted arches. Close by is an extensive area with
trees and the Archivo Estatal, or State Archive, whose building
is regarded as a huge part of the history of the city.
The thick, fortified walls surrounding the historic center of
the City of Campeche are testimony to the colonial period, and
revive each person who walks down the streets of the city.
In the famous Puerta de Tierra, one of the four access points of
the original walled enclosure around the city, there is a sound
and lights show titled “El Lugar del Sol,” or “The Place of the
Sun,” which simultaneously has translations of narrations about
the history of Campeche in English, French, and Spanish. There
is a reenactment of old pirate battles. As a part of the show,
there is a documentary titled “Forticicationes y Piratas,” or
Fortifications and Pirates. Another available documentary is “A
Walk Through Campeche at the Turn of the Century”, so you can
enjoy a walk through the “Paseo de Ronda” to experience a sense
of the atmosphere of the seventeenth century. This documentary
is shown in the nearby Bastion of San Juan where you can see the
“Spirit of the Pirate” and enjoy the colorful folkloric dances.
Equally representative of the colonial days is the Puerta de
Mar, recently reconstructed. The days of old are evoked when the
visitor sees the precious woods that were brought from Spain
such as cedar and mahogany, and from Campeche the famous palo de
tinte or chicozapote, a regional tree with a distinct color used
for dying cloth.
The Fort of San Miguel, now a museum, is another display of the
defensive systems created to protect the city against pirate
attacks; its moat, suspended bridge, watchtowers, and cannons
are all preserved intact. Inside, pieces of the pre-Columbian
period are displayed, such as the famous jade masks found in the
archeological zone of Calakmuhl.
Near the Bellavista is the Fort of San Jose, constructed for the
same reasons and with the same characteristics as San Miguel,
with a magnificent view of the city and the ocean. This fort
functions as a museum of model ships and arms used in the
colonial period. On the other side there is a viewing point with
an impressive statue of Don Benito Juarez, Civil Guard of the
Americas.
There are other military forts that form the walled city and
that today are used as museums, such as the Baluarte, or Bastion
of la Soledad also known as a Mayan sculpture museum. The
Bastion of San Carlos is the graphic museum of the city, and
others are centers of tourist information and sell artisan
crafts such as the Santa Rosa and of San Pedro. The Bastion of
Santiago reconstructed a few years ago, has a botanical garden
inside its walls with more than 150 species of flora that are
the best representatives of the region.
Between other tourist attractions is the building that now
houses the Instituto Campechano in its annex is the Ex Templo de
San José, in the Talavera Baroque style, which now functions as
a church and a Jesuit school, who settled in Campeche in the
seventeenth century. Also visit the Carvajal Mansion, the
Francisco de Paula Toro Theater with its handsome balconies full
of refined detail, and finally the Artisan’s House, where you
can find colorful and famous works made of local materials such
as palma de guano, jipi, bull horns, shells, and embroidery,
among others.
Campeche hosts a magnificent display of indigenous dances,
ancient traditions and above all, regional dishes that deserve
to be recognized for their variety and colorfulness, aside from
the richness of their flavor. The majority of the local plates
are made of fresh fish and seafood, masterfully prepared by the
locals. Campeche is world renowned for regional fish such as the
pámpano, huachinango, pan de cazón or dogfish cakes, and
delicious crab legs.
Beside the historic cannons, walls, and forts, Campeche’s coast
offers beaches, lagoons, quaint picturesque pueblos, or small
towns, fertile vegetation, unbelievable Mayan ruins, festive
music, and mouth-watering cuisine.
Campeche is a state with a great sense of culture. The
historical architecture, the music, the dances, the popular
celebrations, the dress, the food, and even the collective
attitude towards life, make up a rich culture that is our
identity and that, without a doubt, impresses visitors.
In Campeche, we enjoy who we are. We love our pueblos and cites,
we celebrate our saints and our dead with happiness; we
celebrate with the vaquería, a dance full of symbolism and
beauty; we enjoy food and, still, we make time to be with family
and nap at siesta. Well-known painters, writers, poets, and
musicians have been born in Campeche. The short-story writer
Juan de la Cabada, the multifaceted Justo Sierra Méndez, the
impressionist painter Joaquín Clausell, and the composer Pepe
Narváez among others are sons of this land. Cultural festivals
are organized over the course of the year where art and
tradition coincide. Campeche celebrates theater, dances, arts,
music, literature, and special occasions such as the carnival of
Cristo Negro of San Román in September, and the Festival of the
Historic Center in December.
In the same place where you can hear a symphonic orchestra
concert, you can also enjoy an international presentation of
clowns. Every year since colonial times, the Carnival of
Campeche spices up the lives of Campechanos, or those who live
in Campeche, in a great festival full of color and creativity.
People of all ages and from all social circles participate in
parades, activities, and attractions where the responsibilities
of everyday life are loosened for happiness and ease.
Internationally famous artists perform, including Celia Cruz,
Lucero, Alejandra Guzmán, Maná, and Chayanne. Campeche has a
cultural sense that fills us with pride and invites visitors to
get to know us, and to truly become a part of us.
We do not know a lot of the pre-Hispanic nourishment of the
Mayan groups, nevertheless it have should to have been varied
and based in the basic consumption of the maize and seeds of pip
of gourd, beans, vegetables and meat of deer, doves and fished.
Of all this there survive to the present day the "cakes”
elaborated with tortillas superimposed and covered with sauces,
the tamales in all variants and the tacos. Of the drinks we can
mention the pozol of maize, often mixed with cocoa, the atoles
of "new" maize or also of maize with coconut; of the cold waters
that of barley, horchata of coconut, a stilt of our gastronomy,
of chaya, of guanábana, of tamarind, of cashew tree and of nance.
Of all this strong pre-Hispanic culture those that more cause
more attention are the breads known regionally as Pibipollos,
whose elaboration in the rural areas is extremely tied to the
times of sowing and crop, with many variants In the number of
caps and sizes in which they are elaborated though, often times
the quantity of caps of mass or meat that compose it are in
number of related 13 or 9 to the caps in which the sky and the
underworld is divided, respectively, in the Mayan cosmology. A
big part of Campeche's gastronomy is common in the whole Yucatan
peninsula, but the reason and the presentation give identity to
our unmistakable campechana cuisine.
The Spanish conquest modified drastically the nourishment of all
the American villages, in Campeche including the pirates
contributed to our cuisine with new spices, with the fusion of
saucers, with new drinks, and especially with new customs in the
forms and the means to cook. As well as there introduce " new
ways " Campeche's cuisine also was imitated in other parts of
the world, such it is the case of the famous "Cocktail"
originally called tail of hen, which was the branch with which
the famous "campechanas" drinks were mixed; it began the
production of rums and the Caribbean combinations with fruits
and juices were resulting in an exotic flavor. The "drakes" of
the famous pirate Francis Drake also were incorporated into our
letter of drinks. As result, today in the whole world the word
cocktail is recognized as campechano origin.
Our gastronomy is so extensive that it might, they say some, to
eat up every day of the year a different saucer, without
repeating an alone combination. The certain thing is that it
consists of a great quantity of products as red meats and pork,
fished and seafood, vegetables and grains, sweet drinks and
ethyl and sweet of table, also soups, creams and pastes.
Tourist Attractions
The Light of the Itzaes
Light and Sound Show
Architectural Zone of Edzná
Schedule
Friday and Saturday from 8,9,10,11,15,16,17 and 18th of April
20:00 hrs (Easter schedule)
Ticket sales are at the archeological site and at the House No.
6.
Viernes y Sábados, a partir del 8,9,10,11,15,16,17 y 18 de Abril
20:00 hrs. (Horarios de Semana Santa y Pascua)
The Place of the Sun
Light and Sound Show
Puerta de Tierra Historical Center of the City of San Francisco
of Campeche
Schedule
Friday, Saturday and Tuesday:
20:00 hrs
From the 3rd to the 18th of April, 2 shows:
First show: 20:00 hrs.
Second show: 21:15 hrs.
Ticket sales are at the Puerta de Tierra
Translated into 5 languages
Botanical Garden
Xmuch´Haltun Baluarte de Santiago
Schedule
Everyday
9:00 to 21:00 hrs
Interactive Guide in 5 languages
The Ship of the Pirate Lorencillo
Schedule
Everyday
12:00 to 17:00 hrs.
Exit of Pier of Lerma
Musical Fountains
Esplanade of the plaza of World Heritage, Historic Center of the
City
Schedule
Everyday
19:00, 20:00 and 21:00 hrs
A Live Historical Center
Musical, Artesian, and Cultural Festival
Around the main park, Historical Center of the City
Schedule
Saturdays and Sundays
The Caves of X’Tacumbilxuna’An
Sound and Light Show
City of Hopelchén, Campeche
Schedule
Tuesdays to Sundays
10:00 to 17:00 hrs.
Ticket sales are in House No. 6 and at the entrance to the caves
Simultaneous translation in 5 languages
Audio Guides of the City
Historic Center of the City of San Francisco of Campeche
Schedule
Everyday
9:00 to 21:00 hrs.
Ticket sales in house No. 6
Cultural Center House No. 6
Historical center of the city of San Francisco of Campeche
Expositions, book store, cafeteria, and artisans
Cultural events on Thursdays and Fridays
Folkloric Ballet, singers and Campechean songs
Schedule
Everyday
9:00 to 21:00 hrs
Tram of the City
Trips through the Historic Center and the forts of the city
Schedule
Leaves from the Main Park starting at 9:00, and once every hour
after that
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