Campeche, Mexico – Welcome to the other side of the Yucatán, and I mean that both literally and figuratively. Located in the far southwestern corner of the peninsula, Campeche state is more rural, less prosperous and less developed than other destinations in the region. My first stop is the seaside state capital, Campeche city, a Colonial-style city with pastel-colored houses lined up around a shady central square. Surrounding the Campeche centro histórico are 17th-century walls, erected to protect the town from pirate attacks.
Pirates!
Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, Campeche was a frequent target of pirate raids, due to its wealth and its proximity to shipping routes. Pirates seized vessels, looted the city and kidnapped civilians to sell them into slavery. One of the most devastating attacks came in 1685, when the Dutchman Laurens de Graaf, aka Lorencillo, captured and eventually killed some 300 civilians.
The raids highlighted the vulnerability of coastal cities at the time. Eventually, to protect the city from marauders, they built a hexagonal-shaped wall around the city, with 10 bastions for lookouts and four gates for entry. The project was completed in 1704, by which time pirate activity in the Bay of Campeche had started to die down.
It is some intriguing history, for sure. But unfortunately there’s not really anywhere in Campeche that showcases it – except for the city walls and bastions, many of which are still standing.
A Walk Around the Walls
The walls and bastions – and additional forts on the outskirts – are open for exploration and sweeping views over the city. I took myself on a tour of the city walls, starting at the Puerta de Tierra on the eastern side of the Campeche centro histórico. Here, you can climb atop the stone gate for views over the rooftops. The bell alerted the population to pirate attacks and other dangers. Near the Puerta de Tierra, about 600 yards of the wall are open for exploration.
Back at ground level, Calle 59 is lined with pastel-painted houses with decorated porticos, terminating at the picturesque Puerta del Mar. Nearby, another baluarte gives access to a short stretch of the city walls at this end of town. It also contains the worthwhile Museo de la Arquitectura Maya.
I ended my explorations at Plaza de la Independencia, shaded by raintrees and crowned with a belle-epoque kiosk at its center. Handsome historic buildings line the plaza – most strikingly, the spectacular Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción.
Maya Artifacts
Campeche city has not one but two small but excellent museums with Mayan artifacts. As mentioned above, the Museo de la Arquitectura Maya is located in a baluarte of the city wall. It provides an informative overview of the Maya sites around Campeche state and their key architectural styles – very useful if you’re making an archaeological tour, as I am!
On the outskirts of town, the Fuerte de San Miguel contains the Museo Arqueológico de Campeche, with 10 rooms of artifacts from Maya sites around Campeche state. Many pieces come from Calakmul and Edzná (where I am headed next), as well as from Isla de Jaina, an island once used as a Maya burial site. The items include exquisite jewelry, intricately carved stelae and painted vases. The highlight is several stunning jade burial masks excavated from tombs at Calakmul. I saw something similar years ago, at a special exhibit at the Museum of Science in Boston. But I have never been to a dedicated Maya museum, and it is usually impossible to see these types of precious artifacts at the sites themselves.
