SOME HISTORY

At maya site

Mayan Culture

THE CITY OF CAMPECHE Campeche is the capital of the State. It is located 196 km southweast of Merida by the federal highway 180, and 471 km northeast of Villahermosa by the federal highways 186, 261 and 180. Like, Veracruz, Campeche is located on Bahía de Campeche on the Gulf of Mexico. Campeche is an interesting mixture of old Spanish fortifications mingled in with very modern fountains, and architecture. Campeche is the location where Cortés first set foot on Mexican soil in 1517. It is unique along the Gulf Coast because it is surrounded by walls and fortresses from the early days of the Spanish conquest. Campeche is the most picturesque port towns on the Yucatan Peninsula. Also, the town is rich in history which makes it worthy of visiting and a favorite of photographers who enjoy taking photographs of its walls, gates, and fortresses. The conquistadors discovered a dye in logwood which grew in the forests near Campeche. This dye was considered a rare commodity and was highly prized in Europe and brought high prices on the European market. Many became rich as a result of this discovery. When word passed that this dye was available in Campeche, it attracted a sordid group of Caribbean buccaneers, pirates, and thieves who sought to profit from this unique and valuable commodity by controlling the market for the dye. As a result, the city was attacked and sacked on many occasions from 1597 to 1685. Finally, the city residents decided that it was necessary for them to protect themselves from these plunderers, so the townspeople of Campeche started construction of walls and fortresses to completely surround the town. The construction begin in 1686 and was completed in 1704. The two main gates and seven of the original fortresses remain to this day and serve as a continual reminder of the violent and troubled past of Campeche. Some of the walls, however, have been removed in later more peaceful times but the structures that still remain are unique and offer many photographic opportunities. The Campeches's history has divided the City in three zones: •The Center, formed by the old walled city which was inhabited by the Spaniards during the Colony •San Francisco, located to the north of the wall, where the Mayan population was concentrated; and •San Roman to the south, where the Mexican natives established themselves with the mulattos brought from the Islands of the Caribbean, mainly from Cuba Nowadays the bastions and remains of the wall are historical monuments, museums, gardens and other cultural attractions such as: •The Ancient House of the Carvajal family with Arabic arcs and flight of steps made of marble. Currently it has been converted into a crafts store and offices of the government •The Baluarte of Nuestra Señora de la Soledad where you can visit a hall of steles named Dr. Roman Pina Chan with an exhibition of 22 Mayan sculptures •The Cathedral of the Conception •The Main Square, where some examples of Colonial architecture can be observed •The Church of San Francisco, built in the XVI century •The San Francisco de Paulo Toro Park, where an exposition of handicrafts from the country is presented in December •The Regional Museum which is known as the Casa del Teniente del Rey (House of the Lieutenant of the King) with a collection of European weapons from the XII to XIX centuries •The Historical Hall of the Fortifications which is based on historical explanations, reconstructions of forticications of the old walled city with photomountings in color and scale models