CAMPECHE
Campeche used to be the principal town of the Mayan province of Ah Kin Pech, which means "serpent tick" and which was founded around the 3rd century A.D. On March 22, 1517 Spanish soldiers commanded by Francisco Hernandez de Cordova reached the village of Kin Pech to replenish their water supply. Afraid of being attacked by the native population, they quickly left. A few days later the Europeans encountered a storm at sea, causing them to land in Champoton (40 miles south of the city of Campeche). Here, their fears were fulfilled, as they were attacked by native troops led by Moch Couoh. The triumph of the Mayan forces over the Spaniards was obvious. Hernandez de Cordova was so badly wounded that he died of his wounds a few days later. The bay near the battleground at Champoton where this happened has been called 'the bay of the bad fight' ever since.
In 1527 Commander Francisco de Montejo failed to enter the land of the Campechanos, and his son, trying some years later, was also unsuccessful. In 1537 Francisco de Montejo the Younger returned to Champoton and again there was fighting between the Mayas and the conquistadors.
On December 24, 1540 Montejo the Younger arrived in Champoton, this time determined to conquer. He eventually won the fight, and on the 4th of October 1541 Francisco Montejo founded the Villa de San Francisco de Campeche. Later he also defeated Tenabo, Hecelchakan and Calkini.
For a glimpse of what life was like in the time of pirates, do not miss a visit to the city of Campeche. For years after Montejo's triumph, this town was pummeled by pirate attacks. The spirits of those pirates still seem to be hanging around here. At the height of the pirate attacks, Campeche had become one of the main ports of New Spain, exporting many Yucatecan products.
Much energy was expended building battlements to defend the city. As a result, local inhabitants endured constant tension of wars, conflicts and alliances between England, France, Holland, Spain and Portugal. The unfortunate result was that they were prevented from taking advantage of any economic boom due to their port location, spending all their energy constantly refortifying their city.
SAN CARLOS BULWARK: One of the first fortifications ever built, this one was named after Carlos II, King of Spain. In 1766, the fort confronted approaching enemies on the most vulnerable side of the city with 12 cannons.
The San Carlos Bulwark still contains the rooms used for the guards and the prison; visitors can also view the supply storeroom. The Bulwark also hosts the very excellent City museum. In the museum, you can learn about the role the forts played in the history of Campeche, and you can see the Key to the City, an important symbol for the city of Campeche.
LAND GATE: The inland gate was built in 1732 and is one of the main symbols of Campeche. Almost all of its original elements have been preserved, such as gun placements, gunpowder stores, and loopholes. Three roads exit the inland gate. Two pass by the Guadalupe and San Roman forts, the third one goes to the Santa Ana neighborhood with its beautiful estates.
THE FORT OF SAN MIGUEL: In addition to the wall surrounding Campeche, the city was also protected by an outer defense system, making Campeche one of the best-defended cities at the end of the 18th century. One of these outer forts is called San Miguel. Today it houses the Campeche Regional Museum, where you can find an exhibition of pre-Hispanic and colonial pieces.
THE FORT OF SAN JOSE EL ALTO: This is a second fort that was part of the outer defense system. In 1762 when there was a lull in the pirate attacks, this fort was built to protect the Campechan port against the greatest naval power on earth: England. Today the fort hosts a nice exposition of "Boats and Arms".
LA CASA 6: This completely renovated 18th century house of beautiful Moorish architectural design is situated on the main square. Inside, you will find antique furniture, dating from the end of the 19th century. A tour through the house takes around 15 minutes and the entrance is free. Hours: Monday to Sunday from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM.
SANTIAGO BULWARK: This reconstructed wall is now home to a small botanical garden containing more than two hundred plant species.
NUESTRA SENORA DE LA SOLEDAD: This bulwark was built around 1690 and is one of the biggest of the Campeche defensive system. It was used to protect the nearby Puerta del Mar. In 1766 this site had thirteen canons, two stores, an arms room, two corridors and two rooms where the artillery was kept. Now it hosts the Stella Museum, which has an exceptional collection of Mayan sculpture.
PROGRESO
For years this port town was just a sleepy fishing village. Then in the 50´s the Meridanos started building summer homes along the coast to get away from the scalding heat of tropical Merida during July and August. They also use the houses for two weeks at Easter. The other 10 months of the year the fishing villages along to coast are quiet and the beaches are beautiful and empty.
In the late 60s and early 70s, a small number of Americans and Canadians "discovered" Progreso, Chicxulub and Chelem to be a winter paradise. They made a pact to keep the secret. They were enticed by the warm weather, cheap rents, friendly Yucatecan people, the laid-back way of life and the safe atmosphere.
Today you will find Progreso to be a bustling town of about 50,000 people. It is on the "cruise ship map" and many people are beginning to visit Progreso on their cruises. Fancy restaurants are springing
up along the seaside promenade or El Malecón, facades are being spruced up, and people are selling handcrafts, seashells and tshirts along the beach.
Despite all that, Progreso is still a laid-back port town where you can enjoy the true flavor of Mexico. Progreso has safe, tranquil beaches with no currents or tides, which makes them great for swimming, floating, windsurfing and jetskiing. Palm trees, fresh seafood, the seaside boulevard called the malecón (mah-lay-CONE) and the friendly local Mayan residents make Progreso a great place to visit.
The average temperature in Progreso is 87º F or about 30 C with rainy seasons in June and September. You may experience cold fronts or nortes (NOR-tays) from November to April, so bring a sweater! The local industry is fishing, and Progreso boasts over 900 fishing boats. The fish caught in this area is exported to the US, Japan and Europe. But you get to eat it right on the beach!
Progreso has a lighthouse, built from 1885-1891. It stands 40 meters or almost 120 feet tall, and can be seen for 20 nautical miles.
Everyone who comes to Progreso wants to know why the pier is so long! Progreso, like the rest of the Yucatan Peninsula, sits on a limestone shelf that very gradually goes out to sea. The pier had to be built that long to get past the shelf and allow the ships to dock in deep water. The water at the end of the pier is only 28-32 feet deep! The first part of the pier was built between 1936 and 1942, and the second part was built just within the last ten years.
When you are in Progreso, be sure to give yourself time to stroll along the malecón. This 16-block seaside walkway is lined the entire way by a comfortable cement bench...well, okay, maybe its not that comfortable. But after a long walk, its more comfortable than standing! Its the best place in town for people watching, and its where the local families congregate in the evenings to visit, exercise and solve the problems of the world.
TELCHAC PUERTO
This port town is located about 20 minutes from Uaymitun and 30 from Progreso, making it just far enough away from the denser population areas so that it maintains a special, slow, laid-back feeling.
There is town plaza shaded by beautiful old trees and a park with a children's play area. There are Mayan temples three miles inland and a lighthouse on the small seaside promenade.
For breakfast, lunch and dinner there are good restaurants. For a delicious seafood lunch don't miss Bella Mar restaurant, about one mile east of the village. Their ceviches, fried fish, shrimp cocktails, and fish filet are all superb.
During July and August, the main plaza is especially folkloric as the fair is in town with booths offering foods, knick-knacks and mechanical rides.
VALLADOLID
Located half way between Merida and Cancun, Valladolid is a small, quaint city-town that still preserves a special colonial flavor. Here you will see the majority of the townspeople still using the typical dress of the Mayan, colonial architecture around the Main Plaza and many historical buildings.
The Plaza is a unique place with the many Mayan ladies sitting on the side opposite the Cathedral. They are selling their wares that include hand-embroidered dresses and blouses, Barbie dresses, place mats and tablecloths. Artesanias del Parque and Ek Balam are stores right on the plaza, and they also have unusual handcrafts at good prices.
Valladolid is the location of some very important Yucatan history. The Caste War began here in 1849. There are seven churches in different neighborhoods that should be visited, the impressive San Bernadino Convent, two important cenotes (Zaci and Dzitnup - this last one great for swimming), the San Roque Museum, and the Government Palace with its huge murals depicting Mexican history. Sometime during your visit, you will also want to sample the flavorful cuisine from Valladolid, including the local dishes of lomitos de Valladolid, longaniza and chicken escabeche.
Valladolid is the perfect place to stay for at least two nights, as there is much to say in and around the city. Hotels are quite reasonable, and it is close enough to Chichen Itza to make it your base for visiting that popular site as well.
MERIDA
Merida, a city of about 1 million people, is a wonderful mixture of colonial city and cosmopolitan destination. With Merida as your base, you can visit cathedrals and churches, Mayan ruins, museums, haciendas and cenotes. You'll also find movies, theaters, important hospitals, public and private schools, four universities, shopping malls with such stores as Sear's, and chain stores such as Sam's, Costco, WalMart, the French supermarket Carrefour, as well as the Mexican chains of Liverpool, Comercial Mexicana, Soriana and Sanborn's.
The Spaniard Francisco de Montejo founded Merida on January 6, 1542. When the Spaniards arrived, Merida was a large Mayan city known as T'ho, situated on what is now the Main Plaza. It was conquered by the Spaniards, who dismantled all the pyramids and used the huge stones as the foundation for the Cathedral of San Idelfonso (1556-1599), the oldest cathedral on the American continent.
The Cathedral, situated on the east side of the Plaza, is only one of Merida's many interesting sites. Directly across the Plaza is the Palacio Municipal (1735), Merida's Town Hall. On the south side is the Casa de Montejo (1542), the former home of the conqueror of Yucatan.
The Palacio de Gobierno (1892), on the north side, houses 27 murals by Fernanco Castro Pacheco illustrating the somewhat violent history of Yucatan.
One of the major influences on Yucatecan history is the henequen plant, also called sisal (for the Yucatecan city of Sisal from which shipments left the continent). This plant became known as 'green gold' or verde oro for the wealth it lavished upon the haciendados or hacienda owners in this area. In the early 20th Century, as a result of the henequen or sisal trade, Merida was the home for numerous millionaires who built their lavish homes on Paseo Montejo, and their impressive haciendas throughout the jungle surrounding Merida. A walk down Paseo Montejo is a wonderful way to view some of these mansions, many of which are completely restored, and some of whose romantic decay are food for the imagination.
For centuries, geography made it difficult for the Yucatecans to communicate with the rest of Mexico. As a result, architectural and cultural influences from Europe, the Caribbean and New Orleans were as strong or stronger in the growth of the city. To this day, the people who live here consider themselves Yucatecans first, Mexicans second. If you look carefully, you will see tshirts and bumper stickers proclaiming Orgulloso Yucateco, Yucatecan Pride.
The Yucatan is one of Mexico's most tranquil and safest states, with a climate resembles that of Florida or Cuba. Yucatecans are good, tranquil and hospitable people who have strong roots and traditions. They take pride in their city, known as "The White City", not only for the predominance of white limestone as a building material, but because of its streets, plazas and parks that are cleaned daily.
Because of its tranquility and cleanliness, Merida has become a popular place for families from other Mexican states. Many people have moved here from Mexico City, where crime, pollution and overcrowding are ever growing problems. Crime is not tolerated in Merida, and it has the distinction of the city with the lowest crime rate per capita in Mexico.
IZAMAL
Called the City of Hills and located right in the middle of the Yucatan Peninsula, Izamal may be the oldest city in the Yucatan. Izamal was conquered by the Spaniards, and the monks in their eagerness to convert the Indians to Catholicism gave the city its religious distinction. To this day, Izamal's people are very devoted to the Immaculate Virgin.
The most important thing to see here is the Franciscan convent that was built over one of the Mayan pyramids. This convent is also famous for the monk Fray Diego de Landa, its founder, who burned all the Indian scripts, and then, feeling remorse for what he had done, tried to rewrite all he could remember of the ways of the Mayans.
It is here where Pope John Paul visited in 1993. This visit has been one of Izamal's claims to fame ever since, and is commemorated by a statue of the Pope in the convent courtyard.
Inside the church itself, you will see the beautifully restored altarpiece, the stained-glass window of St. Francis of Asissi, and many statues along the walls. The second floor is where the statue of Our Lady of Izamal, Queen and Patron Saint of Yucatan, is housed. Note all the gold-leaf paint, crystal chandeliers, flowers and elegantly painted walls. A small church store with postcards and religious souvenirs is on the first floor.
Upon arrival, head to the Government Palace to see the large model in the outdoor corridor. It shows the entire town and the tremendous number of Mayan pyramids that are scattered about. To the north are the Mayan ruins of Kinich Kakmo, the most important. This is a largely unrestored pyramid that looks like a very symmetrical hill. A climb to the top will reward you with a beautiful view. You will also want to visit Kabul, Itzamatul and the Conejo.