Campeche

Day 6

Day 6 of our Caravan tour took us on a bus ride from Palenque to the Yucatan peninsula, stopping for a shrimp lunch overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.  The waters here were a light jade in color and the weather was balmy.

When we arrived in the city of Campeche it was late afternoon, so we all rushed out for some photo opportunities while the light was still with us.

Campeche is the capital of the state of Campeche and is a Spanish colonial city of 275,000 inhabitants, founded in 1540.  In 1999 it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to the architecture of the downtown buildings and forts.  Forts and seawalls were constructed from 1685 – 17904,  fortifying the city against others attempting to take advantage of their economic development.

As has been true of the other cities we have visited in Mexico, the main square is surrounded by lovely shops and anchored by the cathedral.

The stunning architecture that earned the city the World Heritage Site designation housed many interesting shops, along with the Paleontology Museum in this building that resembled an old church.

Remnants of the bastions and sea walls surrounded the downtown area.  Note the cannon placement in the top of the wall in the photo below.

One of the most interesting buildings that we saw in the short time spent in Campeche was that of the Palacio de Gobierno (Governor’s Palace) with its tiled mural front.

The Puerta del Mar is one of the four sea gates to the city and was used to receive and dismiss travelers and their products.  It now stands as a great doorway to the picturesque downtown area.

We had time for a quick stroll along the waterfront before heading back for dinner.  Then it was “early to bed and early to rise” as we were headed to the mysterious Uxmal ruins the next morning.