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CAMPEMECHE |
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CAMPECHE , capital of the state that bears its name, is one of
Mexico's colonial gems and was at last recognized as such in 1999 with
the designation of the city as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Elegant
eighteenth- and nineteenth-century houses painted in pastel shades (hundreds
of which have been recently restored to former glory), interspersed with
the occasional church, give it a distinctly European feel. At its heart,
relatively intact, lies a colonial port still surrounded by hefty
defensive walls and fortresses; around, the trappings of a modern city
that is once again becoming wealthy. The seafront is a bizarre mixture
of ancient and ultramodern: originally the city defences dropped
straight into the sea, but now they face a reclaimed strip of land on
which stand the spectacular new Palacio de Gobierno and State
Legislature (spectacularly ugly in the eyes of most locals), a series of
striking new sculptures representing various aspects of the city -
piracy, warfare at sea, fishing - and several big hotels. In the past
few tourists have stopped here, preferring to sweep by en route to
Escárcéga and Palenque or take Hwy-180 along the beautiful coast route
via Ciudad del Carmen to Villahermosa. Though more and more visitors are
discovering the immaculately preserved and tranquil streets which
compare favourably with Mérida's, for the moment at least Campeche
remains unblighted by tourist overkill.
A Spanish expedition under Francisco Hernandez landed outside the Maya
town of Ah Kin Pech in 1517, only to beat a hasty retreat on seeing the
forces lined up to greet them. It wasn't until 1540 that Francisco de
Montejo founded the modern town, and from here set out on his mission to
conquer the Yucatán. From then until the nineteenth century, it was the
chief port in the peninsula, exporting mainly logwood (source of a red
dye known as hematein ) from local forests. It also became an
irresistible target for the pirates who operated with relative impunity
from bases on the untamed coast roundabout. Hence the fortifications,
built between 1668 and 1704 after a particularly brutal massacre of the
population. Although large sections of the walls have gone, seven of the
eight original bulwarks ( baluartes ) survive.
The City
Though your time is really as well spent wandering Campeche's old
streets or seafront, you could pass some time at the Baluarte San Carlos
, which has cannons on the battlement roof and, underneath, the
beginnings of a network of ancient |
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