The pastel coloured streets of Campeche – Mexico

Buildings facing the seafront

For us, Campeche was just a quiet overnight stop whilst taking the bus from Palenque to Chichen Itza. Fortunately we still had an afternoon to walk around and take in the brightly coloured streets.

The city was built by the conquistadors on the site of the Mayan city An-Kin-Pech, the name of which was Hispanisised to become Campeche. An-Kin-Pech unfortunately means “place of snakes and ticks”.

Artwork in front of the sea gate in the city walls

In the colonial era Campeche was the most important port on the Yucatan Peninsula, and had thick city walls to defend against attacks by pirates. These walls are still very well preserved, but today protect works of art against the elements.

Collage of modern art on the streets of Campeche

Exhibitions of paintings and large sculptures add more shades to the already multicoloured historic buildings.

A peaceful street in Campeche

Motorbikes parked on a street in Campeche

The churches here are far less ornate than those in San Cristobal de las Casas, and far more traditional than the churches in the remote Mayan valleys.

Bell tower of the Iglesia de Jesus

Ex-Templo de San Jose

Campeche Visitor Tips

The historic town centre is small and easily walkable. It centres around the Independence Park and the adjacent Cathedral. The park is also where to find the friendly tourist office.

Catedral y Parque de la Independencia

Sun setting over Campeche

We stayed in the Hotel Plaza Colonial. There are two hotels of the same name on the same street, so check which one you’re in. Ours was on Calle 10, and very easy to recommend. Built in an old manor house, the rooms are massive, comfortable and cool – even without the air conditioning. Our room had a small balcony giving us a view toward the main cathedral.

The view from the Hotel Plaza in Campeche

The further north we travelled on the Yucatan Peninsula, the more varied the food became. Campeche has far more international options, as well as vegetarian restaurants and a very beige Burger King. We opted for a nearby restaurant called Marganzo that had won the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence a few days earlier. Unfortunately it was pretty dire, with stale bread and soggy ceviche. I never do learn to avoid anything on Tripadvisor…

Does anyone know of a decent restaurant review website in Mexico? The usually excellent Urbanspoon doesn’t really have much coverage this far south.

Hopefully related posts:

The coloured streets of San Cristobal de las Casas In Photos: The coloured streets of Trinidad – Cuba Pyramid of the Magician – Uxmal, Mexico In Photos: Walking tour of the Centro Historical – Mexico City