Approaching the walled city of Campeche by air, it’s tough to see
how its residents centuries ago felt a sense of impending danger,
flanked by open ocean and encircled by what is still impenetrable
tropical jungle as far as the eye can see.
But back in the 16th century, when the city was founded as the
seat of Spanish colonial expansion into the Yucatan, piracy still
ruled the seas. After several brutal attacks, in 1704 the Spanish
crown completed an elaborate eight-sided polygon fortress around an
80-hectare swath of land with a bastion tower in each apex and four
doors that gave the city access to the outside world.
The city underwent several periods of political and financial
turmoil before establishing itself in the early 20th century as an
exporter of salt, wood, palo de tinte (a tree used to make dyes),
zapote resin and heneqen fibers.
Today Campeche is a quiet town with orderly streets and pastel
colored building facades that juxtapose against the remaining 200
meters of wall and imposing historic bastions and forts which are
still the city’s main tourist attractions. In fact, in 1999 the
forts of Campeche were declared a World Heritage Site for their
exemplary 17th- and 18th-century military architecture and example
of a complete defense system that protected Spanish colonies from
marauding pirates.
Campeche the capital is small, with a population of just
200,000, but it’s still large enough to have a Baskin Robbins ice
cream store, VIPS restaurant (a Mexican fast-food chain akin to
Denny’s) and McDonald’s just one block from where our Florida-style
hotel sat facing the ocean.
Several of the bastions have been put to use as modern-day
museums, a botanical garden, tourist information center and
permanent crafts show. The most impressive panoramic views of the
city and sea are found at San Miguel fort, where visitors are
transported back in time upon crossing the moat and drawbridge,
where cannons sit frozen in time, trained at the blue horizon. A
museum houses important pieces found at Calakmul archeological
site, including several dazzling jade masks.
One of Campeche’s most unique attributes is a curious trend in
1960s Brazilia-style angular architecture, the peculiar influence
of a forward-thinking state governor Coronel Jose Ortiz Avila, who
envisioned bringing a wave of progress to the state through
ultra-modern buildings. During his tenure in the early 1960s, he
oversaw the construction of the UFO-like city hall, modernist sail
fountain and several other buildings that still can be seen in a
stroll around town. For residents, the most controversial decision
was Avila’s ordered demolition of the old colonial government
palace and replacement with one that reflected his obsession with
modernity. The main square was restored to its original colonial
state in 2001.
Politics and town walkabouts aside, sampling the local cuisine
was in tall order. We ate lunch at one of the city’s most vetted
seafood restaurants, La Pigua, where an old family recipe for
breaded coconut shrimp has brought people from far and wide to
sample the delicious dish.
Another night we feasted on local tapas at a rowdy plaza not far
from the center of town. Regional delicacies included soft corn
panuchos, costrada (fried cheese skins), tortas de jamon claveteado
(jam sandwiches cooked in sweet wine) and, for dessert, candied yam
ates (fruit jellies). All around us was the clamor of locals
feasting with their families and the contented din of people with
stomachs full of comfort food.
On Sunday evenings locals and visitors alike congregated at the
main square to stroll around and socialize as they have done for
generations in towns across Mexico. An almost full evening mass
emerged just after 7 p.m. from the Catholic Church, its
brightly-lit bell tower setting off a warm glow in the fading light
of dusk. A lively bingo game was in progress with 10 tables set up
under the porticos on one side of the square. Not far away, a crowd
listened to the slightly off-tune, 13-piece band which played with
vigorous enthusiasm in front of the museum. Vendors sold fresh
fruit waters, and shaved ices flavored with guava, tamarind, orange
or mango syrup. Children raced ahead of their parents to jostle the
balloon seller who held a fist full of gleaming helium-filled
delights. And, the souvenir stores lining the streets around the
zocalo stayed open until 9 p.m. selling men’s guayabera shirts,
woven reed baskets, onyx jewelry and other knick knacks.
Our last morning, we ate brunch at Restaurant Campeche on the
main plaza. We sampled pan de cazon, a much-heralded local delicacy
of shredded shark meat tortilla smothered in creamy refried beans,
onion and bathed in fragrant tomato sauce.
It turns that out after a few days of sampling Campeche’s
regional and historical flavors, that shark dish served up just
enough exotic bite to qualify as our most memorable catch of the
day.
| THE DETAILS
Tourism Secretariat
Av. Ruiz Cortinez S/N,
Plaza Moch-Couoh
Campeche, Mexico
C.P. 24000
888-624-3414
www.campechetravel.com
|
| WHERE TO EAT
La Pigua
Av. Miguel Aleman No. 179-A
Campeche, Campeche
52-981-811-3365
Restaurant Campeche
Calle 57 No. 2-A, Between 8 & 10
Campeche, Campeche
52-981-816-2128 WHERE TO STAY Hacienda Puerto Campeche
Calle 59, No. 71 Pro 16 & 18
Campeche, Campeche 24000, Mexico
52-981-816-7508
www.haciendasmexico.com Hotel Del Mar
Ave. Ruiz Cortines No. 51
Col. Centro
Campeche, Campeche, 24000
52-981-811-9191
www.delmarhotel.com.mx Hotel Ocean View
Av. Pedro Sainz de Baranda y Joaquin Clausell s/n, San
Francisco
Campeche, 24010
52 -981-811-9999
www.oceanview.com.mx |
