Other sights in Campeche State
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Becán
Located 8km west of Xpujil and 500m north of the highway, this must-visit site contains three separate architectural complexes. You should set aside at least two hours to explore it properly. The Maya word for ‘canyon’ or ‘moat’ is becán, and indeed a 2km moat snakes its way around this major site, with seven causeways providing access to the 12-hectare complex. The elaborate defense suggests the militaristic nature of the city which, from around AD 600 to 1000, was a regional capital encompassing Xpujil and Chicanná. A strategic crossroads between the Petenes civilization to the south and Chenes to the north, Becán displays architectural elements of both, with t…
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El Tigre
Off Hwy 186, heading southwest from Escárcega is one of Campeche’s most recently uncovered Maya sites, El Tigre. Archaeologists are almost certain it is none other than Itzamkanac, the legendary capital of the Itzáes, though much remains to be explored. Unlike other Campeche sites, El Tigre occupies a wetlands environment crisscrossed by rivers, with two excavated pyramids amid swaying palms and diverse birdlife. From Candelaria take the road east to Monclova; a short distance beyond the village of Estado de México is the turnoff to the site. Buses will only take you to Candelaria.
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Xpuhil
Xpuhil boasts a surreal skyscraper that is a striking example of the Río Bec style. The three towers (rather than the usual two) of Estructura I rise above a dozen vaulted rooms. The central tower, soaring 53m, is the best preserved. With its banded tiers and impractically steep stairways leading up to a temple that displays traces of a zoomorphic mask, it gives a good idea of what the other two must have looked like back in Xpuhil’s 8th-century heyday. Go around back to see a fierce jaguar mask embedded in the wall below the temple.
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Balamkú
Discovered in 1990, Balamkú is 60km west of Xpujil (88km east of Escárcega). This small site’s attractions are its frescoes and an exquisite, ornate stucco frieze. Amazingly, much original color is still visible on both the frescoes and the frieze. You’ll notice toads dominate the designs at Balamkú. These amphibians, not only at home on land and in water, were considered to move easily between this world and the next. The toad was a revered spirit guide who helped humans navigate between earth and the underworld.
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Hormiguero
Spanish for ‘anthill, ’ Hormiguero is an old site, with some buildings dating as far back as AD 50; however, the city flourished during the late Classic period. It has one of the most impressive buildings in the region. Entering the site, you will see the 50m-long Estructura II, which has a giant Chenes-style monster-mouth doorway with much of its decoration in good condition. Also check out Estructura V, 60m to the north.
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Koolel Kab
Koolel Kab produces honey with indigenous melipona bees, which take up residence in hollow trees. Using techniques much like those of their ancestors, the women place sections of tree trunk under a shelter, capping each end of the trunk with mud. An average trunk yields 12L of honey, which is marketed chiefly for its medicinal properties as throat lozenges, eye drops, soaps and skin creams.
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Chicanná
Aptly named ‘House of the Snake’s Jaws,’ this Maya site is best known for one remarkably well-preserved doorway with a hideous fanged visage. Buried in the jungle 11km west of Xpujil and 400m south of Hwy 186, Chicanná is a mixture of Chenes and Río Bec architectural styles. The city attained its peak during the late Classic period, from AD 550 to 700, as a sort of elite suburb of Becán.
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Río Bec
Río Bec is the designation for a collection of small sites, 70 at last count, in a 100-sq-km area southeast of Xpujil. The remoteness of the site and ongoing excavations give it a certain buzz and mystique that’s lacking in established sites. Couple this with the fact that it’s nearly impossible to get here during the rainy season and you have the makings of a real adventure.
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Galería y Museo de Arte Popular
Directly behind Iglesia de San Juan de Dios is the Baluarte de San Pedro. Carved in stone above the entry is the symbol of San Pedro: two keys to heaven and the papal tiara. Climb the steep ramp to the roof and look between the battlements to see San Juan’s cupola. Downstairs, the Galería y Museo de Arte Popular displays beautiful indigenous handicrafts.
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Centro Cultural Casa Número 6
During the pre-revolutionary era, when the mansion was occupied by an upper-class campechano family, Número 6 was a prestigious plaza address. Wandering the premises, you’ll get an idea of how the city’s high society lived back then. The front sitting room is furnished with Cuban pieces of the period. Inside are exhibition spaces and a good bookstore.
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Grutas de Xtacumbilxunaan
The Grutas de Xtacumbilxunaan, pronounced ‘Grutas de shtaa -koom-beel-shoo-nahn,’ is about 3km south of town. Lighted steps lead down to a barely visible cenote, beyond which a passage leads 100m further. There are few stalactites or stalagmites, but the climb back up to the green forest surrounding the cave is very dramatic.
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Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción
Dominating the Plaza Principal’s east side is this two-towered cathedral. The limestone structure has stood on this spot for more than three centuries, and it still fills beyond capacity most Sundays. Statues of St Peter and St Paul occupy niches in the baroque facade; the sober, single-nave interior is lined with colonial-era paintings.
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Archaeological museum
Campeche’s largest colonial fort, facing the Gulf of Mexico some 4km southwest of the city center, is now home to the excellent archaeological museum. Here you can admire findings from the sites of Calakmul, Edzná and Jaina, an island north of town once used as a burial site for Maya aristocracy.
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Museo Arqueológico de Campeche & Fuerte de San Miguel
Campeche’s largest colonial fort, facing the Gulf of Mexico some 4km southwest of the city center, is now home to the excellent archaeological museum. Here you can admire findings from the sites of Calakmul, Edzná and Jaina, an island north of town once used as a burial site for Maya aristocracy.
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‘Number Six’
During the pre-revolutionary era, when the mansion was occupied by an upper-class campechano family, ‘Number Six’ was a prestigious plaza address. Wandering the premises, you’ll get an idea of how the city’s high society lived back then.
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Puerta del Mar
The Puerta del Mar provided access from the sea, opening onto a wharf where small craft delivered goods from ships anchored further out. (The shallow waters were later reclaimed so the gate is now several blocks from the waterfront.)
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Baluarte de San Francisco
Once the primary defensive bastion for the adjacent Puerta de la Tierra, the Baluarte de San Francisco houses a small arms museum.
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Casa del Arte
Come to the Casa del Arte for rotating art, photography and painting exhibits by local artists.
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