Sights in Campeche
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Baluarte de San Pedro
Directly behind Iglesia de San Juan de Dios, the Baluarte de San Pedro served a postpiracy defensive function when it repelled a punitive raid from Mérida in 1824. 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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Museo de la Arquitectura Maya
The Baluarte de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad contains the fascinating Museo de la Arquitectura Maya, the one must-see museum in Campeche. It provides an excellent overview of the sites around Campeche state and the key architectural styles associated with them. Five halls display stelae taken from various sites, accompanied by graphic representations of their carved inscriptions with brief commentaries in flawless English.
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Fuerte Museo San José del Alto
San Miguel's northern counterpart, built in the late 18th century, sits atop the Cerro de Bellavista. From the parapets you can see where the town ends and the mangroves begin. Cross a drawbridge over a moat to enter the neatly restored fortress. Inside, the Fuerte Museo San José del Alto illustrates the port's maritime history through ship models, weaponry and other paraphernalia, including a beautiful ebony rudder carved in the shape of a hound.
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Museo de la Ciudad
Named after Spain’s King Carlos II, the Baluarte de San Carlos houses the Museo de la Ciudad. This small but worthwhile museum chronologically illustrates the city’s tempestuous history via well-displayed objects: specimens of dyewood, muskets, a figurehead from a ship’s prow and the like. The dungeon downstairs alludes to the building’s use as a military prison during the 1700s. The museum was closed during research.
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Ex-Templo de San José
Faced with flamboyant blue-and-yellow tiles, the Ex-Templo de San José is a wonder to behold; note the lighthouse, complete with weather vane, atop the right spire. Built in the early 18th century by Jesuits who ran it as an institute of higher learning until they were booted out of Spanish domains in 1767, it now serves as an exhibition space. It belongs to the Instituto Campechano, the university to which it’s attached.
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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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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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Biblioteca de Campeche
On the northern (seaward) side stands a replica of the old government center, now housing the modern Biblioteca de Campeche. The impressive portico building on the opposite side housed an earlier version of the city hall; it is now occupied by shops and restaurants.
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Baluarte de Santiago
Completed in 1704 – the last of the bulwarks to be built – the Baluarte de Santiago houses the Jardín Botánico Xmuch Haltún, a botanical garden with numerous endemic plants. Unless you’re really into plants, it’s not worth the entrance fee.
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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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Plaza Cuatro de Octubre
The Plaza Cuatro de Octubre commemorates the date of the city's 'founding,' depicting the fateful meeting of a Maya cacique (chief, who was evidently lost, since it took Montejo to found the city), the conquistador Francisco de Montejo and a priest.
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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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Sculpture of Pedro Sáinz de Baranda
A block past the Hotel del Mar is a monumental Sculpture of Pedro Sáinz de Baranda, a native son who played a key role in defeating the Spanish at their last stronghold in Veracruz, thus ending the War of Independence.
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Novia del Mar
Just beyond the Centro de Convenciones Campeche, the girl gazing out to sea is the Novia del Mar . According to a poignant local legend, the campechana fell in love with a foreign pirate and awaits his return.
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Puerta de Tierra
The Puerta de Tierra, on the eastern side of the town wall, was opened in 1732 as the principal ingress from the suburbs. It is now the venue for a sound-and-light show.
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Statue of Justo Sierra Méndez
Southwest of the Plaza Moch-Couoh stands a Statue of Justo Sierra Méndez, a Campeche native and a key player in the modernization of Mexico's educational system.
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Baluarte de San Juan
Closed at research, Baluarte de San Juan is the smallest of the seven bulwarks, containing a permanent exhibition on the history of the bulwarks.
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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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