Campeche is a historic town of commercial and military importance located in the Gulf of Mexico. It belongs to the era of Spanish colonization of the New World.
Campeche was built on what was originally a Mayan village called Kimpech. Pirate attacks had been a common occurrence here and had even completely destroyed the town in 1663. The Spanish rebuilt the town and fortified it to protect the Caribbean port from attacks via sea.
Campeche grew into a trade centre well-known for exports of dyewood and salt in the 18th century. It was occasionally the capital of Yucatan. The city became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.
Tourists visit Campeche for the colonial churches scattered across the city, forts from the 17th and the 18th centuries and the remains of the Mayan village. Hundreds of burial sites excavated in the island of Jaina near the city show that this had once been a large Mayan graveyard.
Picture Credit : Google
