The mixture of the commercial activity of the port and its desire to protect from their attackers of the time resulted in the colonial and defensive image of Campeche that can be seen today in its imposing forts and strongholds, beautiful temples, plazas and palaces that made Campeche a strategic port of goods between New Spain and Europe. Today, the preservation of all that monumental legacy and the protection of their traditions have allowed Campeche be awarded the title of Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
The whole city is a piece of history. In the streets the presence of those Spanish conquerors, pirates and invaders of the civil wars of the nineteenth century is sensed. The historic center is full of colonial buildings. Walking through it, you will vibrate with multicolor decorating their houses, some with Moorish and Spanish reminiscences of the eighteenth centuries. On one side of the main square is the beautiful cathedral with cattails Franciscan churches and beautiful baroque altarpieces are the living traces of Catholic evangelization in these lands.
Campeche became fully walled. Large and modest defenses of faith protected the population during offensive pirates. Do not miss the Fort of San Miguel, the cultural center of the 6th House, or the Sea Gate or the Gate of Earth, where you can start an interesting tour around the top of the wall and get to the Baluarte de San John, that gives you a great view of the city and its orderly street line.
Guided visit to the archaeological site of Edzná. Located 45 minutes southeast of the capital city, this ancient Mayan city from 600 BC approximately remained present throughout nearly 1800 years. You can admire the variety in architecture and construction time scales capped by your Pyramid Temple of Five Stories, the main square, ball game and Nohoch Na, samples architecture Petén, Chenes, Rio Bec and Puuc.
Hacienda Puerta Campeche and Hacienda Uayamon proudly present a unique experience of visiting the archeological zone of Edzna, outside the regular openings hours, for a guided private tour by night with a specialized guide enjoying this architectural wonder under the moonlight.
Transfer to the sound and light show Edzná. The darkness and silence of night break with the brightness of the illuminated Acropolis, you will hear its history and legends.
Visit the Old City of Edzná where you can admire its stunning architecture in different places. Later we can freshen up in the sea or in the pool at the Turtle Bay resort. The name Edzná, “House of the Itzás”, comes from the Itzá, a lineage of Chontal origin. The Itzá were a Mayan patronymic that extended to various groups of native Putun and Chontal Indians in south-eastern Campeche. Other translations have also been suggested: “House of the Eco” or “House of the Gestures”, in reference to the stucco mask thought to exist in the crest of the tallest building in the area.
Founded around 400 B.C., its peak was reached during the late Classic period. A gradual decline began in the year 1000, leading to its eventual abandonment in 1450. In its golden age, it appears that it was home to 25,000 inhabitants, distributed in an approximate area of 26 square kilometers. The city had numerous religious, administrative, and residential buildings, which were built in the three architectural Mayan styles of the area: Puuc, Petén, and Chenes.
Camino Real of Campeche is a journey through tradition, a tour of the craft and the typical cuisine with the soul of Maya archeology. In Pomuch you can taste the traditional bread baked in stone ovens. In Hecelchakán, where a large indigenous Mayan population that preserves and chat live on their language, you can visit the curious market. 16 kilometers southeast of Tenabo, you can visit the ruins of Kanki, a small Puuc settlement. And check Bécal wet limestone caves where hippie hats are woven.
Calakmul, declared World Heritage by UNESCO, former capital of one of the largest and most influential kingdoms of Mesoamerica, which today is evident in its extent and magnificence of its buildings. This is one of the largest Maya cities that have been discovered, with an approximate area of 70 km². It is located in southeastern Campeche, only 40 km from the border with Guatemala, within the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, the second largest American lung and the largest rainforest in Mexico.
Its name means "two adjacent mounds", and during the years 250-750 was the center of the so-called Kingdom of the Snake Head.
Balamku, Its name comes from the words kú and balam, in Maya means that Jaguar and Temple, respectively, so it translates as Temple of the Jaguar. The name reflects the decorative motifs of the frieze of felines found.
The archaeological site is located in a jungle area, which offers visitors the opportunity to commune with nature while touring this interesting pre-Hispanic city. In Balamkú is a frieze made from modeling and polychrome stucco unique in the Maya area, which was built between the years 550 and 650 AD. Careful reading of this work of great iconographic richness reveals the complex conceptual world of the ancient Maya.
This tour you will start enjoying the archaeological site of Edzna has been known to local people since time immemorial. Even though the political head of the Party informed the governor of Campeche of the existence of the ruins in 1906, it was not until 1927, when Nazario Quintana Bello, Inspector of Monuments, gave them the name of Edzná.
Then we will visit Santa Rosa Xtampak built on a natural elevation with a flattened and divided summit, it covers an approximate area of 9 square kilometers. Santa Rosa Xtampak was an enormous city, with over ten ceremonial plazas which, during its golden age, was inhabited by 10,000 people. The buildings have a marked Chenes style, although there are some structures with a Puuc influence.
This tour will reveal you the unexpected beauty of a city like no other in Mexico. In San Francisco de Campeche history and legend are the same. Colors, aromas and flavors will take you to a distant past but also very present in each of the magical corners of the walled city. Houses, churches, forts and narrow streets are witnesses of a time when Mayan, Spaniards and pirates created the unique atmosphere of a city that is a true bastion of wonder.
We will visit the Fort of San Miguel, which has one of the most spectacular and important collections of Mayan art in Mexico. You will see two churches where you can witness the interesting mix of beliefs in Campeche. Then walk on the impressive walls and gates that protected the city from pirates and privateers and through the narrow streets with colorful houses, full of stories and legends that make our city so special and unique. This tour will show you Campeche is inscribed on the World Heritage list of UNESCO and why is one of the most authentic places in Mexico.
Tasty Campeche is a journey through the flavors and aromas that have made famous the local cuisine. The gastronomy of Campeche is one of the most varied and rich of Mexico, this tour is an excellent opportunity to know and try it through its most famous examples: a walk among the colors of the market and the faces that give life and meaning to this fantastic place, a traditional chocolate factory and a very interesting fishing pier where you will see the huge variety of fish in Campeche.
You will taste the famous Campechan seafood in a small “coctelería” and visit an ice cream shop full of unexpected flavors. As a fun ending you will have a drink at the most famous cantina in town.
Edzná archeological site is famous for its beauty and sophistication, a place that amazes by its heavenly layout and architecture that hides many secrets. At Edzná you will see the five-storied temple, the great amphitheater or Nohochná, the temple of the masks with its stunning faces representing the rising and setting sun.
As this is a little visited site, Edzna has an atmosphere of peace and tranquility that is hard to find in other famous sites. This amazing site also shows with great precision how the Maya measured time and stars and how their buildings reflected the religious principles that governed their lives.
Edzna is definitely a place you cannot miss.
Walk among the ancient stones in Edzná, to leave your footprints in the soft white sand of an almost virgin beach. Be among the green of the jungle and the sea. Look ahead Mayan eternity and the infinite serenity of the beach. Imagine hearing the echoes of ancient voices that speak of the great era of the Maya and the echo of the singing sea. First you will visit Edzna which was a very important city-state during the heyday of the Mayan culture, famous among archeologists for its hydraulic system for collect and store rainwater. Today is a little visited city but it will certainly leave you impressed by its unexpected beauty. After Edzná we will go to the former hacienda San Luis Carpizo, restored some years ago by the Navy, which is now a great example of the golden age of sisal in the Yucatan Peninsula. Finally, a few hours relaxing in the most beautiful beach in the Gulf of Mexico.
Mayan heritage lives in myths and traditions, living stone and latent voice. Like thousands of years ago, Mayan women are still responsible for preserving the vast knowledge of nature, proud inheritors and guardians who do not stop believing and creating.
Arrival and visit to Edzná archaeological site where you will see one the most impressive buildings in the Mayan lands. Edzna is a very quiet and off the beaten path site, so the visit experience is unique and very special.
Visit to Meliponario to meet a group of women that have working for twenty years for the preservation of the endangered Mayan stingless bee, they also run a small store for products made out from honey like soaps and cosmetics. Time for lunch at the town of Hopelchen.
Arrival and visit to light and show at Xtacumbilxunáan caves where we will have the opportunity to descend into the Mayan Underworld and hear an interesting folk tale that explains the name of this enigmatic place that was and is a very sacred place for the ancient and living Maya.
Edzná is famous for its beauty and sophistication, a place that amazes by its heavenly layout and architecture that hides many secrets. At Edzná you will see the five-storied temple, the great amphitheater or Nohochná, the temple of the masks with its stunning faces representing the rising and setting sun. Edzna is definitely a place you can not miss.
Then we will visit Santa Rosa, a real surprise, hidden on a hill covered with vegetation, suddenly appears before our eyes showing its incredible beauty and its enigmatic past full of glory and power. Santa Rosa was the capital of the province of Los Chenes, and an Edzná's powerful ally during the Classic period. The three-storied building at Santa Rosa is the best example of a royal palace in northern Campeche.
A trip to the heart of Campeche, a place where the soul of men and women of maize beats very strong and deep. Mayan temples, picturesque villages and the impressive cave home to an enchanted Mayan princess.
Arrival and visit to Hochob archaeological site, one of the finest examples of the so called Chenes architecture style. Chenes is a Mayan word that means well but also portal to the underworld. In this area the facades of temples represent the face of the creator god of the Maya, the mighty Itzamna lord of life and death.
Visit to Dzibilnocac archaeological site, a small but still very impressive site and a magnificent example of Mayan architectural sophistication.
Visit to Meliponario to meet the Xunaan Kab Cooperative Group, six Mayan women with many years working for the preservation of the endangered Mayan stingless bee. They also offer organic products made out from honey and wax.
Visit to Tohcok archaeological site a small but very interesting example of Puuc architectural style.