Pastels of Campeche

Campeche City was high on our bucket list in our recent visit to Merida, Mexico. Our plan had us staying three nights in an old colonial mansion in Merida to explore the Mayan ruins of Uxmal and other nearby attractions. We had a day to explore one of two colonial towns – either Campeche or Izamal. Ultimately, the pastel colors of Campeche won over the yellow colors of Izamal!

Founded in the 16th century as a port city by the Spanish Conquistadors, the city was eventually fortified to thwart off attacks from English & Dutch pirates. Campeche is now a UNESCO World Heritage site for it’s pristine Baroque colonial buildings, cobblestone streets, and fortified walls and ramparts. It is a well preserved example of a Spanish Colonial town in the new world.

An uneventful 2 hour drive later, we had arrived in Campeche from Merida. We were shocked at how photogenic the entire town was. Narrow cobblestone streets were surrounded on both sides by vibrant pastel colors of well preserved buildings and mansions. The historic center was very walkable, and devoid of traffic.

It did feel, however, that we had picked the wrong day – Sunday, to tour Campeche. Quite a few shops and restaurants were closed, and it felt like a bit of a ghost town. Even otherwise, compared to other cities and towns such as Valladolid and Merida, we felt like Campeche had a lot less “soul” and it felt like we were touring a gorgeous film set.