Campeche, the Mexican State of Campeche is located to the west of the Yucatan Peninsula, in the south of Mexico. It is bordered by the Mexican States of Yucatan in the northeast, Quintana Roo in the west, both Tabasco and the Republic of Guatemala to the south and Belice to the southeast.

Night view of Campeche

According to the history, before the Spaniards arrived to Campeche, it was occupied by Maya people, who got a rich knowledge in astronomy, time and calendaring, maths, writing and arts. The Indian tribes of yucatecs, chontals, and quejaches were the most important habitants covering about 56,114 square kilometres in 1,200 archaeological sites from the Pre Classic Period to the Post Late Classic Period.

But, in 1512 some shipwrecked people arrived to the oriental Maya coast, commanded by Pedro de Valdivia, survived only the priest Gerónimo de Aguilar and the soldier Gonzalo Guerrero. Both, for the first time, established contact with the settlements. Campeche was discovered in March 22th of 1517, during the expedition of Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, and the origin of the name is because the Spanish conquers translate the words Can Pech, which in Maya means the place where both the serpent and the tick cohabit.

 During the colony, Campeche turned into an important economical city, above all through the Campeche Harbor. Here, the agricultural activities got the peak, but at the same time, it turned into an easy target for pirates. These facts forced this Mexican State people to constructed fortifications and walls. Its capital, San Francisco de Campeche is the bigger city in Campeche, where is possible to find most of these walls and fortifications.

The weather of Campeche is mainly, warm and sub humid with rains during the summer most over the State, excepting the southeast part which has a warm humid climate with abundant rains in the summer. The predominant vegetation creates a medium land rainforest covering about 60% of the area. However, there is able also to find the agricultural rainforests in the area of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve.

For many reasons, and mainly because of to be part of one of the most famous cultures of Middle America, Maya, Campeche is tourist state. Some of the most important archaeological sites are Acanmul and Edzná, closer to the capital, Calakmul, Balamkú, Becán, Chicanná, Kankí, and many more. Some other important places, declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO, are the Fortified Historical Center or Monuments Zone, Puerta de Mar, San Miguel Fortification, Museum of Maya Archaeologist, and many more.