History of Guadalajara
History of Mérida
History of Oaxaca
Northern Mexico
Central Mexico
Southern Mexico
History of Guadalajara
History of Mérida
History of Oaxaca
Northern Mexico
Central Mexico
Southern Mexico
A LONG JOURNEY FROM THE MAYANS TO ITS OIL WEALTH
Pre-Hispanic Era
The settlement of Ah-Kim-Pech, in the Mayan language, means "place of snakes and ticks."
It was founded in the 3rd century BC by migratory groups from Guatemala, Honduras, and Chiapas, who populated the state's surface, establishing important cities such as Edzna, Santa Rosa Xtampak, and later Calakmul and Becán, among others.
Colonial Era
In 1527, Francisco de Montejo, along with his son known as "el Mozo," his nephew, and other Spaniards, began the conquest of Yucatán. From there, Alfonso de Ávila was sent to Kim-Pech, a place he found almost deserted because its inhabitants had fled to the jungle upon the arrival of the Spaniards. Alfonso de Ávila headed to Champotón, where he was well received by the natives. In that place, the Spaniards founded San Pedro de Champotón in 1537. Later, Francisco de Montejo joined him in this city, and together they set off for Kim Pech, where Montejo founded Salamanca de Campeche. Later, the "Mozo" and the "Nephew" formed alliances, subdued chieftaincies, and definitively founded the "Villa de San Francisco de Campeche" in Kim Pech in 1540.
Historical archives record that it was in the Villa de San Francisco de Campeche where the first religious ceremony took place in New Spain. This small town quickly became a city and the most important port in colonial America.
The wealth brought by intense commercial traffic allowed the construction of mansions, churches, and forts to protect the city from constant pirate attacks. Pirates used ships such as the brig and frigate, which were very lightweight, making it easy for them to escape. While the influence of pirates on the population of Campeche may have been minimal, there is no doubt that their attacks contributed to shaping the character of the people of Campeche and the city itself, which had to be constantly fortified.
In 1680, Don Antonio Layseca y Alvarado proposed the complete circumvallation of the Villa de Campeche, which marked the beginning of the city walls. The wall construction began in early May 1684.
The wall was completed in 1704, including the bastions, from the first one, San Carlos, to the last one, Santiago, and it cost around two hundred twenty-five thousand twenty-four pesos five tonines.
History of Campeche
19th century
On September 17, 1821, the city council of Campeche proclaimed Independence from Spain in a solemn session. On October 14 of the same year, in response to public pressure against Juan María Echeverri, the last Spanish governor of the Yucatán province, the Mexican tricolor flag was raised for the first time in the peninsula in Campeche.
After 1821, the main sources of wealth in Campeche were its industry and maritime trade, the cultivation of sugarcane, and the extraction of dye wood in the region of Isla del Carmen.
The dye wood, destined for textile centers in England and France, became in the 19th century the main export product of the peninsula.
Modern Era
In March 1971, Campeche fisherman Rudesindo Cantarell reported to PEMEX the presence of a huge oil slick off the coast of Ciudad del Carmen. As a result, in 1975, the first offshore oil well was drilled, called Chac number 1, in honor of the Maya rain god. The drilling results revealed the existence of a rich deposit. In 1979, the first fixed offshore platforms were completed.
At the end of the 20th century, Campeche was consolidated as a prosperous State with a more diversified economy, in addition to oil extraction, textile maquiladoras have been installed in the state territory.
Another of the poles that was discovered as a motor of the economy was tourism, since the State has a great variety of natural and cultural attractions, as an example are the state capital and the Calakmul Reserve considered as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.
A WALLED CITY FULL OF SURPRISES
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