This morning we explore the cobbled streets and walled historic district of the harbour city of Campeche on a walking tour.
After nearly a century of invasion by French, Dutch and English pirates, this city was fortified by the Spanish in 1686 and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site with over 1,000 buildings of historical significance. It is one of the most photogenic cities in Mexico. Its preserved fortifications include Fort San Miguel, which is today home to the Campeche Archaeological Museum. Here you will see artefacts from various Mayan sites, including Edzná and Isla de Jaina.
Afterwards we travel 2.5-hours to Mérida, the cultural capital of the Yucatán Peninsula since the Spanish conquest. Along the way we stop for a panoramic view over the Mayan ruins at Kabah, the second largest site in the Puuc region after Uxmal. Only a small portion of this site has been excavated, so there are many massive pyramids hidden in the jungle all around you. The most famous structure here is the "Palace of the Masks", which is elaborately decorated with stone masks of the long-nosed rain god, Chaac. Across the road is a large arch thought to have been the main entrance to the city.
We then visit the ruins at Uxmal (meaning 'built in three stages'), an ancient Mayan city known for its rounded architecture, intricate latticework and palaces arranged around patios and courtyards. These homes are richly sculptured and decorated with thousands of small polished stones, set in geometric mosaics. The key buildings on this archaeological site include the Fortune Teller’s Pyramid, the Governor’s Palace and the Quadrangle of the Nuns.
At the end of the day we continue to Mérida - known as the 'White City'. This is a town steeped in history with narrow streets, broad central plazas, thriving markets and the region’s best museums. It has colonial houses as well as homes that date back to the beginning of the last century in Arabic, French and Italian styles, thanks to the wealth generated from the sisal trade.