Campeche City

In colonial days the city center was completely enclosed within a 10-foot-thick wall. Two stone archways (originally there were four)—one facing the sea, the other the land—provided the only access. The defensive walls also served as a de facto class demarcation. Within them lived the ruling elite. Outside were the barrios, with blacks and mulattoes brought as slaves from Cuba, and everyone else.

On strategic corners, seven baluartes, or bastions, gave militiamen a platform from which to fight off pirates and the other ruffians that continually plagued this beautiful city on the bay. But it wasn't until 1771, when the Fuerte de San Miguel was built on a hilltop outside town, that pirates finally stopped attacking the city.

Campeche's historic center is easily navigable—in fact, it's a walker's paradise. Narrow roads and lack of parking spaces can make driving a bit frustrating, although drivers here are polite and mellow. Streets running roughly north-south are even-numbered, and those running east-west are odd-numbered. The beautifully restored historic center has a perimeter stretching 2½ km (1½ miles).