Campeche

Campeche is one of Mexico’s 31 states, and together with Mexico City, it forms one of the country’s 32 federal entities. It sits in the southeastern part of Mexico, bordering Tabasco to the southwest, Yucatán to the northeast, Quintana Roo to the east, Guatemala’s Petén department to the south, and Belize’s Orange Walk District to the southeast. Its western side meets the Gulf of Mexico. The state’s capital, also named Campeche, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

History

The state grew out of this city, which the Spanish founded in 1540 as they began taking over the Yucatán Peninsula. During colonial times, Campeche was a wealthy and significant port, but its fortunes faded after Mexico gained independence.

For a long time, it belonged to the province of Yucatán, but it broke away in the mid-1800s, mainly because of political tensions with Mérida. More recently, the state’s economy has bounced back thanks to offshore oil discovered in the 1970s, turning the coastal cities of Campeche and Ciudad del Carmen into key economic hubs. While Campeche has important Mayan and colonial ruins, they draw fewer visitors than other sites in the Yucatán.

Etymology

The name “Campeche” comes from Can Pech, the Maya name for a chiefdom in the southwestern Yucatán Peninsula that existed when Spanish conquistadors arrived in the 1500s. The chiefdom’s capital, called “Ah-Kin-Pech,” stood where the city of Campeche is now. When the Spanish first reached the area in 1517, they named it Lazaro because they landed on St. Lazarus’ Sunday. The native name means “place of snakes and ticks.”

Geography

Geographically, Campeche is mostly flat, with 523 kilometers (325 miles) of Gulf of Mexico coastline. Its surface is largely sedimentary rock, much of it originally formed under the sea. The highest areas lie near the borders with Guatemala and Quintana Roo, with hills like Cerro Champerico, Cerro los Chinos, Cerro El Ramonal, Cerro El Doce, and Cerro El Gavilán, though these are separated by wide stretches of low, flat land.

In the south of Champotón municipality, a range of rolling hills called the Sierra Alta or Puuc begins, running northeast to Bolonchen and into Yucatán. These hills average just 40 to 60 meters (130 to 200 feet) in height, with some reaching 100 meters (330 feet). Other rolling hills near the city of Campeche include Maxtum, Boxol, and El Morro, while another set, the Sierra Seybaplaya, lies in the state’s center.

The rainforest here comes in several types: perennial tall tree, semi-perennial tall tree, deciduous medium height, semi-deciduous medium height, deciduous low height, and semi-perennial low height. Away from the coast, these forests mix with savannahs, and along the coast, sand dunes, mangrove wetlands, and estuaries appear. Common rainforest trees include Spanish cedar (Cedrela odorata), oxhorn bucida (Bucida buceras), Campeche logwood (Haematoxylum campechianum), and wild tamarind (Lysiloma latisiliquum).

Valuable tropical hardwoods such as red cedar (Toona ciliata), Honduran mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), ziricote (Cordia dodecandra), and Hollywood (Guaiacum sanctum) also grow here. Along the coast, palms like the coconut tree (Cocos nucifera) and royal palm (Roystonea regia) dominate. Wildlife includes jaguars, ocelots, pumas, deer, collared peccaries, raccoons, hares, ring-tailed cats, and Yucatan spider monkeys. Birds range from plain chachalacas and quail to pelicans and toucans.

Reptiles include rattlesnakes, coral snakes, boa constrictors, various sea and land turtles, iguanas, and crocodiles. Although still rich in wildlife, much has been lost to agriculture, forest exploitation, habitat destruction, and uncontrolled hunting. Most of the state’s aquatic life—fish, crustaceans, and mollusks—lives in the Bay of Campeche, and many are harvested commercially.

Most of Campeche’s surface freshwater is in the south and southwest, with rivers, small lakes, and estuaries. These diminish in the north, where rain quickly soaks into the ground. The southern rivers belong to several basins, the largest being the Grijalva, which includes the Candelaria, Chumpán, and Mamantal Rivers. The Usumacinta River also flows through the state, often changing course and splitting into branches.

Its eastern branch, the Palizada River, is narrow but carries the most water. Another branch, the San Pedro River, passes through Tabasco’s Jonuta Municipality before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico. The Chumpán River forms from several streams, runs north–south, and drains into the Laguna de Terminos. The Candelaria River starts in Petén, Guatemala, flows north–south, and empties into the Laguna de Pargos.

The Mamantel River drains into the Laguna de Panlau. The Champotón River, in the state’s center, flows into the Gulf of Mexico. The rest of the state’s streams only flow during the rainy season. The Laguna de Términos lagoon lies in the southwest, near the Tabasco border, separated from the Gulf of Mexico only by Isla del Carmen, and it receives freshwater from several rivers.

The state’s executive power is held by the governor of Campeche, and its legislative power by the Congress of Campeche, a unicameral body with 35 deputies.