Campeche: Maya Sites, Mangroves and Nature

Campeche brings together Maya architecture, a historic fortified city and extensive natural areas. When planning your trip, one key question is what you’d like to focus on: exploring archaeological sites, taking in landscapes and wildlife, or combining both? Calakmul, Chicanná and other Maya sites offer very different architectural details, while the Calakmul and Los Petenes Biosphere Reserves define the destination’s natural character.

Archaeological Sites with Distinctive Character

The archaeological zone of Calakmul spans 70 km² and includes five large complexes. Ancient sacbés, or causeways, connect them to the central Great Plaza. This means you can explore the site not only through individual structures, but also through its overall layout. Calakmul is the Maya city with the most stelae; 120 have been documented there. Visitors interested in Maya history and monuments will find several specific features to focus on here.

Chicanná was a pre-Hispanic settlement and a suburb of Becán. Some of its most important buildings were lavishly decorated with large zoomorphic representations of Itzamná. At Buildings II and XX, open mouths form the entrances. This unusual design gives the structures a distinctive architectural motif. The central group at Balamkú contains a modeled, polychrome stucco frieze considered unique in the Maya region. Balamkú comprises three main architectural groups in total.

Other sites also have their own highlights: Santa Rosa Xtampak was a Maya capital of Los Chenes for 850 years. The palace there is considered unique for its size and complexity. At Hochob, a huge zoomorphic mask of the god Itzamná forms the central façade. Between 400 and 1000, Edzná became a powerful regional capital in the western part of the peninsula. The Templo de los Mascarones contains modeled stucco representations showing the sun deity on its daily journey across the sky.

Natural Areas and Regional Diversity

Calakmul is also remarkable for its wildlife: the area is home to more than 350 bird species and nearly 100 mammal species. Local species include jaguars, pumas, Baird’s tapirs, white-lipped peccaries, king vultures and ocellated turkeys. Calakmul’s archaeological heritage is protected within the nature reserve of the Biosphere Reserve established in 1989. Here, nature and archaeological history come together in a single protected area.

A different landscape characterizes the Los Petenes Biosphere Reserve: it forms an almost 300,000-hectare coastal wetland corridor, with islands and islets shaped by mangroves. Travelers who want to include both natural areas and Maya architecture in their trip can take these different themes into account when choosing which regions to visit.

The Ruta Natural: Ríos y Lagunas connects Ciudad del Carmen with Palizada and passes through Laguna de Términos and Río Palizada. It covers 14 communities in the municipalities of Carmen and Palizada and gives visitors the opportunity to experience the region’s natural and cultural diversity. It’s another option for travelers who want to focus on rivers, lagoons and regional culture.

City History and Routes

The historic fortified city of Campeche stands out for its grid layout and the defensive belt surrounding the city. Its walls enclose an irregular hexagon. Visitors planning to explore historic urban architecture as well as Maya sites will find another distinct highlight here.

To reach Xpuhil, travel from the state capital, Campeche, along Federal Highway 180 toward Champotón, then continue on Federal Highway 186. From Campeche, you can reach Hochob via a state road; a four-kilometer turnoff continues to Chenkó. These route details help you distinguish between the destinations when planning your itinerary, without implying that their routes are the same.

Discover more subregions of Campeche here: Campeche, Chicanná, Ciudad Del Carmen, Robles, Champotón, Seybaplaya, Isla Aguada, Santo Domingo Keste, Escárcega and Tenabo.

For the broader travel overview: Mexico.