Mérida, Campeche, and Mexico City
“Nobody ever moved to Boston for the weather”
February in Boston isn’t fun. Long ago, we resolved to escape February for warmer climes whenever possible. And this year we chose Mexico as our destination.
The only problem with Mexico in February is that millions of Americans and Canadians have the same idea. We sought out a location with few tourists, warm weather, and lots to do… and found Campeche! This UNESCO World Heritage city has a lot going for it, most notably there are no beaches and only a tiny airport with just one flight a day. Since we’re not beachgoers, this seemed perfect.
We were joined for part of the trip by Phil’s cousins Selena and Malcolm (who we dubbed “Malito”). They hadn’t been to Mexico before and didn’t speak more than a few words of Spanish. It was great to spend time with them and see Mexico through their eyes.
We began in Merida and did a bit of exploring, enjoying the colonial architecture and beginning to acclimate to the heat of the Yucatan. We stayed in a hotel that was a converted hacienda, with an airy colonnaded courtyard where a lovely breakfast started each day. We chanced upon an evening performance in the Plaza Mayor which highlighted the history of the area and was followed by a dance performance. We visited several museums, a great break from the heat! Merida was also the start of our search for the perfect margarita.
After a couple of days, we took the 3-hour bus to Campeche. We opted to stay in the Centro Historico so we could be near the restaurants, sights, and events.
Campeche is a colonial walled city, one of the very few in North America. During the colonial period, Campeche was the port used by the Spanish to export their stolen gold and silver. Pirates preyed on the Spanish ships, regularly invading and sacking the city. Spain commissioned protective walls, and these walls mostly remain. The inner city within the walls is the Centro Historico, and has been painstakingly preserved, except for a small handful of interlopers. It’s somewhat touristy, with lots of restaurants and bars, but it’s also small enough to leave the center and find a traditional mercado, seaside walk, and supermarkets. And compared to other parts of Mexico, there are relatively few tourists, other than at restaurants at the one pedestrianized street in the historic center. We visited every museum, walked along the Gulf of Mexico at sunset, and dined in lots of great restaurants. We had to move slowly due to the heat, which gave us lots of time to read, stroll, and even get haircuts!
Carnaval isn’t celebrated widely in Mexico, but it’s a Very Big Deal in Campeche. We timed the trip to coincide with Carnaval. Every night featured some event: parades, performances, concerts, fireworks, and on and on. After a few days of partying with our cousins, they left for Merida and on to Chichen Itza, and Uxmal, and we continued enjoying the daily fun in Campeche.
Some of the Carnaval events were held in an enormous field with a specially constructed stage. The highlight was when we got to see Los Socios Del Ritmo, a mega-popular cumbia group, famous for “Llorar.” There were at least 10,000 people there, and 2 gringos. Everyone knew the words except for us. People were dancing in a wonderful family-friendly concert.
There were numerous parades. Most of the participants were students of all ages. Each dance school had their own troupe with their own amazing costumes and choreography. The floats were great, and the parades went on for hours. For some reason, Campeche must have a hundred dance schools. The best part of each evening was sitting in the crowds waiting for the parade to go by, while the sun set over the bay framed by palm trees, and pelicans flew by.
Day trips from Campeche:
Edzna
We took a colectivo to Edzna, a major Mayan city that’s been well restored. The pyramids of Edzna are enormous and compact. We arrived early, and had the site almost to ourselves. We spent a few hours visiting the many buildings and ball courts. It was a beautiful cool day, perfect for exploring a Mayan site, and we spent some time at the top of one building just observing the plaza and environs and imagining what life must have been like when the site was fully populated. Sadly, the onsite museum was closed – like so many other museums – in preparation for the “Tren Maya.” We took the small local “colectivo” to Edzna, about a 45-minute ride. The colectivo to Edzna runs from Chihuahua 35, Barrio de Sta Ana
Xcalumkín and Kankí
These two modest ruins are only a few miles from each other and only about an hour from Campeche. Neither is fully restored, surrounded by the jungle, and they’re both infrequently visited. We were the only visitors, which added to the mystique of the site. The compact buildings may have been modest, but they illustrated the culture and wealth of the Mayan civilization. We luckily met Guillermo Ortega, a taxista, in the first couple of days we were there who arranged this trip for us – at a very reasonable price. The driver, Victor Zanso was extremely knowledgeable and friendly (they both speak only Spanish). If you want to do this great trip, WhatsApp Guillermo at +52 9811697414.
Isla Aguada and Laguna de Terminos
One goes to Isla Aguada to see the dolphins and a range of sea birds.
We took a second-class bus there (SUR) from Avenida Gobernadores 479, Barrio de Sta Ana. It’s FAR – about 3 hours, but the reward was seeing lots of dolphins and excellent birding. We went with a boat owned by Francisco, +52 9381137216. He picked us up at the bus stop in his bicycle trailer, which added to the adventure.
Reserva de la Biosfera Ría Celestún
Celestun is an enormous preserve with a coastline of mangroves. We went with Campeche Adventours, +52 9811394503. Although we were disappointed with the relatively short time spent in the mangroves, we did get a wonderful tour of the winding maze-like inlets and passages. However, this trip is over-priced for the short trip; there are probably better alternatives.
Mexico City
We ended our trip with a week in Mexico City, one of our favorite places on the planet. We took the one daily flight from Campeche to Mexico City, and then the metro to our apartment. Although we usually stay in a hotel, this time we opted for an apartment a block north of the Catedral. This was one of the nicest places we’ve stayed at in CDMX.
We have been to Mexico City many times, and this time, decided to concentrate on visiting museums and sites we hadn’t ever been to. We went to the Colegio de San Idelfanso, around the corner from our Airbnb – and were treated to some of the most amazing murals – including Diego Rivera’s “Creation”. We also visited other museums in the Centro Historico, including Museo Nacional de las Culturas and the Museo de Estanquillo, with its wonderful rooftop patio with views over the bustling streets and eye-level views of amazing sculptures on the nearby church. We discovered the historic synagogue, which is behind a small apartment building – the founders thought it would protect the synagogue from attack.
We spent time in the sprawling Mercado de la Merced looking for a specific brand of mole, only to finally learn that nobody in the mercado had it – but a nearby supermarket did! We visited Teotihuacan, and got to some of the exterior sites with amazing wall paintings. We also went to the Plaza de Tres Culturas, the location Zona Arqueológica Tlatelolco where the ruins of one of the cities that existed before Cortez’ invasion but is less known than the larger city of Tenochtitlan.
We met a couple of friends who we hadn’t seen during the pandemic, and spent lots of time walking through the wonderful Centro Historico just taking in the architecture and the busy streets, and stopping for liquados (smoothies of fresh fruit) and tacos as necessary.
Four short videos
Llorar by Los Socios del Ritmo
