Malecón

Campeche


A popular path for joggers, cyclists, strolling friends and cooing sweethearts, the malecón, Campeche’s 7km-long waterfront promenade, makes for a breezy sunrise ramble or sunset bike ride.

A series of monuments along a 2.5km stretch of the malecón allude to various personages and events in the city’s history. Southwest of the Plaza Moch-Couoh (under construction at time of research) stands a statue of Campeche native Justo Sierra Méndez, a key player in the modernization of Mexico’s educational system. Next to the plaza is a monument of the walled city’s four gates. Three blocks up is a monumental sculpture of native son Pedro Sáinz de Baranda, who played a key role in defeating the Spanish at their last stronghold in Veracruz, thus ending the War of Independence.

Just beyond the Centro de Convenciones Campeche XXI, the girl gazing out to sea is the Novia del Mar. According to a poignant local legend, the campechana fell in love with a foreign pirate and awaits his return. About 1km further north, the Plaza Cuatro de Octubre (October 4 Plaza) commemorates the date of the city’s ‘founding,’ depicting the fateful meeting of a Maya cacique (chief), the conquistador Francisco de Montejo and a priest.

At the malecón’s northern tip, 4.5km northeast from downtown, lies a cluster of seafood restaurants called Parador Gastrónomico de Cocteleros. It's a good place for lunch, despite the overzealous waiters touting for customers.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Campeche attractions

1. Monument to the City Gates

0.03 MILES

Next to the Plaza Moch-Couoh is this modern monument to the city’s four famous gates (land, sea, San Román and Guadalupe); these entrances were in the…

2. Museo de la Ciudad

0.15 MILES

Named after Spain’s King Carlos II, the Baluarte de San Carlos houses the Museo de la Ciudad. Its rather pathetic exhibitions include a chained pirate in…

3. Puerta del Mar

0.17 MILES

The Puerta del Mar provided access from the sea, opening on to a wharf where small craft delivered goods from ships anchored further out. The shallow…

4. Sculpture of Pedro Sáinz de Baranda

0.19 MILES

A block past the Hotel del Mar is a monumental sculpture of Pedro Sáinz de Baranda, a native son who played a key role in defeating the Spanish at their…

6. Museo de la Arquitectura Maya

0.21 MILES

The Baluarte de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, designed to protect the Puerta del Mar, contains the fascinating Museo de la Arquitectura Maya. It provides…

7. Museo El Palacio

0.24 MILES

This large museum at the plaza has exhibits about the city's logwood industry and salt trading; a section is designed to make you feel like you're inside…

8. Centro Cultural Casa Número 6

0.24 MILES

During the prerevolutionary era, when this mansion was occupied by an upper-class campechano family, Número 6 was a prestigious plaza address. Wandering…

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