Campeche

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Campeche

Campeche is the name of both a state in Mexico and its capital city. This article is about the state. For the city, see: Campeche, Campeche
Campeche, Campeche

Campeche is the capital city of the Mexican state of Campeche, located at,on the shore of the Bay of Campeche of the Gulf of Mexico. The city's population at the 2005 census was 211,671 people....
; for the Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a Autonomy Territories of the United States of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands....
artist, see José Campeche
José Campeche

Jos? Campeche , was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico, is the first known Puerto Rican people artist and considered by many as one of the best rococo artists in the Americas....
.

The State of Campeche is a state in the south-east region of the Mexican Republic
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
. It is bordered by the Mexican states of Yucatán
Yucatán

Yucat?n is one of the States of Mexico of Mexico, located on the north of the Yucat?n Peninsula. The Yucatan peninsula includes three states: Yucat?n, Campeche, and Quintana Roo; all three modern states were formerly part of the larger historic state of Yucat?n in the 19th century....
to the north east, Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo

Quintana Roo is a Mexican state of Mexico, on the eastern part of the Yucat?n Peninsula. It borders the States of Yucat?n and Campeche to the north and west, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the nation of Belize to the south....
to the east, and Tabasco
Tabasco

Tabasco is a States of Mexico in Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Veracruz to the west, Chiapas to the south, and Campeche to the north-east....
to the south west. To the south it is bordered by the Petén
Petén (department)

Pet?n is a Departments of Guatemala of the nation of Guatemala. It is geographically the northernmost department of Guatemala, as well as the largest in size — at 12,960 square miles it accounts for about one third of Guatemala's area....
department of Guatemala
Guatemala

Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize and the Caribbean to the northeast, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast....
and to the west by the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world. Considered a smaller part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is an oceanic basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba....
.

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Encyclopedia

Campeche is the name of both a state in Mexico and its capital city. This article is about the state. For the city, see: Campeche, Campeche
Campeche, Campeche

Campeche is the capital city of the Mexican state of Campeche, located at,on the shore of the Bay of Campeche of the Gulf of Mexico. The city's population at the 2005 census was 211,671 people....
; for the Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a Autonomy Territories of the United States of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands....
artist, see José Campeche
José Campeche

Jos? Campeche , was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico, is the first known Puerto Rican people artist and considered by many as one of the best rococo artists in the Americas....
.

The State of Campeche is a state in the south-east region of the Mexican Republic
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
. It is bordered by the Mexican states of Yucatán
Yucatán

Yucat?n is one of the States of Mexico of Mexico, located on the north of the Yucat?n Peninsula. The Yucatan peninsula includes three states: Yucat?n, Campeche, and Quintana Roo; all three modern states were formerly part of the larger historic state of Yucat?n in the 19th century....
to the north east, Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo

Quintana Roo is a Mexican state of Mexico, on the eastern part of the Yucat?n Peninsula. It borders the States of Yucat?n and Campeche to the north and west, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the nation of Belize to the south....
to the east, and Tabasco
Tabasco

Tabasco is a States of Mexico in Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Veracruz to the west, Chiapas to the south, and Campeche to the north-east....
to the south west. To the south it is bordered by the Petén
Petén (department)

Pet?n is a Departments of Guatemala of the nation of Guatemala. It is geographically the northernmost department of Guatemala, as well as the largest in size — at 12,960 square miles it accounts for about one third of Guatemala's area....
department of Guatemala
Guatemala

Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize and the Caribbean to the northeast, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast....
and to the west by the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world. Considered a smaller part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is an oceanic basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba....
. Since 1996, Campeche also shares a short border with the nation of Belize
Belize

Belize , formerly British Honduras, is a country in Central America. Once part of the Maya civilization, and very briefly the Spanish Empire, it was most recently affiliated with the British Empire, prior to gaining its independence in 1981....
to the east, although the anexation of this area by Campeche remains disputed by Quintana Roo .

The area of Campeche is , and the population was only 754,730 inhabitants at the 2005 census. This makes Campeche one of the states with the lowest population densities in Mexico (fifth behind Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur

Baja California Sur The state is known for its natural riches and tourism. The Vizca?no Desert and small coastal lakes San Ignacio and Ojo de Liebre in the north are protected by the federal government....
, Durango
Durango

Durango is one of the constituent states of Mexico. Its population is 1,509,118. It has Mexico's second-lowest population density, after Baja California Sur....
, Sonora
Sonora

Sonora is one of the 31 States of Mexico and is located in the northwest of the country....
, and Chihuahua).

The capital city of the state is the city of San Francisco de Campeche, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

In addition to the city of Campeche, the state of Campeche includes the cities of Champotón
Champotón

Champot?n is a small city and municipality in the Mexican state of Campeche, located at , about 60 km south of the city of Campeche, Campeche where the small Champot?n river meets the coast of the Gulf of Mexico....
, Ciudad del Carmen
Ciudad del Carmen

Ciudad del Carmen is a city in the south west of the Mexican state of Campeche. Ciudad del Carmen is located at on the south west of Carmen Island, which stands in the Laguna de T?rminos on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico....
, and Escárcega
Escárcega

Esc?rcega is a small city in the Mexico mexican state of Campeche,located at in the central part of the state. The population of the city at the 2005 census was 27,214 people, the fourth-largest community in the state....
, the towns of Bolonchén
Bolonchen

Bolonch?n or Bolonch?n de Rej?n is a town in the Mexican state of Campeche, about 120 km west from the state capital, Campeche, Campeche....
, Calkiní, Dzitbalché
Dzitbalché

Dzitbalch? is a large town in the extreme northern part of the Mexico state of Campeche . It is located at 20.32?N 90.05?W, within the municipalities of Mexico of Calkin? ....
, Hecelchakán, Hopelchén, Lerma, Tenabo, and Sabancuy, and many ruins of the Maya civilization such as Becán
Becan

Becan is an archaeological site of the Maya civilization in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. Becan is located near the center of the Yucat?n Peninsula, in the present-day Mexican state of Campeche, about 150 km north of Tikal....
, Calakmul
Calakmul

Calakmul is the name given to site of one of the largest ancient Maya civilization cities ever uncovered. It is located in the 1,800,000 acre Calakmul Biosphere Reserve in the Mexican state of Campeche, deep in the jungles of the greater Pet?n Basin region, 30 km from the Guatemalan border....
, Silvituc, Dzibilnocac, Edzná
Edzna

Edzn? is a Maya civilization archaeological site in the north of the Mexican state of Campeche.The most remarkable building at the plaza is the main temple....
, Hocchob, Holactún, Río Bec
Rio Bec

R?o Bec is a Pre-Columbian Maya civilization archaeological site located in what is now southern portion of the Mexican state of Campeche. The name also refers to an architecture style that first appeared at R?o Bec and subsequently spread to other nearby sites....
, Uxul, Xicalango, Xpuhil
Xpuhil

Xpuhil is a Maya civilization archaeological site located in the Mexican state of Campeche, in the vicinity of the modern-day town of Xpujil. The area surrounding Xpuhil, along Mexican Federal Highway, is rich with other Maya sites, including Becan and Calakmul....
, and Xtampak
Xtampak

Xtampak is a Maya civilization archaeological site in the Mexican state of Campeche. A major town in the Chenes region, it flourished during the Mesoamerican chronology....
.

Campeche derives from the name of the Mayan city of Kan pech, which became today's San Francisco de Campeche.
History

Before the Spanish Conquest, the territory that now is the State of Campeche was occupied by the Maya. The most important sites of the Classic Maya Period are Calakmul
Calakmul

Calakmul is the name given to site of one of the largest ancient Maya civilization cities ever uncovered. It is located in the 1,800,000 acre Calakmul Biosphere Reserve in the Mexican state of Campeche, deep in the jungles of the greater Pet?n Basin region, 30 km from the Guatemalan border....
, Rio Bec, Edzná, Hormiguero and Becán. Another important site is the island of Jaina, just off the coast in the Gulf of Mexico.

Campeche was discovered by the Spaniards on March 22, 1517, during an exploratory expedition led by Francisco Fernandez de Córdoba. Among the crew were Bernal Díaz del Castillo
Bernal Díaz del Castillo

Bernal D?az del Castillo was a conquistador, who wrote an eyewitness account of the Spanish Conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards under Hern?n Cort?s, himself serving as a rodelero under Cort?s....
and Antón de Alaminos.

The name of Campeche comes from the Mayan word "Ah Kim Pech", which means "The Place of Boa Serpent".

The State of Campeche was long a part of Yucatán
Yucatán

Yucat?n is one of the States of Mexico of Mexico, located on the north of the Yucat?n Peninsula. The Yucatan peninsula includes three states: Yucat?n, Campeche, and Quintana Roo; all three modern states were formerly part of the larger historic state of Yucat?n in the 19th century....
and shared its history through the mid 19th century. Campeche broke away from Yucatán and became a separate state of the United Mexican States (Estados Unidos Mexicanos) on August 7, 1857.

Municipalities
The State of Campeche is divided into 11 municipalities , each headed by a municipal president
Municipal president

A presidente municipal is the chief of government of municipios in Mexico. The position is comparable to the mayor of a city in the United States although the jurisdiction of a presidente municipal includes not only a city but the municipality surrounding it....
(mayor).

Demographics

Inhabitants: 754,730
Age Average: 24 years.
Annual Population Growth: 1.46%
Population at the Capital: 216,900.
Population that speaks a native tongue: 89,000.
Population that does not speak Spanish: 3,140

Data from the II Conteo de Población y Vivienda 2000, INEGI.

External links