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San Francisco de Campeche

San Francisco de Campeche
City
Downtown Campeche Cathedral
Campeche's seawall Panoramic of the city
San José el Alto Fortress
Photomontage of Campeche City
Official seal of San Francisco de Campeche
Seal
Location of Campeche within the state
Location of Campeche within the state
Location of the state within Mexico
Location of the state within Mexico
Coordinates: 19°51′0″N 90°31′50″W / 19.85000°N 90.53056°W / 19.85000; -90.53056Coordinates: 19°51′0″N 90°31′50″W / 19.85000°N 90.53056°W / 19.85000; -90.53056
Country Mexico
State Campeche
Municipality Campeche
City Founded October 4, 1540 (477 years ago)
Government
 • Mayor Ana Martha Escalante (PRI)
Elevation 10 m (33 ft)
Population (2010)
 • Total 220,389
Demonym(s) Campechano
Time zone CST (UTC−6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC−5)
Area code(s) 981
Major Airport Ing. Alberto Acuña Ongay International Airport
IATA Code CPE
ICAO Code MMCP
Website Official Campeche Website
Official name Historic Fortified Town of Campeche
Type Cultural
Criteria ii, iv
Designated 1999 (23rd session)
Reference no. 895
State Party  Mexico
Region Latin America and the Caribbean

San Francisco de Campeche (pronounced: [san fɾanˈsisko de kamˈpetʃe]) (Ahk'ìin Pech - /aχkʼiːn˥˧ pʰetʃ/ in Yucatec Maya) is a city in Campeche Municipality in the state of Campeche —located at 19°51′N 90°32′W / 19.85°N 90.53°W / 19.85; -90.53, on the shore of the Bay of Campeche of the Gulf of Mexico— and its municipal seat also serves as the state's capital city. The city's population at the 2010 census was 220,389, and the municipality for which it serves as municipal seat had a population of 259,005.

The city was founded in 1540 by Spanish conquistadores as San Francisco de Campeche atop the pre-existing Maya city of Can Pech. The Pre-Columbian city was described as having 3,000 houses and various monuments, of which little trace remains.

The city retains many of the old colonial Spanish city walls and fortifications which protected the city (not always successfully) from pirates and buccaneers. The state of preservation and quality of its architecture earned it the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. Originally, the Spaniards lived inside the walled city, while the natives lived in the surrounding barrios of San Francisco, Guadalupe and San Román. These barrios still retain their original churches; the one in Guadalupe is almost 500 years old.


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Wikipedia

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