Campeche

The guidebook described Campeche as a movie set and that's just what it looked like--beautiful color coordinated buildings, cobblestone streets, no power lines, no graffiti, a pretty tree filled zocalo where the locals gathered on Saturday evening to play loteria (bingo), chat and stroll and watch a traditional dance performance.

The zocalo

The city used to be surrounded by a high wall with towers to protect the town from pirate attacks. Most of the wall is now gone, but the towers and the main gate remain. This is a botanical garden (a tiny one) in one of the former towers.

Campeche is one the west side of the Yucatan peninsula and has a nice malecon (boardwalk) along the sea.

Just in time for another (brief) celebration when the town lit a torch for the countdown to Mexico's bicentennial in September. The lighting of the torch was followed by a few fireworks. The building here is a government building just outside the city gate.

Back in the Zocalo for the Saturday evening block party.

The loteria tables, they were full for several rounds otherwise we were going to join in.

Check out our cool hotel, right around the corner from the zocalo:

The sunny courtyard inside

We had a pretty, simple room with incredibly high ceilings, a tiled floor and this cool bathroom--check out the plumbing (great water pressure and very hot water)!