Mansión Carvajal

The Mansión Carvajal, in Campeche

The Mansión Carvajal is an elegant private mansion of Campeche, former home of one of the most influential dynasties of Yucatán. The Campeche audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this dwelling mingling neoclassical, Moorish and colonial styles, famous for its spectacular Carrara marble staircase and its polylobed arches, witness of the wealth of the Carvajal family at the turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

History

This elegant building is the Mansión Carvajal, built at the beginning of the eighteenth century and enlarged in the nineteenth. It was the home of the Carvajal family, one of the most influential dynasties of the peninsula of Yucatán. The patriarch, Rafael Carvajal Iturralde, was governor of Yucatán and one of the greatest hacendados of the region, owner notably of the Hacienda Uayamón, the richest of Yucatán; he resided here, in Campeche, where he made of this dwelling a symbol of the wealth and the influence of his family. The architecture of the mansión is an exceptional mixture of styles, with neoclassical, Moorish and colonial influences. Outside, the imposing façade presents wrought-iron balconies and Art Nouveau details, notably polylobed arches characteristic of the Arab-Andalusian influence. Inside, the most spectacular element is doubtless the Carrara marble staircase, that soars majestically towards the floor, surrounded by white columns and sinuous arches, creating an atmosphere worthy of a palace. The building shelters today administrative offices, but remains accessible to visitors, who find themselves plunged into the history of an influential family and into the refined architecture that marked that era.

What to see

Here you visit an elegant private mansion of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, former home of the powerful Carvajal family, mingling neoclassical, Moorish and colonial styles; its façade with wrought-iron balconies and polylobed arches and, above all, its spectacular Carrara marble staircase surrounded by white columns give it the appearance of a palace. The Mansión Carvajal testifies to the splendour of old Campeche. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Mansión Carvajal lies in the historic centre of Campeche, reachable on foot. The building shelters administrative offices but remains accessible to visitors; the access and the hours follow the conditions in force, which vary. It is best to enquire before coming.

What is the Mansión Carvajal in Campeche?

It is an elegant private mansion built at the beginning of the eighteenth century and enlarged in the nineteenth, former home of the Carvajal family, one of the most influential of Yucatán; mingling neoclassical, Moorish and colonial styles, it is famous for its polylobed arches and its spectacular Carrara marble staircase, and shelters today offices while remaining accessible to visitors.

Where is the Mansión Carvajal in Campeche?

In the historic centre of Campeche, in Mexico.