Museum of Maya Architecture

The Museum of Maya architecture, in Campeche

The Museum of Maya architecture occupies the Baluarte de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, one of the bastions of the former fortifications of Campeche. The Campeche audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this bastion that watched over the access to the port, born of the great wall raised from 1668 against pirates, and that shelters today remarkable sculptures and architectural elements of the Maya sites of the region.

History

The Baluarte de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad was part of the system of fortifications of Campeche. In the seventeenth century, the city was a prosperous port, notably thanks to the export of the precious campeche wood, a wealth that attracted pirates, English, Dutch and French corsairs come to plunder the city and its ships. The most devastating attack took place in 1663, when the English vice-admiral Christopher Myngs led a fleet of fourteen ships and more than one thousand four hundred men against the city; the some one hundred and fifty Spanish soldiers resisted two hours before surrendering, and the pirates plundered the city for two weeks. In response to these attacks, the governor of Yucatán launched a project of fortifications: the works began in 1668, and a wall endowed with eight bastions was built, including that of the Soledad. It was one of the most important, for it watched directly over the access to the port and to the Puerta de Mar, the main gate turned towards the sea. Today, this bastion shelters the Museum of Maya architecture, that presents sculptures and architectural elements come from several archaeological sites of the State of Campeche, like Petén Norte, Chenes and Puuc.

What to see

Here you visit the Baluarte de la Soledad, a bastion of the wall raised from 1668 against pirates that watched over the access to the port; it shelters today the Museum of Maya architecture, rich in sculptures and architectural elements come from the great sites of the State of Campeche, like Petén Norte, Chenes and Puuc. The museum combines colonial heritage and Maya legacy. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Museum of Maya architecture occupies the Baluarte de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, near the Plaza de la Independencia, in the historic centre of Campeche, reachable on foot. It is a museum whose entry is paying and the hours vary. It is best to enquire before coming.

What does the Museum of Maya architecture of Campeche present?

Installed in the Baluarte de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, a bastion of the anti-pirate fortifications raised from 1668, it presents sculptures and architectural elements come from several Maya archaeological sites of the State of Campeche, like Petén Norte, Chenes and Puuc; the bastion once watched over the access to the port and to the Puerta de Mar.

Where is the Museum of Maya architecture in Campeche?

In the Baluarte de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, near the Plaza de la Independencia, in the heart of the historic centre of Campeche, in Mexico.