The territory of what is now Campeche is a part of the vast region where the Mayan civilization, one of the most important of Mesoamerica, was born and flourished in ancient times. The Mayan civilization left many imprints on this area, including important archeological zones, and 17 ethnically pure Mayan peoples that live in their own separate communities, and who are the dominant people of southern Campeche.
Campeche is the state with the most archeological offerings in the country, and the capital city was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, a declaration that sums up its vast natural and cultural riches.
Since 2003, the National Institute of Archeology and History (INAH), the body in charge of most ancient sites and some museums, have developed a series of projects designed for the protection, conservation, and investigation of sub-aquatic archeological heritage sites that are found submerged in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Specifically on the Campechean coast, 23 submerged archeological sites have been located. The sites correspond to different time periods, ranging from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries.
One of these projects is the Investigation of the Fleet of New Spain of 1630-1631 and the Inventory and Diagnostic of the Cultural Submerged Resources in the Gulf of Mexico. These projects study the remnants of the Fleet of New Spain that departed Cádiz, Spain, in 1630 and sunk in 1631 in the Sound of Campeche due to a storm. For this project, an advanced system that permits the remote detection of cultural remains at different depths is utilized. To date, more than 100 sites have been located that form part of the Inventory and Diagnostic of Cultural Submerged Resources of the Gulf of Mexico.
There are three viewing sectors through which visitors can see distinct types of submerged treasures corresponding to the various time periods when the ships sank.
Sector A
These sites can be visited by even novice scuba divers, and are located no more than 15 km from the coast of the city of Campeche.
The sites are:
The visitor can choose between one and three different sites. Due to the proximity between the three sites and their easy access, the journey can be done in two different ways: in one day completing two immersions, or in two days completing three immersions.
Sector B
To explore the sites found in the deepest level, anyone interested should arrive with a scuba certificate from a recommended scuba agency. Fish are found further from the coast, approximately 30 km away. Today, these natural reefs have been converted into artificial reefs to perform the same function as nature.
The sites are:
Sector C
To scuba dive in these sites requires the diver be certificated at the advanced level. These sites are found 80 km from Campeche and the closest port to leave from is Seybaplaya.
The site is:
