Portugal had disputes with Spain about the plunder of the recently discovered American lands, full of riches. Only Pope Alexander VI, in that he was the vicar of God, could define the situation, and so divided the New World into two parts leaving out England, France and Holland, where later the pirates would come in. First, the churches were built to give the people strength to attack enemy ships. San Francisco of Campeche – together with Veracruz—were the two most important ports in the land of New Spain, and thus they were attacked by innumerable bandits of the sea. More than a score of attacks obligated the population to protect themselves by building bastions and fortified walls around the city. The most dreaded pirates were William Parker (1597), Diego el Mulato and Pie de Palo (1633), Jacob Jackson (1644), Henry Morgan (1661), Mansfelt and Bartolome “El Portugués” (1663), Rock Brasiliano (1670), Lorencillo (1672 y 1685), Lewis Scott (1678), Capitan Cook (1678) and Barbillas (1708) among other many others attackers who added to the desperation of the population.
The first system of defense was not very effective, but the second was enough to ward off the attack of Lorencillo, though in 1685 he decimated the population by two thirds. It was then that the project “abaluartado”, or the project of constructing bastions and tall walls all around the city was started by Don Martín de la Torre. Eight bastions united by an equal number of tall thick walls would be the result of this project that took more than 24 years to complete. Once finished, the fortified city successfully deflected pirate attacks. Only Barbilllas found a strategy the permitted him, across a safe-conduct, to enter the fortified city in 1708 and kill 4,000 inhabitants. The enclosure initially had three doors facing the land and one facing the sea. In 1732, another door was constructed on the side of the land. The piracy stopped before the English advance, and two forts were constructed on the coast, San Jose and San Miguel with their respective batteries. These were flawless works of the military engineering of the time that converted the city of San Francisco of Campeche into a fortified example for all of America. The fortifications were put to the test with the struggles the newly independent Mexico, divided by ideals for the country. With the passage of time, parts of the walls have been destroyed. However, the forts have been conserved so well that, together with its Baroque colonial architecture, UNESCO has given the city a World Heritage site title.
It was with the construction of this fort that the enclosure wall started. The name is in honor of Carlos II of Spain; it is 840 squared meters in area. Today, it houses a museum where pieces of the colonial period, such as cannons and armor, are kept. In the vaulted interior you find a prison known as “el pulguero”. An elevated access ramp at the entrance of the building of solid quarry was in front of the enclosure, but the design of the modern streets of the city forced the ramp to be relocated around the side. Similarly to all the other forts, there was an alarm bell in one of the large sentry boxes.
This was the first to be completed of the eight forts that encircle the village. Its name is due to the sacred Santa Rosa of Lima, in the southern lands of Peru, who became “protector” against the pirate attacks after a desperate invocation against the frustration of attacks from overseas. Its access is through a strong door of wood, leading into rooms with thick walls. In the interior patio there is a well, just like in all the forts. A ramp takes visitors to the roofs from where you can see views of the twin towers of the cathedral and the impressive building that houses the Institute Campechano.
Sculpted above the unadorned entrance, the insignia “Sn Ivan” indicates the worship of San Juan de Dios similar to the order of the Juaninos; in its 764 meters squared there is a well and a ramp that leads to the roof from where again we see the flying buttresses and to one side of them, a bell tower. Today, it is one of the only forts still united to a wall, which is six meters high, as are all on the land side. The walls on the sea side were two meters high.
Along with the fort of the Soledad, this fort was the largest at 1,342 square meters. It was named for the Franciscans and the clerk that had contributed the donations to the construction of this monumental structure. In 1889, with permission granted for the installation of the road through the city, this fort was demolished, giving pass to the railways that would create the neighborhood of Santa Ana. Today annexed with the fort of San Juan, this forms part of the light and sound show of the Puerta de Tierra. Upon reconstruction, the fort was divided into two, part of which was remodeled into an arched auditorium.
This fort pleased the papacy by taking the name of the initiator of the Catholic religion. Above the door there are insignia crowns and crossed stars of the sky carved in the stone. There is no proof that the Inquisition sat its royal tribunal here, but this story has become an urban legend. Some of its rooms now house the Artisan Museum, where they exhibit unique art and functional pieces made by the craft of our artisans.
This fort was the last finished of the eight. Its form today differs greatly from the original, which was similar to that of San Carlos. Today, 1704 is inscribed above the entrance; however, this is another imprecise correspondence to the date when all the enclosures were finally completely walled in, closer to 1710. The modest construction today houses a Botanical Garden named X’much haltún with a remarkable collection of regional plants.
Its name is from Our Lady of the Soledad, patron saint of sailors. This bastion is the absolute largest of all of those constructed. In its interior patio there is a well and a ramp that takes us to the roof, from where we can walk on the walkway that tops the fortified wall. An exit leads to the Puerta de Tierra, from where there is an incredible view of our cathedral. Today, this bastion houses the museum of “Roman Pina Chan” where carved monolithic pieces from different archeological sites of our state are displayed.
It was constructed near “Buena Vista”, to the leeward side of the city, and had an area of 3,858 square meters. This fort was constructed toward the end of the eighteenth century, when England occupied then the flowered land to the south that is now Belize, threatened the invasion of other peninsular territories. The dreaded attacks never occurred; the fort was not tested. However, fifty years later, General Santa Ana installed barracks and attacked Campeche in 1842. Its construction, along with that of the Fort of San Jose, made Campeche the best defended city of all of Latin America. Today it houses the Mayan Art Museum; two ramps and stairs lead to the rooftops from were there is a magnificent view of the city and the bay. Toward the shore of the coast you can see the San Luis Battery.
Above the entrance is written in stone “August 9, 1792”, the date when this fort was completed. It was constructed in Barlovento and has a moat and a raised bridge. In its center, there is a well. A ramp and stair leads to the upper level. Similarly to that of San Miguel, this offers a unique view of the city, the bay, and the extensive Petenes Reserve. The fort is 1,828 meters squared. Magnificent works of artillery, coats of arms of different periods, and model ships are displayed inside the rooms.
This battery was constructed at the bottom of the fort of San Miguel on the leeward coast in the last third of the eighteenth century. Today, it remains in a perfectly conserved state, quite different from the others that have been ruined with the passage of time. The floor is rectangular and surrounded by a moat; two flying buttresses look toward the sea. Now it is cared for by the Marine Secretary and can be visited as a tourist attraction of the city.
Along with the San Lucas Battery, this battery discouraged possible attacks on Barlovento. The coast is to the sides of the Fort of San Jose. The original ramp conducts visitors to the upper part of the solid structure. Only at high tide is it surrounded by the ocean.
The wall that at one time surrounded this battery has been reconstructed over its first foundation. Originally part of the fortification of Barlovento, it joined the new fortifications that already had been constructed by 1792 to reinforce the Plaza of Campeche. Now inside the perimeters is a neighborhood and only the exterior of the walls is left as the trace of its existence.
