The free municipality of Carmen’s name comes from the day that the pirates were defeated and exiled from the island, July 16, 1718, the day of the “Señora del Carmen". The municipality is located in the southeast part of the state of Campeche, bordered to the north by the Gulf of Mexico and the municipality of Champoton, to the south with the state of Tabasco, to the east with the municipalities of Escárcega and Candelaria, and to the west with Palizada.
The best pilot of the expedition of Grijalva, called Antón de Alaminos, named the island Isla de Términos because they thought the Yucatan was a large island and this was considered the end. Despite having been discovered in 1518, the Isla del Carmen was colonized much later. The delayed colonization was partially due to the concentration of forces in the conquest of the great Tenochtitlan and partially due to tenacious resistance from the Mayans.
In 1558, pirates discovered the island, using the place as a port for items including materials for repairing ships. The pirates also enjoyed plentiful hunting and fishing, but above all it was a strategic place to attack ships and the new neighboring cities— among those, Campeche. It wasn’t until 1663 when Don Francisco Esquvel y de la Rosa, Governor and General Capitan of the Yucatan, received official information that the Isla de Tris or Términos was under the power of the pirates, who had already exploited “Palo de Tinte”, a business that was enormously successful.
There were various attempts to get the pirates off of the Island of Carmen until July 16, 1717, when they were expelled definitively by Spanish forces led by Alonso Felipe de Andrade, first governor of the island. From this date on, the island donned the name the Isla del Carmen, as that day is dedicated to the Virgin of Carmen on the Catholic calendar.
In February and March, there are festivals on Playa Norte, including popular dances, coronation of the Kings of Carnival, and boisterous parades of allegorical carriages.
This is a regional festival that draws national interest, held in honor of Our Lady of Carmen and the beginning of the pueblo, celebrated from July 14th to 31st. This festival includes: popular dances, regional dances, fireworks, agricultural and artesian expositions, water contests such as game fishing, a show of specialty food and vaquerías, or couple’s dances.
