The San Miguel Fort is located to the west one of campeche and is one of 6 fortifications that were constructed to the neighborhood of the city, this acts it was finished in 1801 and it possesses drawbridge, police officer’s body, official’s quarter, store of gunpowder, his corridor of access is of wavy form which was avoiding the access of the enemy.

Nowadays it is a museum that contains some stelas that were found in the archaeological zone of Calakmul, large masks and necklaces of jade, jars, censers, jars tripods, glasses that the former Maya were using and that were found in the excavations of the different archaeological sites that there is in the zone of Campeche, since edzná, tiger, tabasqueño, etc.

fuerte san miguel campeche, museo maya campeche

The museum is I divide in the following rooms.

  • The gods
  • The time
  • The power and the war
  • The effect of the life
  • The Mayan world.
  • The diversity
  • Jaila

In the top part of this fort you will have a panoramic sight of the sea and Campeche’s city, also you will be able to see the former cannons that they find to the neighborhood of the whole fort, this they were serving as batteries to protect to the city of the assaults of the pirates.

History Fortress of San Miguel

In 1771 the Governor of San Franciso of Campeche, Don Antonio Oliver, notified the King that the plaza was indefensible before pirate attacks, which made it necessary the strengthen, not only the walled facilities, but also to build other exterior defense works located in strategic places.

In 1779, Engineer and infantry Brigadier Agustin Crame proposed the expansion of the protection lines for he city of Campeche, bringing to the Crown a project that planned the building of six military fortresses; two redoubts located on top of hills and four coastal batteries. One of the redoubts is the facility of the fortress of San Miguel, finished in 1801 under the leadership of Don Leandro Poblaciones, who introduced some modifications to the original project. Two years later, there were improvements made by order of Governor Rivas Betancourt, said works to place under the watch of Engineer Juan José de León.

Throughout the centuries, these facilities have had different uses. In 1999, there was a intervention in the building; its museographical furniture and its collection were enriched with pieces coming from the different archeological sites in the state.

It was reopened with the name of Museum of Mayan Archaeology, Fortress of San Miguel, with an exceptional collection. Among the pieces is a representation of the Mayan governor “Garra de Jaguar”, the mortuary mask made of jadeite from the tombs of the divine lord of Calakmul, and the collection of grave figurines from the island of Jaina.

Since coming to the fort of San Miguel?

If you come in car we recommend to you to take the avenue of the levee, spending the monument to the flag he drives even after finish the levee a 1.5 Kms and sides a sign that he says Loudly of San Miguel, there there is a street that goes in ascent, this is the entry towards the fort.

If you travel in bus and you did not rent car, you can ask a taxi driver to take you up to the fort, we recommend to you to agree on the price before to approach – the taxis are of red obscure color.