Champotón

Champotón is a little fishing town of some 36,000 people on the sunniest coast of Campeche. As Romantic as the name at first appears, in fact the name derives from the Mayan language, Chakán Putum. It means simply region of the savannah. At the mouth of the Champotón River, the place was first inhabited by Itza people in the middle of the 9th century CE. It grew over these many centuries into a little fishing town, and the municipal seat of the giant territory to the south and east. It's a remarkable place of wildlife, small towns, and endless horizons. 

People arrive to Champotón especially for the very quaint and placid beaches. These are about 15 km to the south of the town and extend intermittently along the 145 kms of the coast until the Ciudad del Carmen. Punta Xen and Chenkán are likely the most well-known and they're also visited by protected sea turtles. Within town, residents cool off at the Playa Boca del Rio, on the sea side of the Champotón bridge.

The town is home to the Bastion of San Antonio, or the Moch-Cohuo Castle, recalling the long period when the town was continually sacked by pirates. The 18th-century Our Lady of Mercy Church is a stark and stone structure, practically at the top of town, just in from the river, and loaded with very old artworks. The surrounding countryside is home to welcoming former haciendas: Haltunchen, Ulumal, and San Luis Carpizo are notable. 

But people visit because, after all, it's not a big town. Champotón is beautifully walk-able, inviting, and seemingly lined with little restaurants, eateries, and public spaces. The town is about an hour to the south of the airport at Campeche. The trip from the Tren Maya station at Carillo Puerto - Champotón is a little quicker, at about 45 minutes. The trip to Carillo Puerto from Palenque is just over three hours.