Calkini

Calkini is the northernmost municipality, and a small town that is the seat of that municipality, in the state of Campeche. Long historically relevant for being just about midway between Mérida and the capital of San Francisco de Campeche, the town is also an important stop on the Tren Maya. Visitors stop here especially to head eastward to the ancient city of Uxmal, and the new national park in the same area. (The trip takes about 40 minutes in a car or cooperativo.)

But before you get going, Calkini itself is wonderful and under-appreciated town. Perhaps most famous for the Calkini Codex, an anthology of colonial-era and even-older-writings, the city is thus credited with having preserved a tremendous account of the lineages of the leaders of kings and rulers of the Maya people. Some of this history is presented in the little town of Becal, just about 15 minutes to the north, in the beloved local Museo de Becal. An extraordinary museum, it fills a central role in the strong cultural life of this part of Campeche.

But the town center of Calkini is always worth a stroll. The old San Luis Obispo church dates from 1561, even as the Franciscans were first starting onto the Yucatan Peninsula. Their monastery and church were officially "secularized" (i.e.; converted to a regular parish church) way back at the beginning of the 18th century. Curiously, the institution remained under Franciscan control until 1920. Some 60 years later, it was given to the Sisters of Santa Clara and San Francisco, and they remain in the northeast part of the church complex to this day.  

The town is a marvel of Maya food and custom, even despite the colonial look and feel. The central market, the Mercado Municipal José Del Carmen, is a marvel of expertly prepared local and traditional foods. There is also a fair amount of cultural and community tourism that you will likely find out more about there.

Calkini is famous for having been the site where the papers were signed that divided up the old province of Yucatan into the three states we know today. This took place in 1858 (although neighboring Quintana Roo wouldn\\\'t become a state for another 125 years).  On the Tren Maya, the trip from Mérida takes just over 90 minutes. From S.F. Campeche, you should expect travel time of about an hour. Buses also arrive from both cities with a bit more frequency.