Campeche is an old city with extensive history. In 3th century there was a Maya colony which used to be a center of Ah Kim Pech province. The first Spain solders visited to the city on March 22, 1517 when Francisco Hernández de Cordoba needed water for his solders. Campeche citizens were able to keep the province independent for about quarter of a century. In 1531, Fransisco de Montejo unsuccessfully tried to settle a city, but he underestimated Maya hostility. The next successful attempt was made by his son Fransisco de Montejo, who finally got the area under control in 1540 and found a city called Villa de San Francisco de Campeche.
