05/27/2026
Edible art. The Bay of Campeche is a southern Gulf basin made up of Veracruz, Tabasco, and the Yucatán Peninsula. It is fed by five major rivers: the Papaloapan, Coatzacoalcos, Grijalva, Usumacinta, and Candelaria.
Veracruz was the principal Atlantic port of the Viceroyalty of New Spain and one of the Spanish Empire’s key ports of entry. Founded by Hernán Cortés in 1519 as La Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz, it became the legal front door for what entered, what was taxed, and what was allowed to move inland. San Juan de Ulúa guarded the harbor and, for long stretches, served as the Crown’s authorized gateway for trade with Spain.
Through Veracruz came settlers, thousands of enslaved Africans, luxury goods from Europe, and products arriving from the Pacific after crossing Mexico by land. Outbound, Veracruz shipped silver from Zacatecas and Guanajuato, red cochineal dye, and agricultural products that made many of these ports very wealthy.
From there, we move upriver through Tabasco, where the Usumacinta forms part of the Mexico–Guatemala border before running through lowland wetlands into the bay. We stop in Guatemala for one course, where Afro-Caribbean cooking meets Mayan kitchens, then return to Laguna de Términos, Mexico’s largest coastal lagoon, a commercial entry point, and a nursery for wildlife across the Gulf.
We end in San Francisco de Campeche. Founded in 1540, it became the peninsula’s second major port, exporting dyewood and cargo to Spain. Its wealth drew heavy pirate attacks in the 1600s, forcing the construction of walls, bastions, and cannons to defend the city.
Welcome to the Bay of Campeche. 📸
