The town of that time was built around a square occupied solely by the pillory, a column that served as a symbol of power and Spanish justice.
Around the square the parish of Our Lady of the Purest Conception, the Audience and the houses of the highest-ranking conquerors were built.
The market would be built around a smaller plaza and commercial life developed.
The jail, the Municipal Palace and the defense tower against the fireworks would be built soon after.

The villa founded by the Spaniards was somewhat removed from the locality Mayan people.
The Spaniards made their life around the square, in the current neighborhood of San Román, while the natives were added in the old pre-Hispanic settlements, currently the neighborhoods of San Francisco and Siete de Agosto.
The Naboríos, indigenous Mexicans who arrived with the conquerors, occupied the San Román neighborhood and the population of slaves from Africa the neighborhoods of Santa Ana and Santa Lucía.

Maritime trade conditioned the development of the town, so it was designed with a Renaissance model: a regular trace in checkerboard around an eccentric square that, according to the ordinances of the Spanish Crown, should serve for parties and ceremonies, oriented around its bay.

Once established Francisco de Montejo y León "el Mozo" in the town, the city became the base of operations for the conquest of the rest of Yucatán (1542 - 1546) which led to the occupation of Ichkanzihóo (Th'o), the old city of the Itzáes.
then abandoned, where the provincial capital was founded, Mérida in 1542.

The "armed" conquest was followed by the ideological "conquest, which consisted of the implantation of European doctrinal beliefs, particularly that of the Catholic religion.
The first religious order that He arrived in Campeche was that of the Franciscan s, who arrived in Campeche in 1535, but had to retire due to a series of difficulties raised by both indigenous and Spanish people, to return five years after that Montejo was established in Campeche, in 1540.
Upon his return, they began the construction of a temple and convent dedicated to San Francisco close to the population Maya, its founder was Fray Luis de Villalpando.

The evangelization was similar throughout New Spain, the Franciscans had no more difficulty once the language barrier was overcome, and they were the only order that carried out this task in the province of San José, which It was how the Yucatan Peninsula was named.
The evangelists had to overcome certain difficulties, such as the differences of a community culture, such as that of the natives.

In 1542, the king proclaimed the calls New Laws, which established the freedom of the Indians as subjects of the Crown.
Slavery was legally abolished, but would continue by other means.
The parcel subject a certain number of peoples to a Spaniard, to whom they had to pay in kind (wax, cotton blankets) and labor.
Those who were not entrusted were under the royal jurisdiction and received the name of "peoples of the Royal Crown."
The indigenous tributaries of the  encomiendas español, continued to suffer a treatment that was practically slavery.
The friars of the different religious orders present fought to defend the rights of the indigenous people, preserve their freedom and limit the abuses of the conquerors.
Thanks to this, in 1547, Felipe II of Spain issued a royal identity card in favor of the personal freedom of the natives, and to make sure that their interests were fulfilled, he created a City Hall Mayor for the province of Yucatán.
The town of that time was built around a square occupied solely by the pillory, a column that served as a symbol of power and Spanish justice. Around the square the parish of Our Lady of the Purest Conception, the Audience and the houses of the highest-ranking conquerors were built. The market would be built around a smaller plaza and commercial life developed. The jail, the Municipal Palace and the defense tower against the fireworks would be built soon after.
The villa founded by the Spaniards was somewhat removed from the locality Mayan people. The Spaniards made their life around the square, in the current neighborhood of San Román, while the natives were added in the old pre-Hispanic settlements, currently the neighborhoods of San Francisco and Siete de Agosto. The Naboríos, indigenous Mexicans who arrived with the conquerors, occupied the San Román neighborhood and the population of slaves from Africa the neighborhoods of Santa Ana and Santa Lucía.
Maritime trade conditioned the development of the town, so it was designed with a Renaissance model: a regular trace in checkerboard around an eccentric square that, according to the ordinances of the Spanish Crown, should serve for parties and ceremonies, oriented around its bay.
Once established Francisco de Montejo y León "el Mozo" in the town, the city became the base of operations for the conquest of the rest of Yucatán (1542 - 1546) which led to the occupation of Ichkanzihóo (Th'o), the old city of the Itzáes. then abandoned, where the provincial capital was founded, Mérida in 1542.
The "armed" conquest was followed by the ideological "conquest, which consisted of the implantation of European doctrinal beliefs, particularly that of the Catholic religion. The first religious order that He arrived in Campeche was that of the Franciscan s, who arrived in Campeche in 1535, but had to retire due to a series of difficulties raised by both indigenous and Spanish people, to return five years after that Montejo was established in Campeche, in 1540. Upon his return, they began the construction of a temple and convent dedicated to San Francisco close to the population Maya, its founder was Fray Luis de Villalpando.
The evangelization was similar throughout New Spain, the Franciscans had no more difficulty once the language barrier was overcome, and they were the only order that carried out this task in the province of San José, which It was how the Yucatan Peninsula was named. The evangelists had to overcome certain difficulties, such as the differences of a community culture, such as that of the natives.
In 1542, the king proclaimed the calls New Laws, which established the freedom of the Indians as subjects of the Crown. Slavery was legally abolished, but would continue by other means. The parcel subject a certain number of peoples to a Spaniard, to whom they had to pay in kind (wax, cotton blankets) and labor. Those who were not entrusted were under the royal jurisdiction and received the name of "peoples of the Royal Crown." The indigenous tributaries of the  encomiendas español, continued to suffer a treatment that was practically slavery. The friars of the different religious orders present fought to defend the rights of the indigenous people, preserve their freedom and limit the abuses of the conquerors. Thanks to this, in 1547, Felipe II of Spain issued a royal identity card in favor of the personal freedom of the natives, and to make sure that their interests were fulfilled, he created a City Hall Mayor for the province of Yucatán.
Campeche City