Well of Conquest

This famous well in the neighborhood of Ermita, Mexico, is believed by some to have been opened on March 22, 1517.

On that date, the first Spanish expedition led by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba arrived at the Mayan town of Ah Kin Pech. Chronicler Bernal Díaz recounts that when the Spaniards landed, the Mayans greeted them with curiosity, touching their clothes and beards.

The Spaniards looked for a well to stock up on water before continuing their journey along the coast. A few minutes later, Mayan warriors began arriving at the town, and the Spaniards continued on their way to Veracruz, where they began their march to the center of the country and eventually the war of conquest.

The town the was once knownn as Ah Kin Pech became the fortified Spanish city of Campeche. Since the 19th century, it has been believed that this was the well mentioned by the chronicler given its antiquity and because the parish of San Francisco (the first Catholic temple in Campeche and one of the first in the country) is located nearby.