Lighthouses of Mexico: Tabasco and Campeche

Mexico, officially the United Mexican States (Estados Unidos Mexicanos or EUM), is the second largest country of Latin America and the largest Spanish-speaking nation in the world. With an east coast on the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea and a long west coast on the Pacific Ocean it has by far the longest coastline in Latin America and, as a result, the largest number of lighthouses

Mexico is a federal union of 31 states (estados) plus the capital district, and the states are subdivided into municipalities (municipios). This page includes lighthouses of the Mexican states of Tabasco and Campeche. Tabasco is located on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, while Campeche is located on west side of the Yucatán Peninsula. Both states face the Gulf of Mexico and its southern bight known as as the Bay of Campeche.

In Spanish the word for a lighthouse is faro, baliza is a beacon, isla is an island, cabo is a cape, punta is a promontory or point of land, péñon is a rock, arrecife is a reef, bahía is a bay, ría is an estuary or inlet, estrecho is a strait, río is a river, and puerto is a port or harbor.

Mexican lighthouses are managed by the National Maritime Authority Unit (Unidad de la Autoridad Maritima Nacional, UNAMAN). Many of the larger light stations are staffed by resident civilian keepers.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume J of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. Light List numbers are from NGA Publication 110 for Caribbean lights and Publication 111 for Pacific lights.

General Sources
Online List of Lights - Mexico - Gulf of Mexico
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas.
Leuchttürme in Mexiko
Photos by Andreas Köhler.
Lighthouses in Mexico
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia.
World of Lighthouses - Mexico
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Leuchttürme Mittelamerikas auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard images posted by Klaus Huelse.
Cuaderno de Faros
The Mexican light list can be downloaded in two volumes, Atlantic and Pacific.
Google Maps
Satellite view of the Bay of Campeche.


1908 Isla Aguada Light, May 2022
Instagram photo by Miguel Mack

Lighthouses of Tabasco

Paraíso Lighthouses
Paraíso is a town of about 90,000 residents. Historically a fishing port, it now also provides some support for the offshore oil industry. It is the largest port on the short coast of Tabasco.

Tupilco (4)
About 2017 (station established 1908). Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); four white flashes every 16 s. 23 m (75 ft) round cylindrical white concrete tower with lantern and gallery. The Cuaderno has a small photo and Google has a satellite view. Yudith Bailón has a view from the gallery. The original lighthouse, a 20 m (66 ft) masonry tower, was replaced before 1953 by a skeletal tower having the same height. That lighthouse was undermined and toppled by Hurricane Brenda in 1973. The new concrete tower was built farther inland but it was also collapsed by beach erosion by 2013, as seen in an April 2013 street view. The lighthouse is accessible by the unpaved coastal road (4WD required). Located about 25 km (15 mi) west of Paraíso. Site status unknown. ARLHS MEX-135; CF-27-085; Admiralty J4352; NGA 15496.
Dos Bocas Range Rear
Date unknown. Inactive since 2018. 15 m (49 ft) square skeletal tower. Google has a 2012 street view of the range lights (this rear light is on the right); the front light is a 12 m (39 ft) skeletal tower. Both towers are seen left of center in Javier Leon's July 2017 photo. The Puerto Dos Bocas serves the oil drilling installations offshore in the Bay of Campeche but it also handles general imports and agricultural exports. Located on the waterfront opposite the port entrance. Site status unknown. ex-CF-27-210.
[Dos Bocas (Leading)]
2018. Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); continuous light, white, red or green depending on direction. 20 m (66 ft ) steel post. The Cuaderno has a small photo and Google has a satellite view showing the new light beside the inactive rear light. Located on the waterfront opposite the port entrance. Site status unknown. CF-27-210; Admiralty J4352.8.
 

Chiltepec Light, Puerto Chiltepec, August 2024
Google Maps photo by uan Daniel Cruz Jimenez
 
Chiltepec (Puerto Chiltepec) (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); three white flashes every 12 s. Approx. 24 m (79 ft) round concrete tower with double gallery, attached to one end of a 1-story keeper's house. Entire light station is white. Juan Daniel Cruz Jimenez has a closeup 2024 photo and the evening photo seen above right, a 2018 photo, Justino Vivanco has a photo, a 2021 drone view is available, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse is positioned so that from the sea it appears in the center of the entrance to the Río Chiltepec. The earlier lighthouse was a 13 m (43 ft) concrete tower. Located on the southwest side of the river entrance on the east side of Puerto Chiltepec. Accessible by road but the entrance is unmarked. Site status unknown, probably open. ARLHS MEX-172; CF-27-090; Admiralty J4353; NGA 15500.

Frontera Lighthouse
Frontera, a town of about 25,000 residents, is the seat of the Centla Municipality in northeastern Tabasco.

Frontera (Río Grijalva, Tabasco River)
1882. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); white flash every 6 s. 29 m (95 ft) octagonal cylindrical skeletal tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a 2-story octagonal cylindrical concrete base. Access to the lantern is by an exposed spiral staircase. Lighthouse painted with red and white horizontal bands. René Jimenez has the 2026 photo at right, a 2021 photo is available, Mapio.net has a photo, Charlyx Hernández has a 2024 closeup, Oscar Vargas has a view from the river and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse marks the entrance to the Río Grijalva, a major river that has created a small delta called Punta Frontera. The historic tower is similar in design to the 1879 lighthouse at Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. Its focal plane was listed as 77 ft (23.5 m) as late as 1920, so apparently the tower was raised onto the concrete base in the 1920s. Located on the east side of the entrance, about 8 km (5 mi) northwest of the city of Frontera. Site status unknown, possibly open. ARLHS MEX-173; CF-27-005; Admiralty J4354; NGA 15504.
Puerto Frontera Range Rear (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); continuous white light. 11 m (36 ft) concrete post with a large lantern structure mounted on a square pyramidal concrete base. Entire beacon painted with red and white horizontal bands. The Cuaderno has a small photo and Google has an indistinct satellite view. This light replaced a 17 m (56 ft) skeletal tower. The front light is on an 11 m (36 ft) skeletal tower in the river. Located on the east bank of the Río Grijalva about 2.5 km (1.5 mi) south of the historic lighthouse. Site status unknown. CF-27-020; Admiralty J4356.1.

Frontera Light, Frontera, February 2026
Gooogle Maps photo by René Jimenez

Lighthouses of Campeche

Ciudad del Carmen Area Lighthouses
Ciudad del Carmen is a city of about 200,000 built on a barrier island that separates the Gulf of Mexico from the Laguna de Términos. The city is an important fishing port and also supports the oil rigs operating in the Bay of Campeche.

*
Río Pedro
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); white light, 1 s on, 1 s off. 14 m (46 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower. The light is in the center of Google's 2024 street view but it is hard to see in Google's indistinct satellite view. This light serves as a leading light for vessels entering the Río Pedro, which marks the border between Tabasco and Campeche states. Located on the waterfront in the village of Nuevo Campechito. Site open, tower closed. CF-04-260; Admiralty J4358.7; NGA 15507.
* Xicalango (Jicalongo) Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); white light, 1 s on, 2 s off. 12 m (39 ft) square pyramidal steel skeletal tower with gallery. Franzk Anthon has a street view and Google has a satellite view. Located on the beach 185 m (600 ft) north of the lighthouse (next entry). Site open, tower closed. CF-04-235.1; Admiralty J4372; NGA 15512.
* Xicalango (Jicalongo) (Range Rear) (2)
Date unknown (station established 1853). Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); white flash every 6 s. 28 m (92 ft) round masonry tower with lantern and gallery painted with red and white horizontal bands, attached to a 1-story red-roofed keeper's house. Antonio Zarate Palestino's 2022 photo is at right, Alexander Aguirre has a 2017 photo, a 2007 photo is available, Rafael Escamilla has a 2017 photo, and Google has a 2025 street view and a satellite view. The range guides vessels into the western entrance to the Laguna de Terminos west of Ciudad del Carmen. Located beside highway 180 about 6 km (3.5 mi) west of the bridge crossing the inlet from Ciudad del Carmen. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MEX-138; CF-04-235; Admiralty J4372.1; NGA 15516.

Xicalango Light, Ciudad del Carmen, March 2022
Google Maps photo by Antonio Zarate Palestino
* Punta Atalaya (Ciudad del Carmen) (2)
Date unknown (station established 1905). Active; focal plane 21 m (69 ft); three flashes, alternating white and red, every 12 s. 21 m (66 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white with one very narrow black horizontal band. David Cruz has the 2024 drone view at right, Lilian Gastineau has a 2022 photo, a 2007 photo is available, and Google has a 2022 street view and a satellite view. Michel Forand contributed a postcard image of the original lighthouse to Lighthouse Digest and Huelse has an older postcard view. Located on the west end of Isla del Cármen, marking the east side of the western entrance to the Laguna de Términos, west of Ciudad del Cármen. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MEX-010; CF-04-100; Admiralty J4374; NGA 15520.
Tío Campo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); white flash every 6 s. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower painted white with red bands at the top and bottom. A 2022 photo is available and Google has a satellite view. Located in the southwestern corner of the Laguna de Términos off the mouth of the Río Palizada. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. CF-04-095; Admiralty J4378; NGA 15528.
* Punta del Tigre (Faro del Tigre, Isla Aguada) Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); white flash every 3 s. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) mast atop a 7.5 m (25 ft) round cylindrical white concrete tower. Google has a street view and a satellite view. This is an approach range for the eastern entrance to the Laguna de Términos. Located on highway 180 at the Avenida de 16 de Septiembre, about 400 m (1/4 mi) north of the rear light (see below). Site open, tower closed. CF-04-085; Admiralty J4384; NGA 15536.

Punta Atalaya Light, Ciudad del Carmen, April 2024
Google Maps photo by Dvid Cruz
*** Isla Aguada (Punta del Tigre, Faro del Tigre) (1)
1908. Inactive (a decorative light is displayed). 20 m (66 ft) square concrete tower with lantern and double gallery, rising from one corner of a 2-story concrete keeper's house. Entire lighthouse is white. Miguel Mack's photo is at the top of this page, Olmes Sosa has a photo, and Google has a closeup 2023 street view and an indistinct satellite view. The lighthouse was long abandoned but in 2010 the state port authority restored it thoroughly and opened a museum in the light station. This is the first of several tourist developments planned for the state's lighthouses. The town of Isla Aguada, on the east side of the northeastern entrance to the Laguna de Términos, is about 40 km (25 mi) northeast of Ciudad del Cármen. Located on the main street of Isla Aguada, two blocks north of the former ferry terminal and one block east of highway 180. Site and museum open, tower status unknown. Site manager: Museo el Abarrote.
*** Punta del Tigre (Faro del Tigre, Isla Aguada) (2) (Range Rear)
Date unknown (station established 1908). Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); four white flashes every 15 s. 20 m (66 ft) slender round concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted with narrow red and white horizontal bands, although it was formerly painted all white. A 2025 photo by Rosa Estela Garcia Ramos is at right, Google has a 2017 closeup photo, a good 2023 street view, and a satellite view. Located just north of the historic lighthouse. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MEX-174; CF-04-085.1; Admiralty J4384.1; NGA 15540.
#Sabancuy (1)
Date unknown. Inactive since around 2009. This was a 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, painted with red and white horizontal bands. The light was displayed from the top of a square skeletal mast placed on top of the lighthouse. Köhler has a March 2010 photo but Google's street view and satellite view confirm that the lighthouse has been demolished. Located on the east side of the dredged channel through the barrier beach at Sabancuy. Site open, tower closed.
* Sabancuy (2)
Around 2009. Active; focal plane 21 m (62 ft); three white flashes every 12 s. 20 m (66 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. Trabas has Köhler's 2010 closeup photo and Google has a 2022 street view and a satellite view. Located on the east side of the dredged channel through the barrier beach at Sabancuy. Site open, tower closed. CF-04-070; Admiralty J4386; NGA 15544.

New Isla Aguada Light, April 2025
Google Maps photo by Rosa Estela Garcia Ramos

Champotón Lighthouses
* Champotón (Río Champotón) (3)
Date unknown (station established 1897). Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); white flash every 5 s. 22 m (72 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with gallery; the light is displayed in a small lantern on a short mast. Lighthouse painted white, gallery black, lantern red. Trabas has a 2018 photo by Hendrik Martin Porath, Köhler has a photo, Wikimedia has Vladimir Herman Miguel's 2007 photo, and Google has a 2024 street view and an indistinct satellite view. The lighthouse marks the river entrance in Champotón about 60 km (40 mi) south southwest of Campeche. Site open, tower status unknown. ARLHS MEX-093; CF-04-065; Admiralty J4388; NGA 15548.
Seybaplaya Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); white light, 1 s on, 1 s off. 15 m (49 ft) square white skeletal tower. The range lights are near the right edge of a photo by Martin De Jesus Cordova Jimenez and also on the right in a 2022 photo by Cuauhtemoc Cuellar; Google has a satellite view. The front light is on a 12 m (39 ft) skeletal tower. The Puerto de Seybaplaya was founded in 2001 to support offshore oil platforms. Located near the base of the main pier of the port, about 32 km (20 mi) north of Champotón. Site and tower closed. CF-04-065.3; Admiralty J4390.3; NGA 15553.5.

San Francisco de Campeche Lighthouses
San Francisco de Campeche, commonly called Campeche, is the state capital and a city of about 250,000 residents. It is one of Mexico's oldest and most historic cities, founded in 1540 atop the Maya city of Can Pech.

Punta Morro
1896. Active; focal plane 54 m (177 ft); three white flashes every 6 s. 16 m (52 ft) octagonal cylindrical tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white, lantern red. 2-story keeper's house. A 2012 closeup photo of the tower is available, Rodolfo Israel Cambranis Vaught has a view from the sea, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse marks a steep headland about 30 km (20 mi) southwest of Campeche. Site status unknown. ARLHS MEX-090; CF-04-060; Admiralty J4392; NGA 15552.
Lerma Sector (ex-Range Front)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); continuous light, red, white or green depending on direction. 16 m (52 ft) square skeletal cover, mostly enclosed by a slatted daymark and painted with red and white horizontal bands. Google has a 2025 street view and the shadow of the tower is seen in Googe's satellite view. The range was discontinued in 2021 in favor of this leading light. The Admiralty dropped its listing but NGA continues to list the two range lights. The rear light was mounted atop a building. Located off Calle 19 on the Lerma waterfront, on the south side of Campeche. Site status unknown. CF-04-040; ex-Admiralty J4396; NGA 15556.
* Cerro de San Bartolo (San Bartolo Hill, Faro de San Miguel)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 78 m (256 ft); two white flashes every 12 s. 12 m (39 ft) square cylindrical tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a square keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white. A 2025 Google street view is at right, Köhler has a 2010 photo, Trabas has a 2018 photo by Hendrik Martin Porath and Google has a satellite view. The scarcity of photos of this prominent lighthouse is surprising. Located atop a high hill just off the Avenida Escénica about 3 km (2 mi) southwest of downtown Campeche. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MEX-094; CF-04-010; Admiralty J4400; NGA 15564.

Cerro de San Bartolo Light, Campeche, July 2025
Google Maps street view
* Campeche (Templo de San José)
1865. Inactive officially but a decorative light is displayed. 25 m (82 ft) square cylindrical tower with octagonal gallery and watch room. The lighthouse is one of the two steeples of an 18th century church, the Templo de San José, converted to a light tower. Pablo Organista has a 2025 photo, Jesus Alba has a 2025 photo, Köhler has a photo, a good closeup is available, and Google has a street view and an indistinct satellite view. The building has not been used as a church since 1914; in 1934 it became the city's archaeological museum, and today it serves as a cultural center. The lighthouse was deactivated in favor of the San Bartolo lighthouse (previous entry). Tower painted white, lantern roof black. Located at the corner of 10 o del Comercio and 63 o de Zaragoza in the center of the city. Site open, tower status unknown. ARLHS MEX-105.

Calkiní Lighthouse
* Isla Arena (2?)
2011 (station established 1903). Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); white flashes every 6 s. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with three ribs, lantern and gallery, painted white. The 2019 photo at right is by Francisco Javier Hernanandez Juarez, Hugo Aguilar Dominguez has a 2016 photo, the city of Calkini posted a photo, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. The island is being developed as a tourist attraction and in 2012 the Campeche port authority opened a visitor center and museum at the lighthouse; the museum honors the actor and singer Pedro Infante. Located at the southern tip of an island (really a long spit) just offshore near Calkiní, about 25 km (15 mi) south of Celestún. The island is accessible by bridge. Site open, tower status unknown. Site manager: Museo API a Pedro Infante. ARLHS MEX-107; CF-04-290; Admiralty J4403; NGA 15584.

Isla Arena Light, Calkiní, December 2019
Google Maps photo by Francisco Javier Hernanandez Juarez

Offshore Lighthouses of the Bay of Campeche
Cayos Arcas Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); white light, 1 s on, 2 s off. 12 m (39 ft) square pyramidal steel skeletal tower with gallery. A photo shows both lighthouses of the range, but the tower makes only a spot in Google's satellite view. Located on the beach 80 m (260 ft) west of the lighthouse (next entry). Site open, tower closed. CF-04-055; Admiralty J4358; NGA 15571.
Cayos Arcas (Range Rear) (2)
Date unknown (station established 1898). Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 20 m (66 ft) round concrete tower with gallery and a small lantern. Lighthouse painted white. 1-story keeper's house and other station buildings. A photo is available, another photo shows both lighthouses of the range, Joaquin Perez Mata has a distant aerial view, a distant view (3/4 the way down the page) is available, and Google has a satellite view. The Cayos Arcas reef is located in the Bay of Campeche about 130 km (80 mi) west of Campeche city; it is administered under the municipality of Champeche. The state-owned petroleum company Pemex has several oil rigs offshore that are among the largest oil producers in the Gulf. Site open, tower status unknown. ARLHS MEX-025; CF-04-055.1; Admiralty J4358.1; NGA 15572.
Isla de Triángulos (West Triangle Reef)
Date unknown (station established 1903). Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); three white flashes every 20 s. 22 m (72 ft) rectangular cylindrical tower, painted red. Abandoned 2-story concrete keeper's house. Trabas has a 2012 photo by Capt. Theo Hinrichs and Google has a distant satellite view. The reef is located in the Bay of Campeche about 190 km (120 mi) west of Celestún. Site status unknown. ARLHS MEX-079; CF-04-050; Admiralty J4364; NGA 15576.
Cayo Arenas (2)
1959 (station established 1903). Inactive since 2012. 22 m (72 ft) concrete tower. Lino Israel Cruz Morales has the 2020 photo at right, Trabas has Capt. Theo Hinrichs's 2012 photo, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. The cay is far out in the Gulf about 200 km (125 mi) northwest of El Palmar, the northwesternmost point of the Yucatán Peninsula. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS MEX-004.
Cayo Arenas (3)
2012 (station established 1903). Active; focal plane about 32 m (105 ft); white light, 2 s on, 10 s off. Approx. 32 m (105 ft) square skeletal tower with lantern and gallery. Lantern painted red. Jaaziel Sanchez has a 2023 photo. The award of a contract for construction of a new lighthouse on the cay was announced in October 2011. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CF-04-045; Admiralty J4368; NGA 15580.

1959 Cayo Arenas Light, Bay of Campeche, October 2020
Google Maps photo by Lino Israel Cruz Morales

Information available on lost lighthouses

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: Northwest: Southern Veracruz | Northeast: Yucatán

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Posted December 2004. Checked and revised May 10, 2026. Lighthouses: 27. Site copyright 2026 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.