The downtown area of Cancún is quite diverse, but you find the same sites or construction you find in other colonial style cities in Mexico. Cancún was built entirely from the ground up since the inception of this tourist destination in 1972. Visit downtown Cancún and see why this is a pleasant city, with easy and cheap transportation, many nice parks, and some great restaurants, along with many modern shopping facilities. The mainland downtown area called Cancún is really named Benito Juarez, although even locals rarely use. Your wallet will appreciate your visit to downtown Cancún , as the money contained there in will certainly go farther, as prices for almost everything are more reasonable in the city. Downtown Cancún is an extremely safe, very cheap and fun place to visit. Be sure to visit Market 28 or as the locals call it Mercado 28 (Veintiocho ven t o cho). Here you find the best deals on souvenirs, gifts, clothing, tattoo's, and more - half the price of the hotel zone shops and flea markets.
The city of Cancun is divided into “supermanzanas", large residential and commercial areas with walkways and gardens. The city’s main streets and avenues are named after Mayan cities (Tulum, Bonampak, Yaxchilan, Xel-HA and Uxmal), while side streets bear the names of fish, flowers, fruit and animals.
Most of the public buildings, like schools and hospitals are found here, in addition to shopping centers and residential zones. Downtown Cancún is connected to the Hotel Zone by
Kukulcan Boulevard, enhanced in some areas with reproductions of pre-Hispanic sculptures. There is a 16-kilometer (10 mile) bicycle path running between Bahia de Mujeres and the boulevard so those on foot or bicycle can enjoy views of the hotels, gardens and parks, and glimpses of the beautiful Caribbean Sea.