Cancun · Mexico

Overview

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Cancún is a great place to experience 21st-century Mexico. There isn't much that is "quaint" or "historical" in this distinctively modern city; the people living here have eagerly embraced all the accoutrements of urban middle-class life, but many of them work in the much more posh Zona Hotelera, the barrier island where Cancún's most popular resorts are located.

Boulevard Kukulcán is the main drag in the Zona Hotelera, and because the island is so narrow -- less than 1 km (½ mi) wide -- you can see both the Caribbean and the lagoons from either side of it. Regularly placed kilometer markers alongside Boulevard Kukulcán indicate where you are. The first marker (Km 1) is near downtown on the mainland; Km 20 lies at the south end of the Zone at Punta Nizuc. The area in between consists entirely of hotels, restaurants, shopping complexes, marinas, and time-share condominiums.

It's not the sort of place you can get to know by walking, although there is a bicycle-walking path that starts downtown at the beginning of the Zona Hotelera and continues through to Punta Nizuc. The beginning of the path parallels a grassy strip of Boulevard Kukulcan decorated with reproductions of ancient Mexican art, including the Aztec calendar stone, a giant Olmec head, the Atlantids of Tula, and a Maya Chacmool (reclining rain god).

South of Punta Cancún, Boulevard Kukulcan becomes a busy road, difficult to cross on foot. It's also punctuated by steeply inclined driveways that turn into the hotels, most of which are set at least 100 yards from the road. The lagoon side of the boulevard consists of scrubby stretches of land alternating with marinas, shopping centers, and restaurants.

When you first visit El Centro, the downtown layout might not be self-evident. It is not based on a grid but rather on a circular pattern. The whole city is divided into districts called Super Manzanas (abbreviated Sm in this book), each with its own central square or park. The main streets curve around the manzanas, and the smaller neighborhood streets curl around the parks in horseshoe shapes. Avenida Tulum is the main street -- actually a four-lane road with two northbound and two southbound lanes. The inner north and south lanes, separated by a meridian of grass, are the express lanes.

Avenidas Bonampak and Yaxchilán are the other two major north-south streets that parallel Tulum. The three major east-west streets are Avenidas Cobá, Uxmal, and Chichén. They are marked along Tulum by huge traffic circles, each set with a piece of sculpture.