Don Paco

Don Paco is a neighborhood variety store in Cancun's Supermanzana area. The store carries an assortment of household goods, toys, candy, school supplies, stationery, and miscellaneous items at affordable local prices.

For visiting families, Don Paco represents the kind of neighborhood shop that exists on every commercial street in Mexico but is invisible to most tourists. It's not fancy, it's not Instagram-worthy, but it's where local families go for everyday needs — and that quotidian quality gives it authenticity.

Kids gravitate toward the candy section (Mexican candy is distinctive and unlike US confections), the small toy selection, and the stationery displays. Parents appreciate the rock-bottom prices and the window into everyday Mexican commercial life.

This is a 15-30 minute browsing stop at most, and only worth visiting if you're in the neighborhood. Don't make a special trip from the Hotel Zone. But if you're walking a commercial street in downtown Cancun and spot it, pop in with the kids — they'll find something that catches their eye for under $5.

The store is air-conditioned, making it a brief respite from the heat during a walking day in downtown Cancun.