The road was named after Jose Burgos, one of the martyred Gomburza priests who were executed at the nearby Bagumbayan Field (present-day Rizal Park) in 1872.

[citation needed] It is a road in the city center, providing access to important thoroughfares like Taft Avenue, Rizal Avenue, Roxas Boulevard, and Quezon Boulevard.

The avenue is a component of Circumferential Road 1 (C-1) of Metro Manila's arterial road network and National Route 150 (N150) and National Route 170 (N170) of the Philippine highway network.

The Manila City Hall can be accessed using this road, as can the Rizal Park and Intramuros.

It then merges near Mehan Garden and continues south until it branches to two – Taft Avenue and itself – when it reaches the National Museum of Fine Arts at Rizal Park.