The site is of a city built in the early VI century A.D. and abandoned in the XII or XIII century A.D. Its original name is now lost to us, since "Kohunlich", which apparently comes from the English "Cohoon Ridge" (Cohoon being a type of tropical palm), is a relatively modern name. Its architecture resembles the Rio Bec style, to the south of Campeche, and the Petén style, to the north of Guatemala and Belize. This shows the close ties and importance Kohunlich would have had with the other areas of Mayan culture. The most important building so far discovered is known as "Los Mascarones" since it is decorated with various stucco designs, dated in the V century and representing the different ages of the sun. During its days of grandeur, the site looked very different from how we see it now, since all the buildings would have been stuccoed and

painted predominantely in red. Some were also decorated with stuccoed figures and geometric designs. It boasted a complex drainage system which diverted rain water to an artificial reservoir or "aguada". The constructions that can be visited served for different purposes, these being mainly residential, administrative and religious. They constitute only a part of the site, since the rest was made up of worker and peasant quarters, who supplied the food stuffs and manufactured the various shell and flint artifacts.

To get to Kohunlich, the traveler must leave Chetumal city on federal highway 307 and turn off onto highway 186 at the junction of kilometer 19, just before reaching the village of Francisco Villa. At kilometer 62, we turn off to the left and continue for another 7 Km. to Kohunlich.

General information:

Visiting days: Daily.
Visiting hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Services: Guards/Bathrooms.
Entrance fee: About 20 pesos per person.

Source: INAH
The state of Quintana Roo book.

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