The steepness of the Nohoc Mul pyramid (the tallest in the Yucatan at over 126 feet) and the building techniques employed here are characteristic of the Petan region of Guatemala. There are stories that indicate a ruling queen here married a priest from Tikal, which has the tallest Mayan pyramid. This may be why the architecture of the two sites is similar.

Nohoch Mul is built on a natural hill. In Mayan, Mohoch is Big and Mul means mound. It is comprised of seven elements with rounded corners and two stairways on the southern side. The upper temple is from the Post-Classic period (1100-1450 AD) and in the niches of the facade one can see a decending god figure. The Grand Platform is the biggest structure at Coba and remains unfinished.