Kohunlich

Kohunlich, unlike most Mayan sites is actually not a Mayan name, but is an English version of 'Cohoon Ridge.' Cohoon is Belizean name for a species of fruiting palm common to the area. The name has been "Mayanized" into Kohunlich. The ruins weren't re-discovered until 1967 by a local Mayan.

Kohunlich was a most interesting site. It was like walking through a beautiful park or botanical garden with the manicured grass flowing between the ruins and edged by the richness of the jungle. Certainly the most spectacular and satisfying part of this site was in discovering the masks that lay hidden away under the thatched roof cover at the temple of the Masks. This is one of the oldest structures at Kohunlich, built before 500 AD. The building has a giant staircase flanked by six huge heads modeled in stucco. Each mask is over 5 feet tall. Each face is slightly different and there is no known identification of them. Some theories say they represent Gods, other that they are faces of the rulers of Kohunlich.