Kohunlich is a large archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, located about 65 km west of Chetumal on Highway 186, and 9 km south of the road. The site is surrounded by dense sub-tropical rainforest. It was settled by 200 BC, but most of the structures were built from about 250 to 600 AD. Many of them are still covered with thick vegetation and overgrown by trees. The city appears to have functioned as a regional center along a trade route from Mexico south into Guatemala and neighboring Belize.
The site is best known for its six foot high stone masks, in the Temple of the Masks, an Early Classic pyramid whose central stairway is flanked by huge humanized stucco masks. The Temple of the Masks was built in honor of the sungod. Originally there were eight carved masks flanking its central staircase; only five remain, three having been looted.