Kohunlich

Situated on the Yucatan Peninsula, about 66 km west of Chetumal, Kohunlich is a big archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. Surrounded by dense sub-tropical rainforest, the site covers about 21 acres of extension, and it contains almost 200 mounts that remain mostly unexcavated. The city was elaborately planned and engineered, with elevated platforms and pyramids, fortresses, courtyards and plazas enclosed by palace platforms, all laid out to channel drainage into a system of cisterns and an huge reservoir to collect rainwater.

Although the site was settled by 200 BC, most of the structures were built in the Early Classic period, from about 250 to 600 AD. A lot of them are nowadays covered with dense vegetation and overgrown by trees. The city seems to have functioned as a regional center and stop along the trade routes through the southern Yucatan from Campeche and Rio Bec area to the west, and the cities along the east-coast and to the south, in the el Petén region of Guatemala and neighboring Belize.

The site is quite famous for the Temple of the Masks, an Early Classic pyramid whose central stairway is flanked by enormous human-like stucco masks. The temple was made around 500 A.D. and is one of the most ancient constructions in the area. After 700 A.D., the temple was covered with a structure that protected the masks and accounts for the marvelous state of their preservation today. You can access the site from the road that approaches the site from the north and leads into an enormous central plaza surrounded by pyramids and temple platforms. To the north you find a massive, raised acropolis, or citadel, with a palace complex around a courtyard to the north-west. Initially, there were eight carved masks bordering its central staircase; today only five of them remain, and three were looted.

With an exciting and rich past inherited from the early Mayans, Chetumal and the area around it, including Kohunlich, is a great place to spend an unforgettable vacation in the beautiful paradise of Quintana Roo, Mexico. This is the perfect destination to indulge yourself and enjoy the stunning views, the warm water, and the cool breeze that flows through the streets, and especially the friendliness of its people, who will make your feel their liveliness and happiness through their various celebrations and traditions, making your trip to Chetumal really pleasant.  If you are planning to visit the amazing archaeological site of Kohunlich, you can stay at the Explorean Kohunlich, a deluxe hotel created to provide the best hospitality services to travelers visiting Chetumal and Kohunlich.

The Explorean Kohunlich offers careful attention and a warm atmosphere that make guests feel at home. Nestled in the Quintana Roo jungle, the hotel is located at 1.6 km from the Mayan ruins of Kohunlich, 60 km from Chetumal the capital city of Quintana Roo, and 70 km from Chetumal’s airport. The Explorean Kohunlich is an intimate and exclusive hotel that combines luxury, comfort and first-rate service with the amazing wildlife that surrounds it.

V.T.