Its staircase is flanked by eight stucco masks representing the sun god, Kinich Ahau, they combine human features (rulers) with mythical elements.

Kohunlich (from the English words cohune and ridge: “ridge of cohune palms”) was reported in 1912 by Raymond Merwin. In the mid-1960s Victor Segovia excavated the site and unearthed the first stage of construction.