The antique name of the site is unknown; in english it was named Cohume Ridge, “Slope covered by corozos”. Victor Segavia, the archaeologist that discovered and explored it, transcribed Cohume Ridge for Kohumrich; and after this name was transformed in Kohunlich.

The archaelogical city is located over a series of limestone low hills that surround a wide marshy area, which extends towards the south until the Hondo river, that is a part of the political limits with Belice. In spite that the surface studies show its great archaelogical richness, the region formed by the vicinity of Campeche and Quintana Roo, Mexico; and by Belice and Guatemala, is one of the parts of the mayan area where a less number of researches have been carried out.

Besides Kohunlich, in this wide zone there are several archaeological cities that were inhabited during many years; in the great part of the cases, since the Early Classic (250 to 600 a.c.) up until the end of the Late Classic (600 to 900 a.c.), when the abandonment ot the great part of the cities of the era nominated of the Mayan Classic happened.