Cerros sits on a small peninsula on the south side of Corozal Bay, almost directly opposite the town. It is a rare example of a Maya site from the late pre-Classic period — roughly 400 BC to AD 250 — that grew rich from coastal trade in jade, obsidian, and other goods routed up from the south. The site was excavated in the 1970s and 1980s and exposed several stucco masks of Maya deities that remain on the front of the largest temple, sheltered under a thatched roof.
The site itself is small and quiet. There are several pyramids, a ballcourt, and the partly-reconstructed Structure 5C facade with its painted masks. The setting — looking across the water back to Corozal — is half the appeal.
There are two ways in. A boat from Corozal takes about half an hour and is by far the more pleasant approach; arrange the day before through your guesthouse. The road is a much longer loop south through Orange Walk and back north, and only practical with your own vehicle.