Maya warfare takes 10 steps forward

Hieroglyphics carved into recently discovered stairs on the side of an ancient Maya pyramid recount a tale of betrayal and warfare spearheaded by two dominant city-states.

STAIR WARS. Investigators sit on hieroglyphic stairs bearing war stories at the Maya site of Dos Pilas. K. Garrett/National Geographic Society

A hurricane that hit the Guatemalan site of Dos Pilas last summer exposed a section of the staircase.