Inside a Maya Pyramid, Mysterious Carvings Hint at Superpower Struggle

Archaeologists say a beautiful, monumental Maya carving, hidden inside a pyramid in Guatemala, shows how one 6th-century superpower asserted its influence over its rival. The stucco frieze was discovered last month at the Holmul archaeological dig in Guatemala's northeastern Peten region. The carving and its accompanying inscriptions suggest that the region's rulers weren't just squabbling warlords, said Francisco Estrada-Belli, director of the Holmul Archaeological Project. Instead, those rulers were enmeshed in a bigger political clash between the kings of Tikal and the rulers of Kaanul, also known as the Snake Kingdom.



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