epigraphers decipher hieroglyphs  to recover the history and stories from the mayas.  just 30 years ago, a team of scientists figured out that  the maya clearly used complex sentence structure. before then scientists thought  the glyphs (the pictures that stand for words)  were lists of dates and heroic feats. the maya wrote stories that used plays on words and other language techniques. led by expert scientists, hundreds of students continue to solve the mysteries. they work in thatched huts and work under the direction of maya archaeologists.