Archaeologists have achieved a significant breakthrough in Mayan studies by deciphering mural symbols from ancient Mayan ruins. This discovery has revealed the name of an astronomer and mathematician from this ancient civilization for the first time, as reported by Guatemala’s Ministry of Culture.
The name White-chested Fox was uncovered in drawings dating from 400 BC to 900 AD at the San Bartolo-Xultun archaeological site, located near the Mexican border. Culture Minister Luis Mendez announced researchers at Xultun had unearthed a comprehensive mathematical and astronomical formula authored by Sak Tahn Waax, translated as White-chested Fox.
Mendez emphasized the significance of this find, stating it is the only work of its kind attributed to a mathematician from the Maya Classic period, known as the zenith of Mesoamerican civilization. The discovery was made possible through the epigraphic analysis of over 50 mathematical and astronomical microtexts inscribed on the wall.
In addition to identifying the astronomer’s name, researchers located calculations and tables employing astronomical and calendrical units of time. These findings were gleaned using drawings, photographs, and scans of the inscriptions, which were digitally enhanced to reveal 11 decipherable hieroglyphs.
According to the ministry, the glyphs appeared in a context where art, science, mathematics, astronomy, and daily life were intricately linked, as explained by Mendez. The timeline of the Mayan civilization’s decline began around 900 AD, culminating with the Spanish conquest in the early 16th century.
Recently, the Ministry of Culture announced the discovery of a Mayan city nearly 3,000 years old in northern Guatemala, complete with pyramids and monuments. In a separate development in 2024, an American doctoral student uncovered a sprawling Maya city within a dense jungle in Mexico. Researchers have utilized technology, such as aerial laser scanning, to uncover these ancient ruins hidden beneath the jungle canopy.
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