Archaeologists have identified the name of a Maya astronomer and mathematician for the first time, deciphering glyphs that reveal a scholar known as Sak Tahn Waax, or "White-chested Fox," at the San Bartolo-Xultún site near Guatemala's border with Mexico.
Guatemala's Ministry of Culture and Sports announced the findings on July 13, 2026, marking the first instance of a specific scientist from the Classic Maya period being credited with authorship of a scientific work. The discovery was published in the journal Antiquity by a team led by Franco D. Rossi of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Researchers extracted the name from more than 50 microtexts on a wall through epigraphic analysis. The formulas, dating to the eighth century, describe planetary movements including cycles of Venus and Mars alongside the 260-day ritual calendar and solar year. The broader site contains paintings and inscriptions spanning from 400 BC to 900 AD.