Archaeologists have deciphered the name of a Mayan mathematician-astronomer for the first time, revealing “White-chested Fox” (Sak Tahn Waax) as the author of a formula discovered in the Xultun ruins, according to multiple sources.
The name “White-chested Fox” was identified through epigraphic analysis of mathematical and astronomical microtexts found in the San Bartolo-Xultun archaeological site, a location described by Guatemala’s Ministry of Culture as a context where art was intertwined with science, mathematics, astronomy, and everyday life. The discovery, announced by Culture Minister Luis Mendez, marks the first time a Mayan mathematician’s name has been attributed to a work from the Maya Classic period.
The Discovery at Xultun
Xultun, an ancient Maya city 25 miles northeast of Tikal, has been the focus of research since 2008. The site, originally reported in 1915 but having seen little archaeological excavation until more recent research began, contains monuments up to 115 feet tall. Franco Rossi, an archaeologist at MIT and lead author of a paper on the discovery, described the site as “one of these big sites that no one ever heard of.” His breakthrough came while analyzing a faint scrawl on the east wall of Structure 10K-2, which revealed the name Sak Tahn Waax, or “White-chested Fox.”
The name appeared in a chamber with around 50 paintings and written texts, some of which were digitally enhanced using multispectral imaging. Rossi recalled the moment of realization: You can look at some of these texts forever, and it won’t click. Then, one day you see it, and it just clicks. The texts, dated to the second half of the 8th century, predate the Maya collapse.
A Scientific Legacy in Stone
The discovery includes a “complete mathematical and astronomical formula” attributed to Sak Tahn Waax. David Stuart, an archaeologist at the University of Texas in Austin and co-author of the study published in Antiquity, described the formula as a “sequence of glyphs that represent a sequence of dates covering a span of 2,920 days.” This period aligns with the convergence of 8 solar years (365 days) and 5 Venus years, a calculation that highlights the Maya’s ability to track celestial cycles.
For more on this story, see Maya Astronomer Sak Tahn Waax Uncovered in 8th-Century Inscriptions.
“It’s similar to finding the whiteboard of an ancient scientist’s office and examining every scribble and note and formula on it,” Stuart said. The team initially approached the discovery with caution, ruling out alternative explanations before confirming the name. “Some are still obscure, and there are a few we still need to study,” he added.
Why This Matters for Maya Studies
The identification of a named scientist in the pre-Columbian Americas challenges previous assumptions that Mayan knowledge was primarily recorded by political figures. This is the first named scientist from the pre-Columbian Americas, Stuart emphasized. “I think it’s incredibly important that the Maya be seen as a culture that was immersed in scientific inquiry and in a sophisticated way.”
Indeed, the Maya adopted scientific traditions completely independent from those of the “Old World,” Stuart explained. “They were paying close attention to the same celestial phenomena as everyone else and meticulously integrating their cycles into some unified vision of time,” he added.
Archaeologists plan to continue analyzing the Xultun site, with a focus on deciphering more of the texts found in the chamber. The Guatemalan Ministry of Culture has emphasized the importance of preserving the site, which was partially exposed by looting before systematic excavations began.
For now, the name “White-chested Fox” stands as a testament to the enduring curiosity of a civilization that saw science and art as inseparable. As Rossi put it, You can look at some of these texts forever, and it won’t click. Then, one day you see it, and it just clicks.
CBS News reported on the Guatemalan Ministry of Culture’s announcement, while Gizmodo provided insights from David Stuart and the study published in Antiquity.
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