Ancient Mayan Symbols Reveal Name of Influential Astronomer and Mathematician

On July 14, 2026, Guatemala’s Ministry of Culture announced a significant discovery by archaeologists. They successfully transcribed mural symbols from Mayan ruins, uncovering the name of an ancient civilization’s astronomer and mathematician for the first time.

The name ‘White-chested Fox’ was identified in drawings dating from 400 BC to 900 AD at the San Bartolo-Xultun archaeological site, located on the Mexican border. Culture Minister Luis Mendez highlighted that researchers unearthed a ‘complete mathematical and astronomical formula’ at Xultun. This work is attributed to Sak Tahn Waax, which translates to White-chested Fox.

Mendez emphasized that this is the only known work of its kind by a mathematician from the Maya Classic period, regarded as the peak of the Mesoamerican civilization. The ministry stated that this discovery was enabled by the epigraphic analysis of over 50 mathematical and astronomical microtexts inscribed on the wall.

In addition to naming the astronomer, researchers identified calculations and tables utilizing astronomical and calendrical time units. They relied on drawings, photographs, and scans of inscriptions. These were digitally enhanced, revealing 11 previously indecipherable hieroglyphs.

Minister Mendez noted that these glyphs were found in a context where art, science, mathematics, astronomy, and daily life intertwined. The Maya civilization began to decline around 900 AD, eventually collapsing with the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century.

Last year, the culture ministry announced the discovery of a nearly 3,000-year-old Mayan city in northern Guatemala, complete with pyramids and monuments. In 2024, an American doctoral student uncovered a vast Maya city hidden within a dense jungle in Mexico, using aerial lasers to penetrate the thick vegetation.