Maya Astronomer Identified After 1,200 Years in Xultún

For the first time, researchers have identified the name of a Classical Maya mathematician-astronomer, thanks to a unique formula inscribed on a wall at the site of Xultún in Guatemala. The name, interpreted as Sak Tahn Waax (White-breasted Fox) or Zactan B'aan, appears in a nine-glyph passage dubbed "Text 19," dating to the 8th century AD Source: La VanguardiaSource: Infobae.

The discovery

The text was found in a mural chamber that served as a workspace for scribes and scholars, where they wrote on stucco and taught formulas. Researchers led by Franco D. Rossi (MIT) used multispectral imaging to read the fragile charcoal and red-iron-oxide glyphs Source: Diario Libre. The formula calculates the alignment of several celestial cycles.

The formula

The inscribed mathematics synchronizes the ritual 260-day calendar, the solar 365-day Haab, the Venus cycle (584 days), and the Mars cycle (780 days) within a period of 2,920 days — exactly eight solar years or five Venus periods Source: Infobae. This is the first time a Classical Maya intellectual has been credited for such a calculation.

Significance

This discovery highlights the recognition given to Maya scholar-astronomers, akin to artists and sculptors who often signed their work. The findings were published in Antiquity Source: La Vanguardia.