Guatemala archaeologists name first known Maya astronomer

Archaeologists in Guatemala have identified the first known named mathematician-astronomer from the Classic Maya period, a scholar who authored a unique celestial formula over 1,200 years ago. The discovery, announced by Guatemala's Ministry of Culture on Monday, July 13, 2026, centers on an individual named Sak Tahn Waax, whose name translates to "White-chested Fox."

The name was found within a complex mathematical and astronomical formula inscribed on the interior wall of a small masonry building at the Xultun archaeological site in northeast Guatemala. According to a research paper published in the journal Antiquity, this is the first and only known instance of a Maya intellectual being directly credited for scientific work. While signatures of artists and sculptors from the period have been found, the scholars behind computational timekeeping had remained anonymous until now.

The formula, described by researchers as a "complete mathematical and astronomical formula," calculates the orbital cycles of Venus and Mars. It represents a novel approach to recording planetary movement, integrating several cycles of time including a 260-day ritual day-count, the solar year, and the...