Archaeologists have deciphered mural symbols from Mayan ruins, succeeding for the first time in discovering the name of an astronomer and mathematician of the ancient civilization, Guatemala’s Ministry of Culture announced.
The name “White-breasted Fox” was traced to designs dating back to 400 BC. to 900 AD in the archaeological site of San Bartolo-Sultun, on the border with Mexico.
Culture Minister Luis Mendez told reporters that researchers in the Sultanate had unearthed a “complete mathematical and astronomical formula” compiled by Sak Tahn Waaxwhose name translates as “White Breasted Fox”.
Mendez said it is the only work of its kind attributed to a mathematician from the Classic Period of the Maya, which is considered the height of Mesoamerican civilization.
The discovery in the ruins of the Mayan civilization
The discovery “was made possible thanks to the epigraphic analysis of more than 50 mathematical and astronomical micro-texts written on the wall,” the ministry said in a statement.
In addition to identifying the astronomer’s name, the researchers identified calculations and tables using astronomical and calendar units of time.
The researchers used drawings, photographs and scans of the inscriptions, which were then digitally processed, revealing 11 hieroglyphs that they finally managed to decipherthe ministry said.
The hieroglyphs appeared in “a context where art was intertwined with science, mathematics, astronomy and everyday life,” Mendez said.
The Mayan civilization began to decline around 900 AD, until its collapse with the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the early 16th century.
Last year, the culture ministry announced that archaeologists had unearthed the ruins of a nearly 3,000-year-old Mayan city in northern Guatemala, complete with pyramids and monuments.
In 2024, an American PhD student discovered a sprawling Mayan city in a dense jungle in Mexico. Scientists and archaeologists have discovered ancient Mayan ruins by using lasers from an airplane to penetrate the dense jungle.
Source: Lifo
