Maya Astronomer’s Name Surfaces After 1200 Years

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology identified Sak Tahn Waax, a Maya astronomer-mathematician, through deciphered inscriptions at the Xultun archaeological site in Guatemala. The team analyzed a mural called Text 19, revealing calculations from around 781 AD that predicted the orbital cycles of Mars and Venus.

This discovery marks the first time a Maya astronomer has been directly identified by name, and represents the oldest known name of an astronomer-mathematician in the Americas. The inscriptions consist of 11 hieroglyphs detailing a formula using a 260-day calendar, a 365-day solar calendar, and approximations of Venus’s and Mars’s synodic cycles.

While the precise application of this formula remains unclear, it doesn’t appear in other known Maya texts, researchers believe it connected planetary movements to timekeeping for use in ceremonies, predictions, and understanding seasons. The meticulous calculations highlight the intellectual sophistication of the Maya civilization, particularly given the lack of modern tools. Further research will focus on contextualizing this formula within the broader scope of Maya astronomical knowledge.