First Named Maya Math-Astronomer Identified: Sak Tahn Waax
Researchers analyzing microtexts from the Xultun site in Guatemala have credited a specific Maya scholar, Sak Tahn Waax (“White-chested Fox”), with a unique mathematical formula that maps Venus and other planetary cycles to the 260-day ritual calendar and the solar year. This is the first time a Classic Maya math/astronomy work has been attributed to an individual, shedding new light on Maya science and its place alongside contemporaries in India, Iraq, China, and Greece.