Archaeologists have transcribed mural symbols from Mayan ruins to learn the name of an astronomer and mathematician from the ancient civilization for the first time, Guatemala's Ministry of Culture said Monday.
The name "White-chested Fox" was found in drawings dating from 400 BC to 900 AD at the San Bartolo-Xultun archaeological site on the Mexican border.
Culture minister Luis Mendez told reporters researchers at Xultun unearthed a "complete mathematical and astronomical formula" authored by Sak Tahn Waax, which translates to White-chested Fox.
Mendez said it's the only work of its kind attributed to a mathematician from the Maya Classic period, considered the peak of the Mesoamerican civilization.
The discovery was "made possible by the epigraphic analysis of more than 50 mathematical and astronomical microtexts written on the wall," the ministry said in a statement.
The glyphs appeared in "a context where art was intertwined with science, mathematics, astronomy and everyday life," Mendez said.
The Maya civilization went into decline around 900 AD, until its collapse with the arrival of Spanish conquistadors at the turn of the 16th century.
