{"id":2042026,"date":"2026-07-13T23:01:31","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T20:01:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2042026"},"modified":"2026-07-13T23:01:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T20:01:31","slug":"archaeologists-just-found-the-earliest-known-named-scientist-in-the-ancient-americas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2042026","title":{"rendered":"Archaeologists Just Found the Earliest Known Named Scientist in the Ancient Americas"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Saktahnwaax-glyphs-annotated-1200×675.jpg”]<\/p>\n

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In 2010, archaeologist David Stuart and colleagues ran into a painted chamber at Xultun, a Maya relic in modern-day Guatemala. Then the team noticed that the many mathematical and astronomical formulas appeared to be attributed to someone\u2014an individual whose name has now been identified.<\/p>\n

In a paper published today in Antiquity, the research team reports the first-ever known Maya mathematician-astronomer, Saktahnwaax (\u201cWhite-Chested Fox\u201d), who likely lived around 800 CE. According to the paper, an inscription on the chamber\u2019s wall read \u201cso says Saktahnwaax,\u201d which suggests that either the person themselves or someone else \u201csigned\u201d the work, attributing the formulas to Saktahnwaax. In addition to the purported scientist\u2019s name, the team also shared a never-before-seen formula demonstrating the Maya\u2019s \u201cunique and elegant\u201d understanding of time and astronomy, Stuart, of the University of Texas in Austin, told Gizmodo.<\/p>\n

\"Saktahnwaax
Signature of a Maya mathematician-astronomer. On the right is a drawing by Stuart replicating the image. \u00a9 Stuart et al., 2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Maya were \u201cvery keen observers of nature, and they were always looking at patterns and connections (like any scientist),\u201d said Stuart, the paper\u2019s first author. \u201cThis is the first named scientist from the pre-Columbian Americas. I think it\u2019s incredibly important that the Maya be seen as a culture that was immersed in scientific inquiry and in a sophisticated way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Convergent evolution, science<\/h2>\n

In the 19th century Western science \u201cbelatedly\u201d discovered an appreciation for the sophistication of Maya science, as Science pointed out in a 2022 essay.<\/p>\n

Indeed, the Maya adopted scientific traditions completely independent from those of the \u201cOld World,\u201d Stuart explained. Still, the Maya were paying close attention to the same celestial phenomena as everyone else and meticulously \u201cintegrating their cycles into some unified vision of time,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

So far, archaeologists had only identified names of Maya kings, queens, or other political figures, Stuart said. In that sense, the findings finally put a name to a Maya mathematician or astronomer\u2014probably the same in Maya society, he explained\u2014to be added to the list of great scientific thinkers from the ancient world.<\/p>\n

Deciphering ancient wisdom<\/h2>\n

Stuart admitted that the initial discovery was unexpected, so there wasn\u2019t a definite research question for the team at first. Previous looting had exposed part of the painted wall, so the team started their excavation there, uncovering around 50 paintings and written texts, most of them related to astronomical and mathematical observations. Then, the team produced scale drawings and digitally enhanced photographs to decipher the ancient messages.<\/p>\n