Dr. Eddie Salazar Gamboa, 79, Revealed Chichén Itzá Mysteries

The scientific community of Yucatán mourns the loss of one of its brightest stars. Dr. Eddie Salazar Gamboa passed away on Thursday following a brief illness. He was 79. His death marks the end of an extraordinary life dedicated to unlocking the astronomical secrets embedded in Maya civilization.

A Pioneer of Archaeoastronomy

Born on March 22, 1946, to Inocencio Salazar Barrera and María Exaltación Gamboa O’Horán, Eddie Salazar Gamboa would grow to become one of Yucatán’s most distinguished scholars. His intellectual prowess was evident early, as he simultaneously pursued degrees in Chemical Engineering and Mathematics at the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán between 1968 and 1973, a feat that foreshadowed his multidisciplinary approach to scientific inquiry.

But it was one particular discovery that would cement his place in history. In 1993, working alongside archaeologist Víctor Segovia Pinto, Salazar Gamboa observed the descent of the Lunar Serpent at the Pyramid of Kukulcán in Chichén Itzá. Through precise mathematical calculations, he determined the exact dates when this celestial phenomenon would occur, a date that shifts annually with the lunar cycle.

In 2007, the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) recognized this discovery, acknowledging what custodian José Antonio Keb Cetina described in media interviews as witnessing triangles of light forming on the pyramid’s northwest alfarda during full moons following the equinoxes. The phenomenon mirrors the famous solar serpent descent but with an ethereal quality that observers have called magical and indescribable.

Salazar Gamboa also called this the “Serpent of the Crucifixion,” as it often coincides with Holy Week, demonstrating the Maya’s sophisticated understanding of celestial cycles that modern society is only now beginning to fully appreciate.

More Than Five Decades of Teaching

Salazar Gamboa dedicated over 50 years to teaching and astronomical research, shaping generations of students across multiple institutions. He joined the Instituto Tecnológico de Mérida in 1973, where he taught subjects ranging from Differential and Integral Calculus to Thermodynamics, Differential Equations, and even Microeconomics and Macroeconomics.

From 1970 to 2001, he taught at various levels at UADY, and also served at the Escuela Normal Superior de Yucatán from 1975 to 1982. He founded the Astronomy Club “Hypatia” at ITM in 1992, creating a space where students could explore the cosmos alongside their professor.

In 2021, he received the Distinguished Teacher award from the Secretaría de Educación del Gobierno del Estado, the state’s highest recognition for educators. At the ceremony, colleagues noted that he had been teaching since 1964, spanning 57 years by that point.

His teaching philosophy was simple yet profound. At his recognition ceremony, he shared: “I have always been guided by what I like, what I am passionate about, what generates knowledge for me, what motivates me, what is a challenge for me. I have never stopped to think about what fruit it will bear, the diplomas I will obtain. I have simply done what I am passionate about.”

A Prolific Scholar and Innovator

Salazar Gamboa authored nearly 20 books on mathematics and scientific outreach, including works that pushed the boundaries of established knowledge. His book “La Interpolación de Newton y su Derivación Numérica” presented a more precise numerical application of Isaac Newton’s mathematical formulas, perfecting work that had stood for over three centuries.

In 2014, he patented a formula for calculating the supermoon with Mexico’s Instituto Mexicano de la Propiedad Industrial, describing how the full moon’s angular diameter and brightness can increase by up to 12% and 10% respectively.

His research extended deep into Maya astronomical knowledge. He studied the Dresden Codex, focusing on eclipse tables, lunar phases, and Venus cycles. His published works included calculations for equinoxes spanning 300 years, lunar epacts covering 100 years, and blue moons across 50 years, plus a perpetual calendar for the 21st century.

Between 1996 and 2015, he continued studying El Castillo at Chichén Itzá, including discovering the bisection of the building during solstices in 1997, a finding that also earned INAH recognition in 2007.

A Life Beyond Academia

Salazar Gamboa married Rubí Alpuche Cámara, with whom he had three children: Rubí, Eddie Ariel, and Rigel. The choice to name his youngest son Rigel, after one of the brightest stars in the constellation Orion, speaks to how deeply astronomy permeated his life.

He was a founding professor of UADY’s Faculty of Economics and Faculty of Accounting and Administration, as well as the Master’s program in Administration. He also participated in creating the Universe Room at the Museum of Natural History and the Planetarium at Mérida’s Centro Cultural El Olimpo.

His connection to the community extended through his regular contributions to Diario de Yucatán, where for years he shared astronomical events with readers, making the wonders of the night sky accessible to all Yucatecos.

The Legacy of a Stargazer

Until his final year, Eddie Salazar Gamboa continued his research. He never stopped investigating and calculating light and shadow phenomena at Chichén Itzá’s pyramid, studying not only the solar and lunar serpents but other phenomena occurring during summer and winter solstices.

Last year, he announced his retirement from teaching while declaring his intention to continue astronomical work. True to his word, he remained engaged with the cosmos he had studied for more than half a century.

His work revealed what many had overlooked: that the ancient Maya were not merely observers of the heavens but sophisticated astronomers who encoded their knowledge in stone. Through his mathematical precision and patient observation, Eddie Salazar Gamboa became a bridge between ancient wisdom and modern science.

As the Lunar Serpent continues its eternal descent on the pyramid at Chichén Itzá, it now serves as a monument not only to Maya ingenuity but to the Yucatecan scientist who helped the world see it. The triangles of silver light that form on those sacred stones are Eddie Salazar Gamboa’s gift to future generations—a reminder to look up, calculate carefully, and never stop seeking the patterns written in the stars.

Dr. Eddie Salazar Gamboa was laid to rest following services at Funeraria López Macari in Itzimná. He leaves behind his wife, three children, countless former students, and a legacy written in moonlight and mathematics.