Dear folks , It was April 1 , 2003 when I am standing in front of the Mayan pyramid of Kukulkan at Chichen Itza , Mexico . The pyramid had many stories such as Mayan Calandar , the equinox phenomena , chirped echo of sacred quetzal bird , etc . When I clapped my hands , I heard a chirped echo from the pyramid . Can you belive the story ? But it is true . Here comes an explanation on the chirped echo by David Lubman . Please read it and discuss it later . Headu An archaeological study of chirped echo from the Mayan pyramid of Kukulkan at Chichen Itzaby David LubmanAcoustical ConsultantThis is a concise summary of a paper to be given at the October 12 - 16 , 1998 meeting of the Acoustical Society of America in Norfolk , VA . Handclaps evoke chirped echoes from the staircases of the Pyramid of Kukulkan at Chichen Itza . The physics of the chirped echo can be explained quite simply as periodic reflections from step faces . But until now , no one has bothered to do so . What is very interesting is that the chirped echo sounds arguably like the primary call of the Mayan sacred bird , the resplendent Quetzal . This magnificent bird , now near extinction , has for thousands of years represented the " spirit of the Maya ". Spirits , in many traditions , speak in echoes . Think of the legend of Echo and Narcissus in the western tradition . Echo , lacking a body , was pure spirit . Figure 1 . The pyramid at Chichen ItzaA Mayan glyph from the Dresden Codex makes the connection between the pyramid of Kukulkan and the Quetzal bird . This glyph shows Kukulkan , the " sovereign plumed serpent " with a gigantic Quetzal behind him . We argue that the Quetzal bird represents the spirit of the Maya . We also argue that spirits often speak in echoes . It seems most appropriate that the spirit echo of the Pyramid of Kukulkan would speak in the echo - voice of the Quetzal . " Even today , the Quetzal plays an important part in modern Mayan culture . ( Many modern Maya live in Guatemala , and in the Mexican States of Chiapas and Quintan Roo ) . Examples : the Quetzal is the unit of currency in Guatemala . The Guatemalan government issues a prestigious award named " The Order of the Quetzal . " The most recent recipient of this award is the great Mayanist , Dr . Linda Schele . ( Dr . Schele passed - on in April , 1998 . ) Could the Maya have intentionally coded the sound of their sacred bird into the pyramid architecture ? I think it is possible . In the millennium since this pyramid was built , though the plaster has eroded from the limestone staircases , the sound is still recognizable . The Quetzal BirdHear the Quetzal in the cloud forest . You will hear two Quetzal bird chirps ( recorded in a rain forest ) followed by two chirped echoes stimulated by a handclaps at the pyramid ( recorded by me in January 1998 ) . We must not expect the sounds to be identical . Just recognizably similar . Think of a scratchy old Caruso recording . We can still recognize the voice of the great Caruso , even if it does not sound perfect . Remember that the Mayan stone recording is many times older than the Caruso recording ! Where else in the history of the world have an ancient people preserved a sacred sound by coding it into stone so that a thousand years later people might hear and wonder ? Note about the quetzal chirps : The ancestors of the builders of Chichen Itza lived in the cloud forests " In the cloud forest , sound can be more important than vision , because one can hear father than one can see . The acoustic channel in cloud forests is rich with the sounds of birds , insects and animals . The " Quetzal in the cloud forest " sound file will help to familiarize you with the sound of a free quetzal in a cloud forest as the ancient Maya may have heard it . Take the time to download this 821 Kb file ( about 30 seconds at 28 . 8 Kb / sec ) . Listen to it . Turn up the volume . Then listen again to the pyramid echo . It will help you to appreciate why the classical Maya may have heard in the pyramid echo the sound of the quetzal . " Dr . Steven J . Waller has proposed that prehistoric rock art , which is usually found in echoing locations such as caves and canyons , was produced in response to the echoes , since legends from many ancient cultures describe the belief that echoes were spirit voices . See Waller ' s rock art web page for more information . Send your comments to David Lubman / Acoustical ConsultantNEW ** Additional Information ** Click Here © 2002 - 2005 The Acoustical Society of America , Orange County Regional ChapterWeb Design and Hosting by : e - novative , inc . 사업자 정보 표시 | | | 사업자 등록 번호 : -- | TEL : -- | 사이버 몰의 이용 약관 바로 가 기