Ancient Maya Temples Were Giant Loudspeakers?

National Geographic News ^ | December 16, 2010 | Ker Than

[SunkenCiv]

Centuries before the first speakers and subwoofers, ancient Americans -- intentionally or not -- may have been turning buildings into giant sound amplifiers and distorters to enthrall or disorient audiences, archaeologists say.

Temples at the ancient Maya city of Palenque (map) in central Mexico, for example, might have formed a kind of "unplugged" public-address system, projecting sound across great distances, according to a team led by archaeologist Francisca Zalaquett of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

Zalaquett's team recently discovered that Palenque's Northern Group of public squares and temples -- built around roughly A.D. 600 -- is especially good at projecting the human voice as well as sounds like those that would have been made by musical instruments found at the site...

Performers and priests may have stood atop these temples or in specialized projection rooms, which still exist, to broadcast songs and chants throughout the squares. The Maya are known to have to held public rites to commemorate enthronements, births of nobles, and war victories as well as to honor deities, Zalaquett said.

The "amplifiers" would have been the buildings themselves, and their acoustics may have even been purposely enhanced by the strategic application of stucco coatings, Zalaquett's findings suggest. Measurements at some of the buildings still bearing stucco suggest it may have changed the absorption and reflection of sounds.

[TheBigIf]

Mayan be a simulation program out by 2012?

It would be cool to have this all virtually before then.

[Waverunner]

So this is how they talked to the alien space ships from the future prior to the invention of tin foil.

[Seven plus One]

Horns are good. Large straight horns are really good, major SPL with moderate output tube equipment.

[gleeaikin]

While reading the continuation of the article I found myself wondering about the labyrinth of Crete, and the paleolitic caves of France and Spain. One of the comments also raised the question of Crete, caves, and underground temples of Malta.

[Cvengr]

http://www.wavemusic.com/community/attachment.php?s=5c00097a80319eca1b40c2686a063e7c&attachmentid=1997&d=1220253676

[PIF]

If you go to Chichenitza, and that is really a must visit site, be sure to check out a small area near one of the non-descript stone buildings which has stone reliefs of all the known animals in the jungle — your guide will know where this is -— on one panel you will see what looks very much like a horse... which as you know was not know to be in the Americas at that time.

[Fresh Wind]

[SunkenCiv]

Have a great time! There may be some FReepers with some tips:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1020208/posts?page=28#28
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1020208/posts?page=35#35

[SunkenCiv]

There’s been recent interest in the acoustical experiences of past civs, because it’s something that can actually still be studied where the monuments have survived — Stonehenge, PreColumbian complexes, Greek theaters, caves — and band shells, which in the first half of the twentieth century were still popular, but have declined in use (and are no longer constructed) because of the vast improvement in electronic amplification.

[SunkenCiv]

LOL!

[SunkenCiv]

;') [singing] two thousand uno du'os party over says the lights of heaven /
tonight i'm gonna party like it's two thousand eleven

[BenLurkin]

You betcha!

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks!

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Giving birth to open mike night.

[newfreep]

I like these acoustics better...

[nomorelurker]

Been to Chichenitza once to see the serpent come down. Clouds messed it up at the very last minute. Would love to go again but not with the current violence in Mexico. The local crafts on sale at the solstice are worth the trip if nothing else.

Cozumel has a small stone temple or two that legend has was an early warning for hurricanes as it supposedly started making a loud sound when the wind got to a certain speed.

[razorback-bert]

Haven't been to Chichenitza in a few years, but elsewhere in Mexico buying local crafts is now a crap shoot. None of the good stuff I use to buy, a lot made in some local Chinese shop. There is a factory on the road from Playa Camen to Tulem, where they do make nice things by hand using modern power machines and the price are right.

[seowulf]

Giving birth to open mike night.

Exactly...karaoke.

Except the way we do it the audience suffers.

[Seven plus One]

This little book was a large feature in the corruption of my life when I was 15 or so. Technology useful to the Mayans, since they didn't have transistors yet, and I'll assume they were restricted to whatever a quad of pentodes could deliver in class AB. Tons 'O fun. Mr. Bose ruined all of that with his 901, which would absorb 100 watts just to be audible, but still sounded great, and took up hardly any space.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

I think the last thing one would want hear at one of those is the high priest doing his opening act;

...great to see so many people here from out of town. Are you guys alriiiight! Great last act of “Stop Dragging My Heart Around.” Before our next performance of “Someone Could Lose A Heart Tonight,” can I get a volunteer from the audience?