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All Mexico Chichen Itza Chichen Itza Chirp
AO Edited

Chichen Itza Chirp

Clap your hands at the base of the pyramid, and the song of a sacred Mayan bird will echo through the air.

Chichen Itza, Mexico

Added By
Kerry Wolfe
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The song of a sacred bird echoes up the stairs if you clap your hands.   Ted Van Pelt
The song of a sacred bird echoes up the stairs if you clap your hands.   Ted Van Pelt
The echo imitates the sound of a quetzal, a sacred bird to the Maya.   Francesco Veronesi
In addition to its acoustic marvel, the pyramid also puts on a biannual light show.   ATSZ56
Chichén Itzá: El Castillo (north) - The panels representing the years in the Maya sacred circle   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
Chichén Itzá: El Castillo (north) - The steps representing the days in a year   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
Chichén Itzá: El Castillo (north)   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
Chichén Itzá: El Castillo   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
  IgFan / Atlas Obscura User
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About

The Mayan city of Chichen Itza is full of architectural and engineering marvels. Every equinox, an enormous snake born from the shadows slithers down the side of the Temple of Kukulcan. But the pyramid does more than put on this spectacular light show.

Clap your hands at the base of the stairs, and an echo will ring through the air. It isn't an ordinary booming echo, either. It sounds like the song of a ghostly flock of birds, a chorus of chirps that crescendos before fading into silence.

During ceremonies when Kukulcan was being called upon or worshipped, a priest would face the pyramid and clap, creating the chirp. He'd then turn and face the Temple of Warriors and clap again, causing a low rattle to seemingly emit from the rocks. The chirp and rasping whisper of an echo were believed to be the voice of the god.

The birdsong may be no coincidence. According to some acoustic specialists, it mirrors the call of the resplendent quetzal, a gorgeous bird cloaked in an opulent array of green and red feathers. Like the snake, the quetzal was considered divine by the Maya. This “god of the air” was a symbol of goodness and light. Its tail feathers adorned the headdresses of many a noble (no birds died during the creation of the headdresses, as killing a sacred quetzal was forbidden).

The warbling echo was first studied in 1998 and has been intriguing scholars ever since. It’s unclear whether the Maya intentionally crafted the pyramid with such an effect in mind. Some argue they did in fact begin building the stone behemoth knowing its tiered stairs would manipulate sounds and let it sing the song of their sacred bird. Others speculate they stumbled upon the acoustic marvel by accident, then later tweaked the architecture to enhance the effect.

Sadly for the quetzal, increasing habitat loss and illegal trafficking is threatening the magnificent species. Fragmented pockets of their population have already been extirpated, and their future as a whole remains uncertain. Should the species perish, their song will still linger within the jungle, thanks to the eerie chirps echoing up the stairs of the Temple of Kukulcan.

Related Tags

Wondrous Performances Ancient Mayan Ruins Sounds Birds Acoustics Animals
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Yucatan Family Adventure: Meteors, Pyramids & Maya Legends

Explore Maya temples and learn about the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs.

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Community Contributors

Added By

Kerry Wolfe

Edited By

starsea, erjeffery, Jaszmina Szendrey, IgFan

  • starsea
  • erjeffery
  • Jaszmina Szendrey
  • IgFan

Published

March 9, 2018

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Sources
  • https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/12/1206_021206_TVMayanTemple.html
  • https://io9.gizmodo.com/heres-how-this-ancient-mayan-pyramid-makes-bird-calls-1692327818
  • https://www.nature.com/news/2004/041213/full/news041213-5.html
  • https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/resplendent-quetzal/
  • https://www.history.com/news/did-the-maya-build-chirping-pyramids
Chichen Itza Chirp
Hwy 180
Chichen Itza
Mexico
20.681614, -88.567657
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Nearby Places

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Photo of Chichen Itza

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