When acoustics mingle with history!
In Mexico, it is possible to hear a sound similar to the cry of the Quetzal – a sacred bird of the Mayas – if you clap your hands at the foot of the pyramid of Kukulcán.
This amusing fact is however not due to chance, since according to David Lubman – the acoustician at the origin of this discovery – the builders of the pyramid deliberately adapted the construction of the monument in order to obtain this precise sound diffraction.
Thus, during ceremonies or religious festivals, hand claps could provoke the cry of the sacred animal to pay homage to the Maya god.
Example in video :