As anyone who has visited the ancient Mayan and Aztec sites in Mexico might have noticed, in most of the places the architecture of the buildings produce the effect of amplifying someones voice if they speak above a certain volume. It has been built into the buildings and walls and other structures. Recently researchers have looked into this phenomenon and have concluded that “… there was an intentionality of the builders to use and modify its architecture for acoustic purposes.” The Maya held public rites and the buildings appear to serve more than one purpose. They note there is one place were sounds can be heard clearly at least the length of a football field.
The full article is is posted in the National Geographic News.
