[Aztlan] Voice of the quetzal

[Jorge Pérez de Lara]

Dear listeros,

I distinctly recall having had this argument many years before, in the 
old Aztlan.

I personally think that the sound similarity between the echo of 
clapping from the Chich'en Itza "Castillo" and the supposed mating call 
of the quetzal is merely a (happy?) coincidence and one that came about 
long after Chich'en was abandoned. There are far too many things that 
are different now from the original conditions of the building and city. 
The first thing that comes to mind is that the current shape of the 
building is very much a result of the reconstruction work of XX Century 
archaeologists. Secondly, the plaza would have been paved with hard 
stucco, which would radically alter the sound features of the place. The 
building itself would have been covered with stucco and perhaps even 
other materials. And is there any evidence that anyone in the city's 
heyday would have gone around clapping his/her hands to get sound 
effects from buildings?

I, for one, do not believe in the sound-alike quetzal call as being a 
featured purposefully built into the original design of the "Castillo".

Respectfully,

Jorge