Chichen Itza Bird Clap Pyramid

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).

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Credit: Ted Van Pelt

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

Source / Image Courtesy

Credit: Franceso Veronesi

The echo imitates the sound of the quetzal, a sacred bird to the Maya.

Source / Image Courtesy

The Mayan Echo at Chichen Itza

Perhaps apocryphal, clapping hands in front of the (restored) steps of the “El Castillo” pyramid at Chichén Itzá produces the chirp of the “quetzal” bird.