The soundscapes of Baja California Sur: preliminary results from the Cañón de Santa Teresa rock art landscape

This article argues that the recent emphasis on quantitative methods should also include the application of rigorous science-based methodologies for the study of sound and acoustics among past communities. The benefits of including methods developed in acoustical physics have been shown with the ana...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Díaz-Andreu, Margarita, Gutiérrez Martínez, María de la Luz, Mattioli, Tommaso, Picas, Mathieu, Villalobos, César, Zubieta, Leslie F.
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2021
Country:España
Institution:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repository:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:2445/220527
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/220527
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Pintura rupestre
Arqueologia
Baixa Califòrnia Sud (Mèxic)
Investigació quantitativa
Acústica
Rocks paintings
Archaeology
Baja California Sur (Mexico)
Quantitative research
Acoustics
Description
Summary:This article argues that the recent emphasis on quantitative methods should also include the application of rigorous science-based methodologies for the study of sound and acoustics among past communities. The benefits of including methods developed in acoustical physics have been shown with the analysis of the rock art landscape in the Can˜on ´ de Santa Teresa gorge in Baja California Sur (Mexico), where the Great Mural rock art tradition was produced. Thanks to a thorough examination of a series of monaural and binaural acoustic parameters, we have been able to conclude that the artists selected the best sonic landscapes in which to create their rock art, both paintings and carvings, especially the latter. We have also been able to demonstrate that the sector of the canyon with a special concentration of two profusely painted caves, Cueva Pintada and Las Flechas, is precisely that with the most favorable acoustic conditions in the whole tested area.