Ethnographic model of acoustic use of space in the southern Andes for an archaeo-musicological investigation

Abstract

Studies of ritual celebrations in central Chile conducted in the past 15 years show that the spatial component of sound is a crucial component of the whole. The sonic compositions of these rituals generate complex musical structures that the author has termed ‘‘multi-orchestral polyphonies.’’ Their origins have been documented from archaeological remains in a vast region of southern Andes (southern Peru, Bolivia, northern Argentina, north-central Chile). It consists of a combination of dance, space walk-through, spatial extension, multiple movements between listener and orchestra, and multiple relations between ritual and ambient sounds. The characteristics of these observables reveal a complex schematic relation between space and sound. This schema can be used as a valid hypothesis for the study of pre-Hispanic uses of acoustic ritual space. The acoustic features observed in this study are common in Andean ritual and, to some extent are seen in Mesoamerica as well.