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 analysis of the rock art landscape in the Cañón 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. • Intangible aspects of culture such as sound should be part of the new focus on quantitative methods in archaeology. • A more sophisticated exploration of acoustic parameters is possible than just focusing on echoes, reverberation and resonance. • Monaural acoustic parameters: T20, G, C50 and C80. Binaural acoustic parameters: Lj and Jlf. • The Great Mural rock art producers selected the best sonic environments for rock art. • Discussion about the validity of the ethnohistorical sources in order to understand the Great Mural rock art tradition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]