"Windows" from Lilly to Dory

Ok, so it all started when I was walking home from the store, and passed by this really pretty church. I noted that the reason I like it so much is probably because it reminds me a lot of the style of buildings in Mexico, with terra-cotta roof tiles, a pale yellow exterior paint, wooden doors and candelabras mounted on the walls around the outside doors and windows.

The difference, however, is that it wasn't actually structured like a hacienda-style Mexican building. A hacienda is built like a big rectangle or square, with an open central courtyard in the middle. The Hotel Caribe in my "Merida" album is a good example. 

This structure allows, of course, for very good lighting and ventilation in all the rooms. It also ensures that each room can have an opening on two opposing walls, which takes advantage of the natural pressure difference between indoors an outdoors by creating a cross-breeze. It's a pretty simple concept to figure out, even without a basic understanding of the mechanics. I use this tactic in my own apartment when it's cool out. If I only open the front windows, the breeze doesn't come in. But if I open both the front and the back windows, it creates an almost constant cross-breeze. Following so far?

So knowing that the hacienda is actually a style rooted in Spain, I wondered if the Spanish continued building this way in Mexico purely for aesthetic purposes, or was it actually suited well for the Mexican climate also (which is considerably more humid)? My first thought was to check whether this style, or something like it, is reflected in the Mayan ruins. And the answer is yes. The Palace Structure at Palenque consists of two large rectangles, each with a central courtyard in its center. Though the buildings are only one floor as opposed to three or four like the haciendas, the same practical purposes are achieved: maximum light and ventilation; opposing windows in each room creating a cross-breeze.

The interesting feature about some of the windows inside the Palace Complex is that they are not square or round but consist of two narrow slits comprised in the shape of a "T". Professor Tromans pointed out to me that the "T" shape is a symbol that represents the Mayan god of wind, so they shaped their windows into this symbol. Simple enough. Well, I think I figured out how that shape came to represent the god of wind and also why they built their actual windows this way rather than, say, simply use the symbol to decorate the outside, which seems to me to be much easier to do.

Flash back to beginning band with Mr. Elliston. When I was learning to play the flute, Elliston emphasized that high notes require you to blow air with more pressure, and low notes with less pressure (you may have been taught this as well, for the french horn). This can be achieved by making the opening in your lips smaller - for high pressure - or wider for low pressure. The difference can be felt if you blow on the back of your hand. Notice that a wider opening will blow warm air, and a smaller opening will blow cooler air.

Air moving through a smaller opening is cooler, because the air is pushed through it faster and with more pressure. You can make a very small window and the air coming through it will be cooler, kind of like air conditioning. But if you actually want a good amount of air, the window has to be bigger. So how do you achieve this? The "T" shape maximizes the capacity for air flow, while still forcing it through small openings to cool it down. Genius.

So I think that the Maya figured this out, and used it primarily for efficiency purposes. Eventually that led to the "T" symbol coming to represent wind. Not the other way around.

What do you think?

Love,

Lilly