For many who live in Taos, they will do anything to assure you that something is buzzing in the air. It’s a phenomenon known as the Taos Hum.
There’s no real specific date when it started or was first noticed, but sometime around 30 years ago, a number of residents began to complain of a constant and low frequency humming noise in Taos.
As the legend of the hum began to grow, so did the curiosity for finding the source. Some described the sound in terms of music as an E-flat. Others say it sounds like a running diesel truck or a high powered bass woofer.
With many skeptical of the sounds source, an outspoken group of believers in the hum reached out to New Mexico’s congressional delegation.
In 1993, a group of experts were assembled from the University of New Mexico, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Philips Air Force Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories to look into the existence of the alleged hum.
Their findings were published in the Acoustical Society of America. With high tech equipment, the team set out to collect noise data from different sites around the Taos area and interview the “hearers” of the noise.
Nothing really conclusive turned up. Their final conclusion in the study came with the words, “…we are left with a mystery.”
Of course, it’s always a mystery where legends, ghosts and other unexplained circumstances can thrive.
