The Aztec Death Whistle
Small clay whistles shaped like skulls were found in an Aztec temple. Blow into one, and it lets out a sound like a human scream.
What was reported
In 1999, archaeologists excavating a temple of the wind god Ehecatl at Tlatelolco, in Mexico City, found a burial with small skull-shaped clay whistles. When played, they made a piercing, shrieking sound, like a scream carried on the wind.
Other examples have been found in museum collections. People called them 'death whistles', and stories spread that Aztec warriors blew them in their thousands to terrify enemies before battle.
Explanations offered
There's no evidence they were used in war. Archaeologists think they were probably used in rituals, perhaps sacrifices or funerals, and linked with the god of wind or the underworld. A 2024 study found the sound is processed by the brain much like a real scream, which may be why it unsettles people so much.
- When
- Made before the 1500s; found in 1999
- Where
- Tlatelolco, Mexico City, Mexico
- Witnesses
- Archaeologists and listeners
- Status
- Purpose debated
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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