The Mystery of the Aztec Death Whistles
A study reveals the psychological impact of the frightening sounds of ancient skull-shaped whistles
The ancient Aztecss times were marked by human sacrifice, warfare, and towers made of human skulls, reflecting a distinct penchant for horror and thrill. Furthermore the pre-Columbian empire builders could entertain themselves with skull-shaped whistles that emitted a chilling sound, capable of sending shivers down the spine of anyone who heard it.
Now, for the first time, researchers have studied the impact of these eerie whistles on the brains of modern listeners, discovering that the generated sound puts them in a heightened state of alertness. Humans involved in the experiments rated the sounds of the skull-shaped whistles as extremely negative, describing them as primarily scary and aversive, with potential effects on immediate responses and interference with ongoing mental processes.
Using various neuroimaging techniques, researchers identified specific brain activity in lower-level cortical auditory regions that respond to scary sounds, correlating this activity with the participants’ subjective experiences. Numerous Aztec skull-shaped whistles have been found in tombs dating back to between 1250 and 1521 AD. Made of clay, these small instruments, shaped like human skulls, were designed to produce a sharp, piercing, scream-like sound caused by the collision of different air currents.
Commonly known as death whistles, it is believed that the ancient Aztecs used them in warfare to terrify enemies on the battlefield. The frequent presence of these whistles alongside the bones of sacrificial victims has led to speculation that they may have also served a more ceremonial purpose. Some scholars believe that the death whistles were meant to mimic the cutting winds of Mictlan, the Aztec underworld, where the souls of the sacrificed were thought to descend. Others suggest that the sound could represent Ehecatl, the Aztec Wind God, who, according to legend, created humanity from the bones of the dead.
To deepen the understanding of the whistles' usage, the study's authors conducted psychoacoustic experiments involving modern European volunteers. By monitoring the neural and psychological responses of participants exposed to the death whistle sound, researchers found that the brain struggled to classify the sound, perceiving it as a hybrid combination of natural and artificial elements.
The sounds of the skull-shaped whistles were shown to capture mental attention, mimicking other aversive and startling sounds produced by nature and technology, as described by the authors. Additionally, it was found that such sounds were decoded with specific affective significance in the neural auditory system of human listeners, accompanied by symbolic evaluations in the brain’s fronto-insular-parietal systems.
In other words, the terrifying ambiguity of the death whistle seems to stimulate the imagination, as the brain struggles to interpret its symbolic meaning. The study concludes that the use of the whistles in ritual contexts, especially in sacrificial rites and funerary ceremonies, is highly probable. It is hypothesized that the skull-shaped whistles might have been employed to frighten participants in human sacrifices or ritual ceremonies.
