27/06/2024
Between 1300 and 1521 AD, the Aztec civilization flourished in the central region of Mexico. The Aztecs used clay, turkey feathers, stones, frog skins, conches, and other materials to create many types of objects that can produce various sounds. Some can be called musical instruments, while others can only be called noise generators, such as death whistles.
In the 1990s, a group of archaeologists were excavating the ruins of a 500 year old Aztec Wind God Temple in Mexico City when they discovered a skeleton with crossed arms and tightly grasping a small object with a skull pattern engraved in its hand.
This skeleton was a sacrificial sacrifice, and archaeologists initially thought that small objects were toys or ornaments. They recorded and archived them and collected them in museums.
A few years later, one day, a music archaeologist had a sudden idea and placed a small object on his lips to play. The small object made a chilling sound.
The "Death Sentry" quickly aroused strong interest among archaeologists and the general public. People want to know the principle of the Death Sentry? What is the purpose?
The size of the Death Watch is not large, but its internal design is very complex. From the cross-section, there are different channels inside the whistle, and air flows collide in each channel, generating pressure and creating a terrifying sound similar to a scream.
So, what is the purpose of the brave and belligerent Aztecs making death posts? Archaeologists have three hypotheses:
Possibility 1: Used to intimidate opponents
Death whistle is used for psychological warfare. In war, when the death whistle blows like a hundred or even a thousand, it gives the enemy the feeling of an undead army composed of zombies, skeletons, and various underworld monsters, screaming, shouting, and roaring as they approach, making the enemy tremble with fear.
In order to deter their opponents, Aztecs often make loud and piercing sounds when entering the battlefield. When they were fighting against the Spanish, they used a drum, and all the soldiers knocked it together. The sound of hundreds or even thousands of drums was deafening and terrifying.
Death whistles are much smaller in size than drums and are easier to carry, so they may replace drum sounds with whistles.
Possibility 2: Used for therapeutic purposes
This theory suggests that the function of a whistle is to "comfort" and to put the listener into a hypnotic state, as part of a certain therapeutic ritual.
Most people may not find the sound of the death whistle comforting, but there are still many supporters of this statement.
Possibility three: used to guide the afterlife
Most archaeologists believe in a third possibility, that the Aztec death outpost was used to guide sacrificial victims safely towards the afterlife.
The Death Watch is placed together with the bodies of the victims, and the bodies are buried in front of the temple, facing the statue of the Wind God. In the minds of the Aztecs, it is an honor to be offered as a sacrifice to the gods during the ritual. Sacrifices can summon the Wind God by blowing their whistle to guide themselves safely into the afterlife.
Although the true purpose of the Death Watch may never be known, its unique sound has attracted many people to study and replicate this type of whistle. Some people adopt classic designs in their appearance, while others adopt different shapes. They try different materials, shapes, and colors.
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