But in the forests of central Mexico, a single note from an Aztec whistle didn’t always indicate celebration — it meant death. “Death whistles,” or Aztec skull whistles, were short ...

Ancient Aztec death whistle still terrifies people today, study finds — and you can listen if you’re brave enough By . Ben Cost. Published Nov. 19, 2024, 10:22 a.m. ET.

Aztec death whistles have a unique instrumental construction . To understand the physical mechanisms behind the whistle's shrill and screeching sound, a team of researchers at the University of ...

Aztec death whistle may have been used to prepare sacrifice victims for journey to the afterlife because of their ominous, scream-like sound ...

Aztec death whistles don't fit into any existing Western classification for wind instruments; they seem to be a unique kind of "air spring" whistle, based on CT scans of some of the artifacts.

The researchers discovered that the death whistle lit up brain regions associated with emotional responses and with identifying symbolic meaning. Aztec communities may therefore have used the ...

Aztec death whistle may have been used to prepare sacrifice victims for journey to the afterlife because of their ominous, scream-like sound ...

The Aztec skull whistle produces a shrill, screaming sound. A study conducted at the University of Zurich shows that these whistles have a disturbing effect on the human brain. The Aztecs may have ...