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 death whistle wasn’t merely a musical tool but a complex cultural artifact. Shaped like a skull, it likely represents Mictlantecuhtli, the Aztec Lord of the Underworld .

The bone-chilling wail of the Aztec Death Whistle- a sound once believed to herald the end for human sacrifices- continues to send shivers down spines, even 500 years later. Described as “the ...

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