During ritual ceremonies, the ancient Aztec civilization used a “death whistle” — a haunting instrument shaped like a human skull. Its eerie, high-pitched ...

When the Aztecs dominated central Mexico, a blood-curdling sound like a human scream played through a small whistle. Luis Aceves via Unsplash In cultures around the world, instruments have brought ...

Brain scans of modern listeners suggest that Aztec whistles sound like human screams, which may have prepared sacrifice victims for their journey to the underworld. When you purchase through links on ...

On May 14, I took the Metra up north to City Lit Theater in Edgewater to watch the premiere of City Lit’s 144th show, the musical Aztec Human Sacrifice. Directed by Jay Españo and written by Kingsley ...

In cultures around the world, instruments have brought music and joy to rituals, ceremonies and everyday life. But in the forests of central Mexico, a single note from an Aztec whistle didn’t always ...

Ranging from a threatening hiss to a blood-curdling scream, the sound of the Aztec death whistle is as creepy as the skull-like appearance of the instrument that produces it. Brain scans suggest the ...

Public rituals took place in the heart of Tenochtitlan, the empire’s capital. These ceremonies were meant to be seen. They reminded citizens and rivals alike that the gods demanded obedience and that ...

The Aztecs, one of the most intriguing and sophisticated civilizations to have ever existed, left an indelible mark on Mexico’s cultural and historical landscape. Before their dramatic fall to Spanish ...