Scientists have recreated the “most terrible sound in the world” - it was made by the Aztec death whistle

Scientists were able to reproduce “the most terrible sound in the world”, which was made by the Aztec death whistle. As it turned out, it looks like a mixture of a whistling gust of wind and a heart-rending human scream. Video showing it published on the educational YouTube channel The Action Lab.

The legendary instrument was recreated using the original and a 3D printer from the American company HeyGears. The real whistle was found during excavations at an Aztec temple in Mexico City (Mexico) in 1999. It was in the hand of a headless skeleton. At first, archaeologists mistook it for a toy and did not attach much importance to it. And only 15 years later its true purpose became clear.

The shape of the whistle imitates the human larynx. The sound in it is divided between two internal components and creates oscillating sound waves. Coming out, they become like the screams of people who are in great pain.

It is believed that they were used during ritual ceremonies in honor of the god of the winds, Eecatl. According to one theory, terrible sounds helped the sacrificed people scare away evil spirits and calmly pass into the afterlife. Another hypothesis is that the whistle was used at the beginning of the battle to instill fear among enemies.