The study discusses Aztec sound artefacts, such as shell trumpets, whistles and flutes, excavated in the offering caches of the temple precinct of Tenochtitlan, Valley of Mexico (Late Postclassic Mesoamerica, 1350-1521 AD). The archaeological context of these finds reveals extensive information on specific musical practices performed in Aztec temple cult and insights into the prehispanic musical thought. Furthermore, the perfect state of preservation of the excavated instruments allows them to be played and their performance and acoustic characteristics to be investigated. The interdisciplinary approach enlights the debate from both archaeological and musicological perspectives, complementing the information drawn from ethnohistorical sources and proposing answers to many of the questions on Aztec music culture which were, heretofore, left unanswered.
The study discusses Aztec sound artefacts, such as shell trumpets, whistles and flutes, excavated in the offering caches of the temple precinct of Tenochtitlan, Valley of Mexico (Late Postclassic Mesoamerica, 1350-1521 AD). The archaeological context of these finds reveals extensive information on specific musical practices performed in Aztec temple cult and insights into the prehispanic musical thought. Furthermore, the perfect state of preservation of the excavated instruments allows them to be played and their performance and acoustic characteristics to be investigated. The interdisciplinary approach enlights the debate from both archaeological and musicological perspectives, complementing the information drawn from ethnohistorical sources and proposing answers to many of the questions on Aztec music culture which were, heretofore, left unanswered.