The Why Files: Operation Podcast - 16: Aztec Death Whistle | The Scariest Sound You've Ever Heard

Episode Date: June 26, 2022

The Aztec Death Whistle. If hell has a sound, I bet it sounds alot like the Aztec Death Whistle. The Aztec Death Whistle sounds like a shriek of death mixed with howling wind. It's so unnerving, that the significance of the horrifying sound of the Aztec Death Whistle has fascinated and perplexed scholars for years.  I'm going to play the sound of the Aztec Death Whistle for you today.   When Spanish conquistador Cortés and his men arrived in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán in 1521, they described witnessing a gruesome ceremony. Aztec priests, using razor-sharp obsidian blades, sliced open the chests of sacrificial victims and offered their still-beating hearts to the gods. They then tossed the victims' lifeless bodies down the steps of the Great Temple known as Templo Mayor; in Mexico City.   Andrés de Tapia, also a conquistador, described two rounded towers flanking the Templo Mayor made entirely of human skulls. And between them, a *huge* wooden rack displaying thousands more skulls with holes bored through either side to allow them to slide onto the wooden poles.   Reading these accounts hundreds of years later, many historians dismissed the 16th-century reports as wildly exaggerated.   *But* over just the past few years, archeologists working at the Templo Mayor excavation site discovered *proof* of widespread human sacrifice among the Aztecs. And the proof was *none other* than the very skull towers and skull racks that the conquistadors had described centuries ago.   The Aztec Death Whistle has been described as sounding like humans howling in pain, or as one researcher said, the 'scream of a thousand corpses'.   Let's find out why. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thewhyfiles/support

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has fascinated and perplexed scholars for years. I am going to play that sound for you today. But I have to warn you, it might be the most terrifying sound I've ever heard. Let's find out why. Welcome to the Y-Files, where cool nerds laugh and learn. Today, we're going to listen to the terrifying Aztec death whistle. But before we do, let's talk about the Aztecs and their culture a little bit. It will help provide some context as to why they invented a death whistle.

When Spanish conquistador Cortes and his men arrived in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan in 1521, they described witnessing a gruesome ceremony. Aztec priests, using razor-sharp obsidian blades, sliced open the chests of sacrificial victims and offered their still-beating hearts to the gods. Still alive. They then tossed the victims' lifeless bodies down the steps of the great temple, known as Templo Mayor, which is in modern-day Mexico City. Later, Andres de Tapia, also a conquistador, described two rounded towers flanking the Templo Mayor made entirely of human skulls. And between them, a huge wooden rack displaying thousands more skulls with holes bored through either side to allow them to slide onto the wooden poles. So reading these accounts hundreds of years later, many historians dismissed the

16th century reports as widely exaggerated. The stories were believed to be nothing more than propaganda meant to justify the murder of Aztec Emperor Moctezuma and as an excuse for the destruction of Tenochtitlan and the enslavement of the population. It's like colonial fake news. But over just the past few years, archaeologists working at the temple may or excavation site discovered proof of widespread human sacrifice among the Aztecs. And the proof was none other than the very skull towers and skull racks that the conquistadors described centuries ago.

So those ancient reports were true. What else did history get right? Human sacrifice was an integral part of the Aztec religion, as it was for many other societies in the New World, including the Maya. One of the central beliefs of the Aztec was that Huitzilopochtli, the god of the sun, needed constant nourishment in the form of human blood. Blood was seen as the sacred life force that was needed to keep the sun moving from east to west across the sky. Without human sacrifice, the world would end.

So, what else are you going to do? Now, reports vary as to how many people were sacrificed at once, but we're not talking about one or two. Eyewitness accounts claim that between 20,000 and 80,000 people were put to death as part of a dedication ceremony at Templo Mayor in Tenochtitlan in 1487. You know, I prefer a nice ribbon cutting. Right? Me too. A little shovel, some champagne. Why do we get to kill anybody? But this isn't unique to the Aztec or the Maya.

Throughout human history, the rise of ritual sacrifice often coincides with the emergence of complex societies and social stratification. It's a pretty effective method of intimidating your rivals and keeping your own people in line. I mean, just look at the gladiator battles of Imperial Rome or the mass burials of servants and captives alongside Egyptian pharaohs and Chinese kings. Now, the Aztec sacrifices were sometimes slaves and sometimes prisoners captured by the Aztecs during their frequent wars. But many captured soldiers, slaves, and even Aztec citizens went willingly to the sacrificial altar. To give your heart as a sacrifice was considered a great honor and guaranteed a blessed afterlife. It's really taking one for the team. It certainly is. Now, whether voluntary or not, can you imagine the terror that people must have felt as

they waited to be sacrificed by Aztec priests? But it turns out it's even scarier. Experts have revealed that a terrifying noise would have accompanied the ghastly ritual and was emitted by skull shaped whistles. OK, you guys ready for this? If you're wearing headphones, you may want to turn this down. I'm going to play the sound raw and then I'll show you a couple of videos of people actually playing these.

They're not really instruments, they're actually called resonators. Okay, that's your warning. Ready? Here we go. Worst ASMR video ever. So when I first heard this, it reminded me of the ringwraiths from Lord of the Rings. Remember those? Yep, those were scary. OK, so imagine you're waiting to be sacrificed. You had a nice meal.

You're oiled up. The crowd is screaming. Is this a sacrifice or a professional wrestler? Then suddenly... The Aztec death whistle has been described as sounding like humans howling in pain. Or as one researcher said, the scream of a thousand corpses. Corpses are usually pretty quiet. Please, please don't heckle me when I'm trying to be dramatic.

Fine, fine, fine. Touchy. I'm just doing my job. You don't got to jump down my throat every time I say something. Discovered decades ago, the whistles initially attracted the attention of archaeologists because of their skull shape. That's pretty cool. But it's only recently that the actual sound they make has been investigated. I mean, if you dig one of those up, is your first instinct to put it in your mouth? It's pretty cool, but it's only recently that the actual sound they make has been investigated. I mean, if you dig one of those up is your first instinct to put it in your mouth. The Aztecs used the sound of the death whistle to help people's souls travel to the afterlife when they were being sacrificed.

But the whistles were also used by warriors to intimidate enemies heading into battle. Over 100 death whistles would be played as a form of psychological warfare. And I think that would be pretty effective. Actually, let's hear what that might sound like. OK, here's what I did. I layered 100 death whistles on top of each other and I pulled in some ambient sound so we can kind of get an idea of what this would have sounded like. Yep. That would scare the shit out of me. Okay, so what the heck is this thing?

The death whistle is used in several areas of ancient Mesoamerica and belongs to an unusual family of Mexican resonators. And these resonators are not very well known yet, but the instruments we do understand can produce sounds imitating animals and replicate the noise of wind or storms. Still, this is not a common whistle or musical instrument that would have been used for entertainment. The leading theory states that the whistles are associated with death rituals not only because of the skull decoration, but because two were found in the hands of a

sacrificed male skeleton in front of the Temple of Wind God. Hey, Cattle, a lot of local at Plata local at Plata local. Easy for you to say it wasn't. So in the sound of the death whistle was analyzed. The noise generated was compared to howling wind and the strongest frequencies fell within the range of human hearing, which is one kilohertz to six kilohertz. The dynamics of the sound that the whistle generates is so complex that it can't be simulated with computerized mathematical models.

This is probably a good thing. It was Jose Luis Franco who published the first drawings of the death whistle in 1971. One of his drawings shows the decorative face of a skull. Another drawing shows the internal structure of a death whistle with a decorative face of an owl. In Mexican cultures, the owl is associated with the coming of death. Especially for mice. Thank you, folks. I'm here all week. Make sure you tip your waitress and hit subscribe.

OK, OK, I got one of those in here. Okay. Let's see how scary it is. What do you think? Scary? No. Intimidating? No.

No, I hear you make that sound all the time. Rude. Just saying. Come here and pull my flipper. Archaeologists have also discovered the existence of other types of resonators used by the Aztecs. They're made of clay, turkey feathers, sugar cane, frog skins, and other natural materials, each one serving a specific purpose. For example, shells were blown at the beginning of ceremonies,

while hunters used animal-shaped ocarinas to produce grunts that lured deer. Medical doctors believe that the Aztecs may have used the sounds to cure illnesses. Curing illness with noise might sound a little woo woo. But as we explore the effects of these artifacts, there are some interesting findings. For example, we know that when two or more similar whistles are played at the same time, special effects can be produced. This is due to the vibrations generated or phantom sounds. And if the beats are infrasonic, meaning too low for the human here to detect, they're thought to be able to create altered states of consciousness. Are we going to try it? Yeah, I don't think so.

I'm not sure if the death whistle can cure illness, but I'm pretty sure it can cause it. But the Aztecs might have been onto something. Vibroacoustic therapy is like a low-frequency sound massage, and it may help people with debilitating diseases. It's basically stimulating the body with very low sound, like sitting on a subwoofer. And low-frequency sound therapy has shown promising results in reducing the symptoms of all kinds of diseases. You know, for the most part, we look at ancient cultures as if they were deaf and mute and made of stone. But the truth is, no matter how far back in time you go, people were living vibrant lives full of color, sound, music, art, philosophy. They were an awful lot like us. They laughed, they loved, they raised families, and on occasion, they spiced things up

with ritual sacrifice. Hey, nobody's perfect. Amen, brother. If it's a flat or a squeal, a wobble or peel, your tread's worn down or you need a new wheel, wherever you go, you can get a pro at Tread Experts. Conquer rugged terrain with on-road comfort. Until June 15th, receive up to $60 on a prepaid MasterCard when you purchase Kumo RoadVenture AT52 tires.

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You battled krakens and navigated through storms. Your spade struck the lid of a long-lost treasure chest. While you cooked a lasagna. There's more to imagine when you listen. Discover best-selling adventure stories on Audible. You searched for your informant, who disappeared without a trace. You knew there were witnesses, but lips were sealed.

You swept the city, driving closer to the truth, while curled up on the couch with your cat. There's more to imagine when you listen. Discover heart-pounding thrillers on Audible. You sailed beyond the horizon in search of an island scrubbed from every map. You battled krakens and navigated through storms. Your spade struck the lid of a long-lost treasure chest. While you cooked a lasagna. There's more to imagine when you listen. Discover best-selling adventure stories on Audible.

You searched for your informant, who disappeared without a trace. You knew there were witnesses, but lips were sealed. You swept the city, driving closer to the truth, while curled up on the couch with your cat. There's more to imagine when you listen. Discover heart-pounding thrillers on Audible.

Thanks for hanging out with us today. My name is AJ. That's Hecklefish. This has been The Y-Files. If you had fun or learned anything today, do me a favor and feed the algorithm with a comment or a thumbs up. It really helps the channel until next time. Be safe, be kind and know that you are appreciated. Take care.