http://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1491912/resize%3Aformat%3DfullQuadruple duct fluteAD 550–950Earthenware with traces of white stucco and blue pigmentThis four-pipe duct flute is modeled with a long-snouted, iguana-like mythical being with an erect tail composed of five long feathers and a human figure emerging from below the animal's head and between its clawed feet. The two large flanges feature a molded-carved image of a feline, perhaps a jaguar, and the four pipes terminate in renderings of vultures.The ducts merge into a single mouthpiece, which allows them to be sounded at once. The discordant tones produced are very high and shrill, while loose clay cylinders inside each tube create a slight warbling quality, all of which could generate psycho-acoustical effects in the brain. Multiple-pipe flutes are played today by Veracruz's famous "Voladores" pole dancers/flyers who imitate birds in their "flight" down the pole, their instruments imitating bird calls. This unique ritual has ancient origins in rites of rain-bringing and the spring planting season, and the similarity in sound between the modern flutes and this ancient instrument suggests it may have been played during similar ritual events.Musical instruments29.0513081026 Centimeterhttp://collections.mfa.org/objects/624629/rdf