/internal/media/dispatcher/1491912/resize%25253Aformat%25253DthumbnailQuadruple duct fluteAD 550–950Overall: 18.5 x 27 x 29 cm (7 5/16 x 10 5/8 x 11 7/16 in.)Earthenware with traces of white stucco and blue pigmentGift of Timothy Phillips in honor of Dennis Carr2019.19911This 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 instruments29.051308102662462901