Teponaztli (slit-drum)

Instruments sometimes embody sacred beings. As punishment for his involvement in earthly affairs, the Aztec deity Teponaztli was transformed into a slit drum. When struck, the teponaztli’s tones evoke the god’s voice and link the living and ancestral worlds. This example takes the form of a crouching warrior holding a conch shell, probably a trumpet, in his right hand. Teponaztli were central to Aztec military and religious proceedings, where they enchanted audiences and gods alike.