IV Ca 2621m Fragment of a noise pipe (tube broken off). Grey body, remains of red painting. Late Postclassic (ca. 1350-5121 AD). Origin High Valley of Mexico. Uhde Collection. Noise pipes of the same type were found in sacrificial depots dedicated to Quetzalcoatl in Tlatelolco, Mexico City. The instruments were also built into the end of the handles of Aztec incense burners symbolising Xiuhcoatl ("fire serpent"). The wind noise they produce was possibly associated with the cold obsidian knife winds of the underworld. In addition to skulls (mictlantecuhtli?), these instruments also depict owls, which were also associated with the underworld as nocturnal animals. (Adje Both, 2004)