Remojadas Bat Whistle

This ceramic whistle is from the Remojadas culture and dates to between 250 to 900 CE.  Remojadas was part of the larger Classic Veracruz culture that flourished in the along the gulf coast in the north and central regions of the present-day Mexican state of Veracruz.  The Remojadas settlement was an important center for ceramic production.  It is particularly well known for its hollow ceramic figurines, many of which functioned as flutes, ocarinas, or whistles, as this one does.  Such instruments were used in rituals to call to spirits or deities.

This Remojadas whistle was made in the shape of a bat head.  Several species of bat are common in Mexico. Across ancient Mesoamerica, they were associated with death because their cave habitat was seen as a portal to the underworld.  Vampire bats, which are native to the region, held particular significance because their blood drinking was associated with bloodletting and human sacrifice, rituals practiced to honor the gods.