06/23/2026
Among the flutes of ancient Mesoamerica, the tubular duct flutes produced by the Classic Veracruz culture are especially elaborate. These flutes are characterized by several connected tubes often sculpted with zoomorphic or anthropomorphic figures, and each tube contains free-running clay pellets that create birdlike warbles and other unique sounds when the instrument is tilted.
The Classic Veracruz double duct flute in The Magical Flute: Beauty, Enchantment, and Power displays high-quality craftsmanship and detailed, symbolic decoration, implying its social and ritual importance. Listen as Indigenous Mexican artist Mazatl Galindo demonstrates the tilting effect on a replica of a different Classic Veracruz flute.
See this figural double duct flute and more than 100 other rare flutes in our current special exhibition, The Magical Flute: Beauty, Enchantment, and Power.
https://mim.org/special-exhibitions/
Loan courtesy of The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Gift of Frank Carroll