Mexico
Colima

Red pottery
ca. 100 to 300 CE.
Length: 5.5 in; Width: 1.5 in at bulbous ends; 0.9 in at middle
Aerophones – Wind Instruments Proper – Edge-blown Flutes

A pre-Columbian edge-blown flute from Colima, an archeological region of West Coast Mexico.  This red burnished finished flute is enhanced with incised decorations in two areas of the body.  At the top, air is blown directly across the opening and there are two finger holes, one in each of the bulbous ends, which allows the changing of pitches/notes. When played it is held in a vertical position.

This pre-Columbian end blown flute is possibly from the period called Comala that centered on a site of the same name, which was established from around 100 to 600 CE.  During the Los Ortices era, which began around 500 BCE, the pre-Hispanic peoples developed a distinctive ceramic style called rojo bruñido, or burnished red. By the Comala era, they had perfected burnished red pottery and created representations of people and animals with skill and fluid lines.