Ayotl

Ayotl scraper of ancient and modern C. America, consisting of a turtle's carapace scraped with a stag's antler. Today it is generally suspended from the player's neck and is struck on both sides like a drum, producing sounds of at least 2 different pitches a 4th or 5th apart. It is used in Mexico and Guatemala. Cf. jicotea (137). Martí, Samuel. Instrumentos musicales precortesianos. Mexico City, 1955.