Scientific research into the use of musical instruments in Pre-Columbian Mexico is only 30 years old. ‘Pre- Columbian’ referred, originally, to artifacts made by the Indians of the Western Hemisphere prior to the discovery of America. Now the word refers to such artifacts made before the time that Western culture influenced Indian culture in any specific area. Thus, in Mexico, Pre-Columbian refers to anytime prior to 1521, the approximate year when Cortés conquered the Aztecs... Lilian Mendelssohn, Pablo Castellanos and Miles Lourie