THEY BLARED AHEAD of royal entourages, announcing their impending departure to far-away lands or heralding their arrival into a city or temple. Accompanied with drums and rattles, they enlivened frenzied dances before members of the elites, exalted the mood in victory and sacrificial rituals and added to the anticipation in the ball court. Such was the ubiquity of trumpets during Classic Maya times (250 to 900 CE.) Figure 1. A ball game match is heralded with conch shell and