Weapon Metallurgy: History and Shoptalk (swords, etc...)
Jan 16, 2024 21:25:57 GMT -5
Post by kemp on Jan 16, 2024 21:25:57 GMT -5
If my faulty memory was exaggerating, kemp, it was certainly not by much, but your observations are quite correct:
“Dreadful Broadswords”: The Aztec Macauahuitl
But perhaps the most fearsome, well-known, and most specialized Aztec instrument of death was the “macauahuitl,” a club weapon favored by elite warriors. It was a wooden bat around 70 centimeters long and contained a set of 6 to 8 serrated obsidian blades on each side, and in the surviving eyewitness accounts was commonly compared to the Spanish two-handed sword because of its wieldy nature. There was also a smaller version called the “macuahuilzoctli,” which possessed 4 blades and measured around 50cm long.
The macauahuitl was famed for its destructive potential which was documented widely by Spanish commentators. Jose de Acosta, remarked how:
“This weapon was so fierce that they claimed with one stroke they could chop off a horse’s head, cutting right through the neck”.
Many Spanish soldiers reportedly witnessed this phenomenon first-hand. Andres de Tapia recounted how:
“As the Spaniards tried to capture one of them to find out where they were from, the Indians with two blows of their swords killed two horses”.
Bernal Diaz, recalling the gallantry of Pedro de Moron, who charged the Aztecs with his horse before falling down and making a quick getaway, commented on the fate of the rider’s horse:
“Then they slashed at his mare, cutting her head at the neck so that it only hung by the skin”.
But perhaps the most fearsome, well-known, and most specialized Aztec instrument of death was the “macauahuitl,” a club weapon favored by elite warriors. It was a wooden bat around 70 centimeters long and contained a set of 6 to 8 serrated obsidian blades on each side, and in the surviving eyewitness accounts was commonly compared to the Spanish two-handed sword because of its wieldy nature. There was also a smaller version called the “macuahuilzoctli,” which possessed 4 blades and measured around 50cm long.
The macauahuitl was famed for its destructive potential which was documented widely by Spanish commentators. Jose de Acosta, remarked how:
“This weapon was so fierce that they claimed with one stroke they could chop off a horse’s head, cutting right through the neck”.
Many Spanish soldiers reportedly witnessed this phenomenon first-hand. Andres de Tapia recounted how:
“As the Spaniards tried to capture one of them to find out where they were from, the Indians with two blows of their swords killed two horses”.
Bernal Diaz, recalling the gallantry of Pedro de Moron, who charged the Aztecs with his horse before falling down and making a quick getaway, commented on the fate of the rider’s horse:
“Then they slashed at his mare, cutting her head at the neck so that it only hung by the skin”.
Can find more references on the source page here: www.ancient-origins.net/artifacts-ancient-technology/aztec-weapons-0016599
The sharp edge is only good for a couple of blows, after that it's just a glorified club.
I suspect you'd prefer a good Toledo blade, as would I.
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