7/23/2023 0 Comments Sao md obsidian swordThe macuahuitl delivered a shock to the Europeans. And the same day I saw another Indian give another horse a blow in the neck, that stretched it dead at his feet.” I saw one day an Indian fighting with a mounted man, and the Indian gave the horse of his antagonist such a blow in the breast that he opened it to the entrails, and it fell dead on the spot. The edges are grooved, and in the grooves they insert stone knives, that cut like a Toledo blade. “They have swords of this kind-of wood made like a two-handed sword, but with the hilt not so long about three fingers in breadth. He described how the natives were able to slay Spanish horses with a single blow: The Aztecs Caused Horrific Damage with Their Obsidian SwordsĪccording to a comrade of the most famous of the conquistadors, Hernán Cortés, the macuahuitl was capable of delivering horrific damage to foes. Each piece of obsidian was about 1.125 inches (4 cm) long, according to historian Marco Cervera Obregón, via The Vintage News. What made this weapon so ferocious was its razor-sharp pieces of obsidian (volcanic glass), which were fitted into a groove along its edges and affixed there with bitumen-a natural glue. Unknown Weapons of the Samurai: The Forgotten Warrior Arsenal from Feudal Japan.A Flexible and Deadly Blade: The Dangerous Urumi.Weapons Control in Ancient Greece: When an Accident was Deadly.The macuahuitl was 1.6 to 3.2 feet (0.5 to 1 m), in length ThoughtCo reported. Carved out of oak or pine, the wood was decorated in intricate designs. ( The Epoch Times ) What’s a Macuahuitl?Ī simple piece of wood in the shape of a cricket bat-flat and wide on one side, a slender, long hilt on the other-the macuahuitl came to be an icon of the Central American warriors. Illustrations of macuahuitl – Aztec obsidian swords. The macuahuitl ( maquahuitl), however, delivered a shock to the Europeans. The Spanish were familiar with some of the natives’ implements of war : bows and arrows, spears, clubs, and shields. Yet, the Aztec warrior culture wielded a unique weapon of their own that struck fear in the hearts of the conquistadors: the macuahuitl. The Europeans’ steel weapons and armor and their horses allowed them to dominate the natives. The art pictures above show drawings in the Spanish Codices for correct scale of size and manner of wielding.The Spanish conquerors of the 16th century were met by the sophisticated Aztec culture when they first landed on the shores of Mexico. These obsidian pieces were made in the traditional manner, hand knapped from prepared real obsidian blade cores. This is a model in between with core blades that are pressure flaked to square shape, so that they are sharp the way that arrowheads are sharp, rather than raw flake surgical scalpel level sharp. This is the model we have chosen to make here, as it is seen often in the Spanish Codex drawings. Other types were made with larger bifaced squares. There are several styles that can be found depicted in the descriptions, and many of these are made from long thin Obsidian blades made from prepared cores. This model is 30 inches long, The main club or paddle is made in Central American Bloodwood, and is grooved to fit the glued in Obsidian flakes. This and other types are seen in the Codex Mendoza, the Codice Tudela and the Codex Ixtlilxochitl in the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, France. There are few surviving fragments, but during this time of Conquest the Spanish drew many descriptions which are available for study today. This replica showcases one of the deadliest prehistoric combat weapons known, the Macuahuitl, or Obsidian war club, or sword. This weapon had its origin in Pre-Columbian Meso-America, and was at its height of use during the Spanish conquest of the 1500's.
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