| Macuahuitl | |
|---|---|
.jpg) A modern recreation of two ceremonial macuahuitl based on codices. | |
| Type | Sword |
| Place of origin | Mexico |
| Service history | |
| In service | Formative stage to Post-Classic stage (1000 BCE–AD 1570) |
| Used by | Mesoamerican civilizations, including Aztecs Indian auxiliaries of Spain[1] |
| Wars | Aztec expansionism, Mesoamerican wars Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 2.0–3.0 kg (4.4–6.6 lb) |
| Length | 90–120 cm (35–47 in) |
| Blade type | Straight, thick, double-edged, tapered |
| Hilt type | Double-handed swept |
| Scabbard/sheath | Unknown |
| Head type | Trapezoidal |
| Haft type | Straight, wood covered by leather |
A macuahuitl ([maːˈkʷawit͡ɬ]) is a weapon, a wooden sword with several embedded obsidian blades. The name is derived from the Nahuatl language and means "hand-wood".[2] Its sides are embedded with prismatic blades traditionally made from obsidian, which is capable of producing an edge sharper than high quality steel razor blades. The macuahuitl was a standard close combat weapon.
Use of the macuahuitl as a weapon is attested from the first millennium CE, although specimens can be found in art dating to at least pre-classic times.[3] By the time of the Spanish conquest the macuahuitl was widely distributed in Mesoamerica. The weapon was used by different civilisations including the Aztec (Mexicas), Olmec, Maya, Mixtec, Toltec, and Tarascans.
One example of this weapon survived the Conquest of the Aztec Empire; it was part of the Royal Armoury of Madrid until it was destroyed by a fire in 1884. Images of the original designs survive in diverse catalogues. The oldest replica is the macuahuitl created by the medievalist Achille Jubinal in the 19th century.
- ^ Asselbergs (2014), p. 78.
- ^ "The Fearsome Close-Quarter Combat Weapon of the Aztecs". ThoughtCo. Archived from the original on 28 May 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
- ^ Ann Cyphers, Escultura Olmeca de San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan (Mexico: Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Instituto de Investigaciones Antropologicas, 2004), 145–146.