It is said that Christopher Columbus was also fascinated by this iconic implement of war and that he took examples of Aztec weapons back to Spain with him. The Aztecs quarried the obsidian and created a razor-sharp edge using a technique called knapping. The Supernatural Weapons of the Mahabharata and Their World Destroying Powerįrom a tactical standpoint, they were designed for close range once an enemy had closed too close for archers or spears, the macuahuitl could be employed at short-range - even when confined in dense jungle.Roman Weapons: Sharp Blades to Conquer the Ancient World.10 Innovative Medieval Weapons: You Would Not Want To Be At The Sharp End Of These!.Terrifying rituals were performed where priests would literally cut out the still-beating hearts of their offerings, blood would literally be pouring down the steps of the temple. The Aztecs were known for taking prisoners alive to be used as human sacrifices to appease their gods at their temples. The flat side of the wooden weapon would also serve to deliver non-lethal blows. It’s believed that they could deliver considerable damage but are not designed to kill, as the blade would not penetrate deep enough. Modern anthropologists are skeptical, however, according to The Vintage News. ( Pixabay License )Īnother man is said to have witnessed the weapon dent the Spaniards’ armor. The 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 Spanish conquerors of the 16th century were met by the sophisticated Aztec culture when they first landed on the shores of Mexico.
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