Aztec weapon

Despite their technological handicaps, they were incredibly skilled at making a variety of murderous armaments that often competed with the steel-forged armories of their Spanish foes, aztec weapon, whose conquest of the Aztecs and their lands represented a grisly and infamous chapter of early American history. Aztec weapons ranged from bows and arrows to aztec weapon knives like this one made of stone.

Their offensive weapons are sometimes divided into projectile weapons - designed to strike the enemy from some distance away, and shock weapons for use in hand-to-hand fighting. Of these, perhaps the most fearsome of all was the maquahuitl , a cross between a broadsword and a club. Basically of two kinds - the smaller and most popular one-handed type and the much larger two-handed model - they were made of usually oak wood, studded with razor-sharp obsidian blades stuck into grooves along the edge s. Some have claimed that the maquahuitl was able to cut the head from a Spanish horse with a single blow. Cleverly designed, it was impossible to remove or break the blades obsidian, though super-sharp, is also, being a volcanic glass, brittle and can break easily as they only protruded a little way from the grooves. As Professor Manuel Aguilar-Moreno has pointed out, it was the shock weapons of the Aztecs that often determined the outcome of battles. The maquahuitl must have been a truly fearsome weapon, though of value only in hand-to-hand combat

Aztec weapon

The best known long-range Aztec weapon was the atlatl or dart-thrower pic 1 with a range of up to metres. It was first used in ancient times in North America as a hunting tool. It simply extends the length of your arm - just as a ball-thrower for a dog does Remember that, whatever type of battle the Aztecs engaged in, their main objective was to capture enemy warriors later to be victims of human sacrifice rather than to kill them. Did Aztec rulers possess divine powers? What did the ancient Maya wear? How bloody were the Maya? The story of the woman who interpreted for Cortes. Large stone sculptures - perhaps the greatest Aztec artistic feat? The famous obsidian Aztec jar in the form of a spider monkey. The chimalli - classic defensive weapon in all Mesoamerica. The tradition of bark painting in Mexico. Is this an early Mesoamerican unicycle? A Mexican codex in Oxford was thought to be Egyptian! What do the elements in the 20 Aztec day signs represent?

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The name is derived from the Nahuatl language and means "hand-wood". Obsidian 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. 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 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.

Each ancient Aztec weapon was unique, used for a specific purpose - Aztec warfare was a highly organized, complex affair, steeped in ritual and tradition. We know quite a bit about some of the weapons that were used by the Aztecs, though it appears much of the history has been lost. Manuel Aguilar-Moreno writes: One finds a repetition of the most important weapons in historical sources, while other weapons receive minimal mention in only a few scattered documents. This suggests that other, less commonly known arms may be forgotten. So we'll look at the ones that we do know a little about, and briefly discuss each ancient Aztec weapon. Ancient Aztec Weapon: the Maquahuitl Perhaps the best known ancient Aztec weapon is the maquahuitl macahuitl. This is sometimes compared to the sword, and it was a powerful, close contact weapon. Like the European sword, they came in two varieties - one handed and two handed. Made from wood usually oak , they were about " wide and ' long. The two handed versions might be slightly wider and as tall as a person.

Aztec weapon

Aztec warfare concerns the aspects associated with the militaristic conventions, forces, weaponry and strategic expansions conducted by the Late Postclassic Aztec civilizations of Mesoamerica , including particularly the military history of the Aztec Triple Alliance involving the city-states of Tenochtitlan , Texcoco , Tlacopan and other allied polities of the central Mexican region. The Aztec state was in the center on political expansion and dominance of and exaction of tribute from other city states, and warfare was the basic dynamic force in Aztec politics. The sacrifice of war captives was a very important part of many of the Aztec religious festivals. Warfare was thus the main driving force of both the Aztec economy and religion.

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Norman, Oklahoma : University of Oklahoma Press. How could you give birth if pregnant in enemy territory? The maquahuitl predates the Aztecs. Aztec Gods. Aztec Warrior: AD — Did the Aztecs work at night? It was capable of inflicting serious lacerations from the rows of obsidian blades embedded in its sides. Large stone sculptures - perhaps the greatest Aztec artistic feat? Aztec Calendar. The butt end of a projectile would be placed in its end, and the wielder would swing the tool overarm, launching the dart or spike. In other projects. Why did the Aztecs believe in so many heavens? At Quecholli, the arrows were made out of reeds which were straightened and hardened over fire before being cut at the same point to create a cluster of standardized arrows, which enabled Aztec archers to be extremely accurate by using projectiles of the same dimensions.

In the Aztec culture, a tecpatl was a flint or obsidian knife with a lanceolate figure and double-edged blade, with elongated ends. Both ends could be rounded or pointed, but other designs were made with a blade attached to a handle.

Did they carry on playing the ballgame in pouring rain? Aztec Music. The Indian on the other side slashed at the second horseman and the blow cut through the horse's pastern , whereupon this horse also fell dead. When children were punished, how long were they held over smoking chillies for? Madrid: Ediciones Polifemo. Which were the most common crimes among the Aztecs? Download as PDF Printable version. Osprey Publishing. How where the Aztecs trained to hunt and at what age? Did the Aztecs force you to be who you were - 2? These ceremonies of death were often performed on maimed prisoners with tools made from obsidian, the same material adorning the macauahuitl that had usually aided in their capture. Just to give one example, there ARE no actual, original, Aztec weapons like the famous maquahuitl still around! It was first used in ancient times in North America as a hunting tool. A modern imitation of a maquahuitl displayed in the British Museum Moctezuma exhibition Click on image to enlarge Their offensive weapons are sometimes divided into projectile weapons - designed to strike the enemy from some distance away, and shock weapons for use in hand-to-hand fighting. Aztec Links.