WARRIORS

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Macuahuitl: The Wooden Sword of Aztec Warriors

The macuahuitl (alternately spelled maquahuitl and in the Taino language known as the macana) is arguably the best-known piece of weaponry used by the Aztecs. When the Europeans arrived on the North American continent in the 16th century, they sent back reports on a wide variety of weapons and military gear used by the indigenous people. That included both defensive tools such as armors, shields, and helmets; and offensive tools such as bows and arrows, spear throwers (also known as atlatls), darts, spears, slings, and clubs. But according to those records, the most fearsome of all of these was the macuahuitl: the Aztec sword.

Aztec "Sword" or Stick?

The macuahuitl wasn't really a sword, being neither of metal nor curved--the weapon was a sort of wooden staff similar in shape to a cricket bat but with sharp cutting edges. Macuahuitl is a Nahua (Aztec language) term which means "Hand stick or wood"; the closest similar European weapon might be a broadsword.

Macuahuitls were typically made of a plank of oak or pine between 50 centimeters and 1 meter (~ 1.6-3.2 feet) long. The overall shape was a narrow handle with a wider rectangular paddle on the top, about 7.5-10 cm (3-4 inches) wide. The dangerous part of the macana was made up of sharp pieces of obsidian (volcanic glass) protruding from its edges. Both edges were carved with a slot into which was fitted a row of very sharp rectangular obsidian blades of about 2.5-5 cm (1-2 in) long and spaced along the length of the paddle. The long edges were set in the paddle with some sort of natural adhesive, perhaps bitumen or chicle.

Shock and Awe

The earliest macuahuitls were small enough to be wielded with one hand; later versions had to be held with two hands, not unlike a broadsword. According to Aztec military strategy, once the archers and slingers came too close to the enemy or ran out of projectiles, they would withdraw and warriors carrying shock weapons, such as macuahuitl, would step forward and begin hand-to-hand close-quarter combat.

Historic documents report the macana was wielded with short, chopping movements; old stories were reported to the 19th-century explorer John G. Bourke by an informant at Taos (New Mexico) who assured him that he knew of the macuahuitl and that "a man's head could be cut off with this weapon". Bourke also reported that people on the Upper Missouri also had a version of the macana, "a sort of tomahawk with long, sharp teeth of steel."

How Dangerous Was It?

However, these weapons were probably not designed to kill since the wooden blade would not have incurred any deep penetration into flesh. However, the Aztec/Mexica could inflict considerable damage on their enemies by using the macuahuitl to slash and cut. Apparently, the Genoese explorer Christopher Columbus was quite taken with the macana and arranged for one to be collected and taken back to Spain. Several of the Spanish chroniclers such as Bernal Diaz described macana attacks on horsemen, in which the horses were nearly beheaded.

Experimental studies attempting to reconstruct the Spanish claims of horse's heads being chopped off were conducted by Mexican archaeology Alfonso A. Garduño Arzave (2009). His investigations (no horses were harmed) have made it clear that the device was intended for maiming fighters for capture, rather than killing them. Garduno Arzave concluded that using the weapon in a straight percussive force results in little damage and the loss of the obsidian blades. However, if used in a circular swinging motion, the blades can maim an opponent, taking them out of combat before taking them prisoner, a purpose known to have been part of Aztec "Flowery Wars".

And as always have a chilled day from the Viking