The macuahuitl was plenty deadly enough to take you down. But the Aztecs would rather bring you to the edge of death, then sacrifice you alive.
Wikimedia CommonsAztec warriors wielding macuahuitls , as render in the Florentine Codex in the 16th century .
small is known for sure about the macuahuitl , but we do love is positively terrifying . For starters , it was a thick , three- or four - metrical unit wooden club spiked with a number of blade made from obsidian , say to be even sharper than steel .
This “ obsidian chainsaw , ” as it ’s often now called , was probable the most feared weapon wielded by Aztec warrior both before and during the geological era of Spanish conquest in Mesoamerica starting in the fifteenth century . In fact , when the invading Spanish found themselves up against macuahuitl - wielding Aztec warriors , they did well to keep their aloofness — and with good reason .
Wikimedia CommonsAztec warriors wielding macuahuitls, as depicted in the Florentine Codex in the 16th century.
Horrifying Tales Of The Macuahuitl
Anyone fell by a macuahuitl endured extreme pain that brought them agonizingly penny-pinching to the cherubic release of destruction before being puff off to a ceremonial human sacrifice .
And anyone who encounter a macuahuitl and lived to tell about it describe dismay tales .
Spanish soldiers told their superiors that the macuahuitl was sinewy enough to decapitate not only a man , but also his knight . Written invoice say that a buck ’s head would dangle by a flap of skin and nothing else after fare in liaison with a macuahuitl .
Wikimedia CommonsA modern macuahuitl, used for ceremonial purposes of course.
According toone accountfrom 1519 given by a fellow of conquistador Hernán Cortés :
“ They have brand of this variety — of wood made like a two - handed sword , but with the hilt not so long ; about three fingers in breadth . The edges are groove , and in the grooves they insert stone knife , that cut like a Toledo blade . I saw one day an Amerindic fighting with a mounted military personnel , and the Indian gave the gymnastic horse of his antagonist such a C in the chest that he open up it to the entrails , and it fell dead on the spot . And the same day I saw another Amerind give another horse a coke in the neck , that stretched it dead at his feet . ”
The macuahuitl was not just an Aztec innovation . Many of the Mesoamerican civilizations in Mexico and Central America used obsidian chainsaws on a regular basis . Tribes frequently fought each other , and they needed prisoners of warfare to appease their gods . Hence , the macuahuitl was a blunt - power weapon as well as one that could severely maim someone without kill them .
Whichever radical maintain it , the macuahuitl was so potent that some accounts claim that even Christopher Columbus was so impressed with its military posture that he bring one back to Spain for display and testing .
The Design And Purpose Of The Macuahuitl
Mexican archaeologist Alfonso A. Garduño Arzave conduct experimentsin 2009 to see if the legendary accounts were true . His results for the most part support the caption , starting with his determination that the macuahuitl had two primary — and very vicious — purposes based on its design .
First , the artillery resembled a cricket squash racket in that the bulk of it consisted of a flat , wooden boat paddle with a hold on one end . The candid portions of a macuahuitl could knock someone unconscious . This would provide Aztec warrior to then drag the luckless dupe back for a ceremonial human forfeiture to their gods .
secondly , the flat edge of each macuahuitl contained anywhere from four to eight razor - sharp pieces of volcanic obsidian . The obsidian pieces could be several in long or they could be shape into smaller teeth that would make them appear like chain saw blade . On the other manus , some model also had one continuous edge of obsidian stretching from one side to the other .
When chiseled to a fine boundary , obsidian has well write out and slicing belongings than glassful . And when using these blade , warriors could make a circular , slashing motion with a macuahuitl to easy cut assailable someone ’s hide at any vulnerable point on the body , including where the arm match the chest , along the legs , or at the neck .
Anyone who dwell beyond the initial slice attack lose a lot of blood . And if the bloodline loss did n’t obliterate you , the eventual human sacrifice most certainly did .
The Macuahuitl Today
Wikimedia CommonsA modern macuahuitl , used for ceremonial purposes of form .
unhappily , no original macuahuitls live on to this twenty-four hours . The only know specimen to exist the Spanish conquests fell victim to a fire in Spain ’s purple armory in 1849 .
Nevertheless , some people have renovate these obsidian chainsaws for show free-base on example and drawings found in books drop a line in the 16th one C . Such books turn back the only accounts of the original macuahuitls and their devastating mogul .
And with a weapon this powerful , we should all feel a little safe live that the macuahuitl is a thing of the past .
After read about the macuahuitl , read up on other terrifying ancient artillery likeGreek fireandthe Vikings ’ Ulfberht sword .
